We’re sure people working event security have basically heard it all — but there’s always going to be someone out there pushing the envelope to try to sneak in, anyway: officials in Utah said a man attempted to get into Comic Con in September for free, claiming there was a fugitive at the event he had to catch. [More]
Crime & Fraud
No, Security Won’t Believe You Need Free Passes To Comic Con So You Can Pursue A Fugitive
By 10.8.15
Man Recruited Homeless To Help Him Steal As Much As $800K From Home Depot
By 10.6.15
There’s shoplifting, and then there’s organizing a network of people help you pull off illegal activities: law enforcement in Detroit said a man who recruited homeless people and others on the streets to steal from Home Depot made as much as $800,000 over a few years, by returning those shoplifted items for store credit. [More]
Guy Arrested For Dumping Soda On Fellow Moviegoer Who Asked Him To Be Quiet
By 10.5.15
Though you might be tempted to lash out at someone asking you to quiet down in a movie theater, dumping soda on a fellow patron could get you arrested for battery. One theatergoer in Florida paid for his alleged movie rage with a trip to the county jail, after dumping a cup of soda on a fellow patron during a horror flick. [More]
Crowdfunding Site Patreon Hacked, 15GB Of Donor Info Dumped Online
By 10.2.15
Patreon, a website that allows donors to give regularly to sites, artists, projects and other creators, yesterday evening that it’d been hit by a hack attack that accessed some registered names, email addresses and mailing addresses. And according to reports, 15GB of data was then dumped online, exposing information about donors and the projects they’ve funded. [More]
$80 iPad For Sale In Supermarket Parking Lot Was Actually A Tile
By 10.1.15
There’s one important rule that can save you from a number of scams: when a stranger walks up to you in a parking lot and offers to sell you something, say no. Always say no. If a woman in California had obeyed this rule, she’d still have $80 in her pocket and no pieces of tile masquerading as iPads. [More]
Colleges Paying Sketchy Agents To Recruit Rich Foreign Students
By 10.1.15
With schools looking for ways to bolster their bottom lines without having to rely on federal funding, a growing number of colleges are paying recruiters to bring in well-heeled students from overseas — even though some of these agents have been caught trying to fake applicants’ transcripts. [More]
Police: Man Got A Manicure, Then Robbed The Nail Salon
By 9.30.15
It’s one thing to walk into a business and demand cash, but police say a man suspected of robbing a Philadelphia nail salon sat through a manicure first, getting his nails nicely trimmed and buffed before grabbing cash from the register. [More]
Moms Try To Snag Taylor Swift Tickets, Get Scammed Twice
By 9.30.15
Two moms wanted to take their daughters to see Taylor Swift when she played in St. Louis recently, but didn’t have tickets. That’s fine: that’s what the underground ticket economy is for, right? In theory, but they managed to get scammed twice in one night by two different ticket sellers, and almost missed the concert. [More]
Hilton Looking Into Possible Hack Attack Affecting Guests Using Credit Cards At Its Restaurants, Gift Shops
By 9.28.15
Hilton Hotels says it’s looking into a possible hack attack connected to point-of-sale registers and a variety of Hilton properties. If you bought something at a restaurant, gift shop or other store at a Hilton property recently, you should take a closer look at your credit card statements for any fraudulent activity. [More]
Possible Scammer Threatens To Call Police On The Police Asking Questions About Suspicious Mailing
By 9.28.15
Who’s a scammer to turn to for help when they feel they’re being harassed? Apparently, the authorities: police in Massachusetts say they were investigating a possible scam targeting senior citizens, and called up the alleged scammer with a few questions — who then threatened to call the cops. [More]
Cops Looking For Suspects Who Dressed As Rick James, ‘Super Fly’ Character To Rob Indiana Bank
By 9.25.15
It’s not quite time for Halloween, but two bank robbers in Indiana are already in the mood for costumes: police are on the lookout for two men who dressed up as legendary musician Rick James and Youngblood Priest, a character from the 1972 movie Super Fly, who are accused of holding up bank tellers at gunpoint. [More]
Florida Man Accused Of Stealing More Than 4 Million Pounds Of Citrus
By 9.25.15
Sure, we’ve heard of crop theft in the past (tangerines, pumpkins, corn, onions) but when it comes to sheer volume of pilfered produce, a new report out of Florida takes the cake (if the cake is made out of oranges and grapefruit): authorities there have arrested a man accused of illegally obtaining more than four million pounds of citrus fruit — worth more than $500,000 — from five different people and companies. [More]
New Scam Preys On Facebook Users’ Desire For A “Dislike” Button
By 9.25.15
There’s one relatively simple way scammers can hook their prey: by knowing exactly what you really want and acting like they’re giving it to you. But as much as you want to be able to express something other than “like” with a button on Facebook, it’s not here yet, and it’s not going to be invite-only when it does arrive. [More]
Wedding Venue Fined $305K For Taking Deposits For Events It Couldn’t Possibly Host
By 9.24.15
Imagine you’re about to get married and then find out that the venue you booked for your reception is not only closed, but that the venue operators knew it be shutting down and took your deposit anyway. This is exactly what happened to nearly 60 people who were tricked into making deposits with a Seattle gallery for weddings and other events that could never have possibly been held there. [More]
3 Ways You Can Help Protect Against Elder Scams
September 22, 2015
Scams can often seem like the stuff of urban legends — an odd, urgent phone call, a smooth-talking person on the other end who weaves a tale of money won in a sweepstakes, or funds needed to help a loved one, that seems too detailed to be a lie — but unfortunately for many seniors who have lost thousands of dollars to unscrupulous strangers, scams that take advantage of the elderly are all too common. [More]
Police: Robbery Suspect Told Pizza Restaurant Worker He Was “Having A Bad Day”
By 9.21.15
We get it — you’re cranky because nothing is going right, everything is turning out wrong and your day just keeps getting worse and worse. But just because you’re having an off moment doesn’t mean you should take it out on others, like a man accused of robbing a pizza joint at gunpoint who told a cashier his day was a dud. [More]
Apple Pulls Malware-Infected Apps After App Store Suffers Its First Major Breach
By 9.21.15
Hackers have finally taken a bite out of Apple’s App Store: the company confirmed that attackers were able to infect some of the apps it offers with malware, by copying and modifying a tool used by software developers. Apple says it has now removed the affected apps from the App Store. [More]
I’ve Been Forced To Sign A Bogus Credit Card Bill While Traveling Abroad. What Can I Do?
By 9.21.15
International travel is great! There are millions of great places to see, people to meet, and foods to try waiting out there in the world. Unfortunately, there are also crooks and fraudsters everywhere. Most of us know how to handle a sticky situation when we’re on our home turf, but what do you do when someone in a place where you don’t speak the language is taking advantage of your wallet in a way you didn’t agree to? [More]
