Just like any other copyright holder, porn studios can — and do — exercise their rights under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to force X-rated “tube” sites (think YouTube, but with more genitals) to take down infringing videos. One company has apparently gotten tired of this game of Whac-A-Mole and gotten a court order that could lead to legal threats against thousands of people who uploaded videos to one popular tube site. [More]
Crime & Fraud
Woman Accused Of Choking Girl For Blocking Her View During Disney Fireworks Show
By 4.7.17
It can be frustrating to have someone blocking your view during an exciting moment like a fireworks show. But that doesn’t mean you should resort to violence if someone is in your way. [More]
Wells Fargo’s High-Pressure Sales Tactics Also Affected Credit Card Processing Division
By 4.6.17
Seven months after Wells Fargo’s fake account fiasco came to light and the bank ditched its high-pressure sales goal incentive program for retail banking employees, a new report reveals the company also revised its aggressive sales tactics for its credit-processing business following an internal probe. [More]
When Does The Extra Space In Your Potato Chip Bag Go From Annoying To Deceptive?
By 4.5.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
If you have two bags of potato chips with the same size packaging, containing the same weight of potato-based snacks, does it matter if one of those bags also contains more empty space? It does to two customers who have accused Wise of misleading shoppers by selling bags of snacks with lots of air. [More]
Passenger Sues Uber After Other UberPOOL Passenger Cuts Her Face With Knife
By 4.5.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
UberPOOL lets you shave a bit of money off your ride by sharing the car with other passengers headed in the same direction. As with any situation involving strangers put together in a confined space, there exists the possibility of everything from awkward silence to romance to violence. The question is: Should Uber be held responsible when an UberPOOL ride goes horribly, horribly wrong? [More]
EpiPen Maker Mylan Accused Of Raising Price To Pay “Kickbacks” To Pharmacy Benefit Managers
By 4.4.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
The EpiPen emergency allergy treatment was pushed into the spotlight last year over concerns about its skyrocketing price and the lack of any real competition for a product that had been around for decades. A new federal lawsuit alleges that Mylan — the company that acquired EpiPen ten years ago — raised its prices in order to provide bigger kickbacks to the companies that help determine which drugs your insurer will and won’t cover. [More]
Shareholders Say Parent Company Of Jared & Kay Jewelers Hid Sexual Harassment Allegations
By 4.4.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Even though hundreds of employees at Signet Jewelers — the jewelry giant that owns the Zales, Jared, and Kay retail brands — have alleged they were victims of sexual harassment and discrimination for years, these claims were only recently brought to light. Now, some Signet shareholders are suing the company, saying it hid these allegations from them. [More]
IRS Will Begin Working With Private Debt Collectors This Month
By 4.4.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
The Internal Revenue Service has released additional details about its new program that turns certain delinquent accounts over to private debt collectors, giving us some idea of when these collection calls will begin, and how many accounts will be affected.
[More]
Don’t Be Scammed Into Paying For A Refund From West Union Fraud Settlement
By 4.4.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Earlier this year, Western Union agreed to pay $585 million to settle federal allegations that it didn’t do enough to prevent fraudulent transactions. Some of this money is to be paid out to victims of this fraud, but the government is warning people not to let themselves get scammed a second time.. [More]
Police: Uber Driver Sexually Assaulted Passenger, More Victims May Be Out There
By 4.3.17
An Uber driver in southern California has been arrested “on suspicion of various sexual assault crimes” after he was accused of parking his van and sexually assaulting a sleeping passenger near her home. Now police have put the word out that they’re looking for other possible victims. [More]
Wells Fargo Still Has A Lot Of Fake Account Fiasco Investigations To Deal With
By 3.31.17
Wells Fargo may believe that its recently announced $110 million settlement will put an end to the many federal lawsuits over the bank’s fake account fiasco, but that may be wishful thinking. In fact, the financial institution is still party to nearly a dozen investigations and lawsuits. [More]
Slew Of New Bills Aim To Reform Marijuana Laws At Federal Level
By 3.30.17
While the Trump Administration has hinted at a coming crackdown on non-medical use of marijuana, federal legislators continue to introduce new bills — some with bipartisan support — intended to further legitimize the cannabis industry. [More]
Santander Bank To Pay $26M Over Subprime Auto Loan Practices
By 3.29.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
One of the nation’s largest providers of automobile financing, Santander Bank, has agreed to pay $26 million to end a two-state investigation into the financial institution’s alleged violation of state consumer protection laws related to its auto loan underwriting practices. [More]
Target Employees Prevent Couple From Losing $4K To Grandparent Scam
By 3.29.17
Every once in a while, a good samaritan — and an informed retail employee — stops customers from becoming victims of a costly scam. Such was the case for a pair of Target employees being lauded for recently helping to prevent a Virginia couple from losing thousands of dollars to the so-called “Grandparents scam.” [More]
Wells Fargo Says It Will Pay $110 Million To Settle Fake Account Fiasco Class Action
By 3.29.17 — Updated: 3.31.17
Wells Fargo is currently facing — and trying to get out of — a dozen class action lawsuits involving a fake account fiasco that saw bank employees opening millions of bogus, unauthorized accounts in customers’ names. Now Wells says it has agreed to settle the oldest of those disputes, and that the settlement could close the books on the other complaints. [More]
Lawmakers Ask FCC To Seek Fixes For Phone Network Vulnerabilities
By 3.28.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
When you think about phone security, you’re probably thinking about the apps on your phone, who’s listening in on the call you make, or perhaps even the metadata you leave behind. You’re probably not thinking about the national and global network of fibers, cables, and businesses that makes your phone call physically possible. But that network has vulnerabilities, and two lawmakers want the FCC to protect consumers from them. [More]
First Amendment Group Wants Homeland Security To Turn Over Records On Phone Searches At Borders
By 3.28.17
Woman Dressed As Target Employee, Stole $40K In iPhones
By 3.28.17
A Target store in Virginia is missing more than $40,000 worth of iPhones after police say a woman masquerading as an employee simply walked out of the store with the devices. [More]
