USA Discounters, the not-at-all discount retailer that went bankrupt last year amid accusations of running a financing scam on customers, is looking to close at least one state investigations with a proposal that would provide a bit of relief to some customers sued by USA Discounters. [More]
Crime & Fraud
Taco Bell Customer Allegedly Shoots At Store Over Forgotten Sour Cream
By 6.29.16
It’s understandable that a customer may be a bit ticked off when their bag full of tacos doesn’t include everything they asked for at the drive-thru. But it is never acceptable to take that frustration out on an employee in a violent manner. [More]
Buddhist Leaders Telling NYC Tourists To Beware Fake Monks Who Solicit Donations
By 6.27.16
Just because someone is dressed like the kind of person you may trust, you should always know exactly who it is you’re handing your money to. That’s the warning Buddhist leaders are issuing to tourists visiting New York City, telling them to watch out for fake monks who are pushing people into giving them donations for temples that don’t exist. [More]
Supreme Court Deadlock On Immigration Puts Immigrants At Increased Risk For Fraud, Deportation
By 6.24.16
Yesterday, a deadlocked U.S. Supreme Court stymied the White House’s hopes to enact large-scale immigration reforms that would have allowed millions of immigrants to remain in the country. While this lack of a decision doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the program, it will inevitably create confusion for those directly affected by the case, while fostering a breeding ground for fraudsters seeking to take advantage of immigrants uncertain of their status. [More]
$6.3 Million In Refunds Going Out To Buyers Of Book Written By Convicted Liar Kevin Trudeau
By 6.22.16
More than two years after “author,” infomercial pitchman, and professional liar Kevin Trudeau was sentenced to 10 years in prison for repeatedly making bogus weight-loss claims about his book The Weight Loss Cure “They” Don’t Want You to Know About, some of the hundreds of thousands of people conned into buying the book will be getting their money back. [More]
Tech Support Scammer Must Surrender Assets, Banned From Running Tech Support Companies
By 6.21.16
The company name “OMG Tech Help” is so great and so evocative, it’s really a shame that a tech support scam operation used it. That’s one of the brands that a company out of Florida used for a phony tech support scheme that the state of Florida and the Federal Trade Commission busted up in 2014. Now the company has been ordered to surrender the assets that it has left, and its owner can’t run any tech support businesses. [More]
Feds Shut Down Florida-Based Debt-Relief Robocall Scammers
By 6.14.16
A federal court has issued a restraining order against a network of Florida-based robocallers who bilked more than $15.6 million from victims through the use of auto-dialed, prerecorded scam calls pitching bogus credit card rate reduction under the generic guise “Bank Card Services” or “Credit Assistance Program.” [More]
Let’s Watch Some Promotional Videos From Makers Of ATM Skimmers
By 6.14.16 — Updated: 2.28.17
Legitimate businesses create video ads to promote their products, so why shouldn’t companies that can provide you with the supplies to commit crimes? Here are some videos where sellers of the tools of the ATM skimmer trade show off how their products work, in case you’ve always wondered how to insert and remove a super-thin ATM skimmer. [More]
Police: Thief Dressed Like Apple Employee Walks Out Of NYC Store With 19 iPhones
By 6.10.16
In the movies, thieves are always donning clever, complicated disguises to skulk about and commit foul deeds. But it turns out, you don’t even need a fake mustache and a fedora to go undetected if you have the right shirt on. [More]
U.S. & Dutch Authorities Shut Down International Scam That Bilked Millions From Elderly
By 6.2.16
Simultaneous legal actions by both the U.S. Department of Justice and Dutch authorities seek to shut down an alleged mail fraud scheme that tricked elderly Americans into paying tens of millions of dollars with the false promise of winning valuable prizes in return. [More]
Guy Who Threw Alligator Into Wendy’s Drive-Thru Window Gets Probation, Ordered To Stay Away From Wendy’s
By 6.1.16
Remember the guy who chucked a live alligator through the open window of a Wendy’s drive-thru? Of course you do, because who throws alligators? He’s now paying for his self-proclaimed “stupid prank” with a year of probation and an order to stay away from the chain restaurant. [More]
Technology That Improves Phones Also Means Scam Calls Are Easy And Dirt Cheap
By 5.27.16
The same technology that means you can talk to friends or loved ones anywhere in the world for pennies per minute or for free has a harmful downside: it also means that scammers anywhere in the world can call you cheaply, too, using overseas call centers and an utter lack of human empathy to drain the pockets of victims, who are mostly senior citizens. [More]
Defendant: Geek Squad Employee Was Paid FBI Informant, Searched Devices Illegally
By 5.23.16 — Updated: 1.8.17
A doctor in California claims that there are real secret agents in the Geek Squad, and that a paid FBI informant turned him in after finding suspicious material on his hard drive in 2012. While the FBI doesn’t deny that the Geek Squad employee did contact them about the contents of the defendant’s hard drive and that they did pay him, the Bureau insists that it didn’t employ informants working in the Geek Squad repair center to comb users’ computers for porn. [More]
New And Improved Version Of Popular ATM Malware Spotted In The Wild
By 5.20.16
Modern ATMs are just computers attached to machines stuffed with cash, and that means that ATMs can also be infected with malware and viruses. Back in 2009, a piece of malware that could make an ATM spit out cash or give out the card numbers of people who had recently used the machine was found in the wild, the not-very-creatively-named Skimer. Now the security company Kapersky Labs has discovered a new and better (if you’re not a bank or a consumer) version of Skimer out in the wild. [More]
Fortune Teller Admits Stealing Millions From Clients For Lifting Curses
By 5.18.16
Whether or not you believe in dark curses or not, you shouldn’t be paying someone your hard-earned cash to lift them. The Department of Justice says the former owner of a fortune teller business in Virginia pled guilty in federal court to committing mail fraud and laundering more than $1 million she stole from her victims, after telling them she was clairvoyant and could see into the past and the future.
[More]
Burned By Too Many Scams, Microsoft Bans Tech Support Ads In Bing Search Results
By 5.13.16
Imagine if an entire section of the phone book (remember those?) was dominated by fake companies and scam artists. You’d hope the phone book people would wise up and get rid of that section. That appears to be Microsoft’s way of thinking as it bans tech support ads from its Bing search results. [More]
Man Accused Of Hacking United Airlines Website, Stealing Travel Vouchers
By 5.11.16
There are a few ways you can earn travel vouchers that let you fly on the cheap or for free, but slipping in the back door and stealing them could also earn you a trip to court. That’s the lesson playing out right now in Utah, where officials charged a man with a slew of crimes including theft after he allegedly hacked United Airlines and boosted unredeemed vouchers. [More]
Here’s What You’ll Find Inside A Real ATM Skimmer Found In Indonesia
By 5.9.16
What would you do if you were on vacation abroad, and you found a skimmer attached to an ATM? Security consultant Matt South discovered a camera attachment on an ATM in Bali, Indonesia, and decided to bring it back to his hotel to take it apart. He found a plastic enclosure that contained a modified motion-activated spy camera, and four holes that turned out to be a USB port. [More]
