We’ve heard about scammers who call up consumers and pretend to be utility company workers, demanding immediate payment. And as we head into the winter, when many people might be endangered by an interruption in heat, the Federal Communications Commission is warning folks to be especially wary of such calls. [More]
Crime & Fraud
FCC: Don’t Be Fooled By Callers Posing As Utility Employees Demanding Payment
By 11.15.16 — Updated: 2.2.17
Some Android Phones Might Be Sending All Your Texts To China
By 11.15.16
Smartphones are ubiquitous. Everyone has one, and they come with all kinds of features. Some Android phones, though, apparently have an unwanted extra: a secret backdoor that sends all of your text messages to China. [More]
SEC Chair To Step Down When Trump Takes Office
By 11.14.16
While the world waits to see what happens to the leadership and policies of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the head of another federal financial regulator has made it clear that she will be stepping down after President Obama leaves office, even though she could have stayed on in the office for several more years. [More]
Ringleader Of Canada’s Multimillion-Dollar Maple Syrup Heist Found Guilty
By 11.14.16
It’s been four years since our neighbors to the north were rocked by the theft of millions of dollars worth of maple syrup from Canada’s global strategic maple syrup reserve. Authorities recovered the stuff pretty quickly, but it’s taken some time to bring those responsible to justice. Things are one step closer to wrapping up, however, after one of the heist’s reputed ringleaders was recently found guilty. [More]
Man Takes Down Anti-Santander Billboards After Bank Sues For False Advertising, Defamation, Trademark Infringement
By 11.14.16
A Philadelphia man who is upset with Santander Bank wanted to voice his opinion in a pair of recently posted billboards in the city. His message was short-lived, however, after the bank responded by filing a lawsuit against him in federal court. [More]
Future Looks Dim For Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Under Trump Presidency
By 11.11.16
On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump made his disdain for the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reforms clear, leaving many to wonder what a Trump White House would mean for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — the financial services regulator created by the 2010 legislation. Now that pieces are beginning to fall into place for the Trump transition plan, the outlook for the CFPB does not appear very bright. [More]
Bank Robbery Suspect Caught Eating Lunch Joins Long List Of Accused Criminals Who Were Their Own Worst Enemy
By 11.11.16 — Updated: 1.5.17
Sometimes, it doesn’t take an exhaustive manhunt or an intense investigation to catch an accused criminal. Sometimes, like in the case of a robbery suspect who was nabbed after he stopped nearby to grab lunch, bad consumers are simply their own worst enemy. [More]
Feds Accuse NetSpend Of Misleading Customers About Prepaid Debit Cards
By 11.10.16
NetSpend, one of the nation’s largest providers of prepaid debit cards, has been accused of violating federal law for allegedly misleading users into believing that funds loaded onto these cards will be available immediately, while some users say they had to wait weeks or were never able to access their funds. [More]
Yahoo Knew About Giant Hack As Early As 2014
By 11.10.16
Back in September, Yahoo was forced to admit that it had suffered a security breach — a big one. A “whoops, there goes 500 million users’ data” one. Since then, both the public and potential acquirer Verizon have been asking: what did Yahoo know, and when did they know it? And the answer now seems to be: not as much as they should have, but way earlier than they said. [More]
Uber Driver Charged With Raping Unconscious Teenage Passenger
By 11.10.16
An Uber driver in Laguna Beach, CA has been arrested and charged with raping an unconscious 17-year-old passenger in the back seat of his car. [More]
Google To Warn Users Of Sites Repeatedly Infected With Malware
By 11.9.16
A year ago, Google updated its “Safe Browsing” technology to provide a warning to internet users who are about to visit a site full of software meant to infect devices and potentially steal consumers’ personal information. While the warnings are removed once sites clean up their act, some merely do so for a short time. Now, Google is taking steps to ensure visitors of those pages know it’s a repeat offender. [More]
Couple Accused Of Stuffing Toll Baskets To Steal Coins Join Drivers’ Hall Of Toll Shame
By 11.8.16
While it’s doubtful that anyone has ever driven up to a tollbooth and exclaimed, “Oh, goodie! I get to pay a toll!” it’s important to help keep the nation’s roads maintained and drivable. Police in New Jersey say that one couple not only avoided paying tolls, but hatched a scheme to pocket all those coins for themselves. [More]
Court: Nursing Homes Can Continue Stripping New Residents Of Their Right To Day In Court
By 11.7.16
In September, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new rule that would prevent most nursing homes and other long-term care facilities from using forced arbitration to strip new residents of their right to file lawsuits against these companies. The industry soon fired back by doing the very thing it doesn’t want its customers to do: filing a lawsuit. This morning, the judge in the case granted the industry’s request for a preliminary injunction preventing the new rule from being enforced. [More]
New Emissions-Cheating “Defeat Device” Reportedly Found In Audi Vehicles
By 11.7.16
Volkswagen’s recently approved $15 billion settlement with the U.S. government was seen by some as the final chapter in the carmaker’s “defeat device” emissions scandal, but officials in California may have found evidence that VW used a second device to skirt carbon dioxide emissions restrictions in certain of its Audi vehicles. [More]
Watch Out For Fake Retailer Apps On Your iPhone This Holiday Season
By 11.7.16
It feels like pretty much every major chain retailer out there now has an accompanying app they want you to download to your phone. These are supposed to enhance your shopping experience, provide you with targeted discounts, and provide the retailer with a wealth of useful data. What they aren’t supposed to do, though, is steal your private information — but there are a whole lot of clones out there that do just that, and in the run-up to the holiday shopping season, they’re popping up like mad. [More]
Lawmakers: Wells Fargo Employee Files Show Bank Knew Of Fake Account Fiasco
By 11.4.16
Under federal law, when brokers or other registered representatives leave a position with a banking institution, that company is required to notify the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) with a form that includes a field that describes why the worker was leaving. It’s those filings that lawmakers are pointing to now, claiming that Wells Fargo knew well in advance that its employees were taking part in the now infamous fake account fiasco. [More]
Uber Settles Lawsuit Brought By Two Passengers Who Accused Drivers Of Sexual Assault
By 11.4.16
Six months after a judge rejected Uber’s claim that it wasn’t responsible for its drivers’ actions after they turned the ride-hailing service app off, the company has settled with two passengers who sued it for hiring drivers accused of sexually assaulted them. The court didn’t reveal the terms of the settlement. [More]
Generic Drug Companies Could Soon Face Criminal Price-Collusion Charges
By 11.4.16
The pharmaceuticals industry has come under heavy scrutiny in recent years for soaring prices, though much of the attention has focused on name-brand drugs with no or minimal competition. However, multiple news reports now claim that some generic drug companies could soon face federal criminal charges over allegations that they colluded on price. [More]
