In January, federal regulators announced they had put a stop to an apartment rental scam in which homes (that may not exist) are listed online with the sole purpose of tricking prospective renters into paying for “credit checks” that will never be done. Now, the operators of the scheme must pay $762,000 to put an end to the Federal Trade Commission’s allegations. [More]
Crime & Fraud
Even If You’re Locked In A Store’s Beer Cooler, It’s Not Okay To Drink Whatever You Want
By 10.27.17
As the saying goes, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. However, if life locks you in the beer cooler, don’t crack open a few cold ones — tempting though that may be — or you may find yourself charged with retail theft. [More]
Criminals With Terrifying Baby Mask Deploy ATM Skimmers In Minnesota
By 10.26.17
As Halloween draws closer, here’s a reminder of what you should really be scared of: ATM skimmers, or devices that attach to cash machines to slurp up customers’ card numbers and PINs. You should also be afraid of adults in creepy baby doll masks. According to police in Minnesota, a recent crime there incorporates both of these terrifying prospects, with a mask-wearing suspect accused of placing skimmers on ATMs in two counties and stealing tens of thousands of dollars. [More]
Stolen Backpack Leads To $52,310 Surprise Medical Bill
By 10.26.17
Sadly, it’s not uncommon for people to face sudden, unexpected and expensive medical bills. It’s also becoming increasingly normal to find out that your identity has been stolen. These two worlds collide in the story of a California man who recently found out he was being charged gobs of money by a hospital for a medical procedure someone had performed using his identity. [More]
Beware Scammers Spoofing Number For FTC’s Consumer Response Center
By 10.24.17
The Federal Trade Commission is one of the agencies consumers are supposed to turn to when they’ve been defrauded by scam phone calls, so it — sadly — makes sense that some fraudsters have decided that the best way to con victims is to pretend they are calling from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center. [More]
Walmart Looking Into Incident After Video Shows Brawl Between Walmart Worker, Customer
By 10.24.17
Sometimes shopping can be frustrating, but that’s no reason to let an in-store experience come to blows. That’s why Walmart is promising to look into what led to a physical altercation between a customer and a store employee in Tennessee. [More]
Hawaiian Stores Reporting An Uptick In Spam Thefts
By 10.23.17
While we know that common items like detergent, pregnancy tests, weight loss pills, and diapers, and even baby formula can be popular with shoplifters, stores in Hawaii are facing a new trend in thievery: Cans of Spam are flying off shelves as folks with sticky fingers try to make a quick buck. [More]
Amazon Customers Surprised To Receive 65 Pounds Of Marijuana They Did Not Order
By 10.23.17
If you’ve recently misplaced a few bricks of marijuana, you may want to talk to Amazon: Customers who ordered a few storage bins were shocked to find their package arrived with a little extra something tucked in — 65 pounds of pot. [More]
California Accuses Retailer Of Using Bait-And-Switch Tactics To Lure In Customers
By 10.20.17
A Los Angeles-area chain of retail stores is accused by the state of repeatedly misleading customers into thinking they were going to get a good price on merchandise only to be told after they get into the store that the only way to get that advertised price is if they spend more money. [More]
Twitter Puts Timeline On Curbing Hateful Abuse; For Real This Time. No, Seriously
By 10.20.17
Ever since it gave birth to its first anonymous, hateful egg, Twitter has been promising to do something to repair its reputation as a verbal battle royale of vitriolic threats and malicious dog-piling. After a decade of half-steps (and steps back, in some cases), Twitter has now given an actual timeline for when it will implement what it hopes are policy changes that will result in a less menacing social media platform — but can Twitter actually stuff its nasty genie back in the bottle? [More]
Waitress Accused Of Stealing Almost $500K From Regular Customer
By 10.18.17
Being a regular at a dining establishment can come with some perks; the servers knows what you like and you might even receive a free dessert here or there. But for one New York woman it also came with a rather big drawback: The waitress she befriended allegedly bilked her out of $500,000. [More]
Charter Sues NYC Union, Accuses Striking Workers Of Sabotaging Cables
By 10.18.17
For six months now, union workers for Charter in New York and New Jersey have been on strike. Now the cable company has filed a lawsuit against the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3, accusing union members of sabotaging customers’ cable installations to make Charter look bad. [More]
Company That Sold Fake Payday Loan Debts To Collectors Must Pay $4.1M
By 10.17.17
We’ve heard it before: A debt collection company engaged in a “phantom” debt scheme in which they try to entice unsuspecting individuals into paying debts they don’t actually owe. While federal regulators have cracked down on these unscrupulous organizations in the past, they are now turning their attention to the companies providing information on these supposed debts. To that end, the Federal Trade Commission today ordered one such data company to pay $4.1 million. [More]
Couple Caught On Camera Copulating At Domino’s Counter May Face Jail Time
By 10.17.17
If your fantasy is to engage in all manner of sexual relations while waiting for your pizza order, just be aware that there may be repercussions for your public display of intimacy. [More]
County Worker Accused Of Stealing $1.2M Worth Of Fajitas Over 9 Years
By 10.16.17
We hate handing out tips to wannabe white-collar criminals, but if you’re going to use your job to steal millions of dollars in food, at least make sure you’re in the office to answer calls about your latest shipment of embezzled Tex-Mex arrives. [More]
Hyatt Reports Another Payment Card Breach Affecting 41 Hotels In 11 Countries
By 10.16.17
For the second time in two years, global hotel operator Hyatt has been hit by a far-reaching breach of its payment card system. The latest attack involves the financial information of guests who stayed at any one of 41 Hyatt properties in 11 different countries. [More]
Researchers Discover WiFi Vulnerability Affecting Basically Every Device On Earth
By 10.16.17
Well, there’s cheerful news to start off the week: Researchers have discovered and disclosed a massive WiFi vulnerability that puts everyone’s private data at risk. How massive? Basically, if you can read this story, congratulations — you’re almost certainly affected. [More]
