Scammers can be tricky to identify, but when they target the experts, it makes spotting fakes a lot easier: AAA is warning E-ZPass users of a phishing scam circulating around right now demanding money for unpaid tolls, after one of its own pros received a suspicious email. [More]
Crime & Fraud
IRS: Identity Thieves Accessed More Taxpayer Accounts Than We Thought
By 8.17.15
Almost three months after the Internal Revenue Service said identity thieves accessed more than 100,000 taxpayer accounts in its databases, the agency says that a review shows more accounts were exposed and there were more attempts to gain access to them than previously reported. [More]
Federal Judge Applies Common Sense, Decides Yelp Reviewers Are Not Employees
By 8.17.15
Last year, we shared the news that a group of Yelp reviewers whose accounts had been deactivated were suing the website for back wages. The ex-reviewers claimed that they had performed the functions of an employee, with guidance and critique from Yelp management, by providing content that the site could sell ads against. U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg dismissed the case last week [More]
Police: Man Punched Through Window Of Starbucks And Fell Inside, Injuring Two Customers
By 8.13.15
A coffee break turned dangerous for customers at a Houston Starbucks, when a man punched his way through a window from the outside, shattering it. Police say he then fell through it, injuring himself and two customers who were sitting inside at a table near the window. [More]
Police: Pennsylvania Woman Faked Cancer For Two Years To Scam Thousands In Donations
By 8.12.15
Any scam that takes money from unsuspecting folks is bad, of course, but those that prey on people trying to help those in need seem to leave an extra nasty taste in the mouth: police in Pennsylvania say one woman took advantage of the kindness of others by pretending she had cancer for two years, allegedly raking in thousands of dollars in donations. [More]
Regulators File Suit Against Data Broker That Helped Payday Loan Scammer Bilk $7M From Consumers
By 8.12.15
From time to time, federal regulators shut down shady payday lending companies that debit consumers’ accounts or charge their credit cards without permission. But those nefarious operations have to get their information from somewhere, right? Well, today the Federal Trade Commission sent a message to all of those companies providing such personal information to scammy-mcscammersons by taking action against a data broker operation that illegal sold payday loan applicants’ financial information. [More]
Surprise! This $200 Off Kroger Coupon Is Actually A Scam
By 8.10.15
This coupon promises to get you $200 off your next $20 shopping visit to the supermarket chain Kroger. Well, except for how the coupon doesn’t actually work at Kroger. Or exist. The promise of unrealistically amazing coupons is used to get people to click on a link that could harm your computer. [More]
Police: Man Planning A Burglary Tipped Off Officials After Butt-Dialing 9-1-1
By 8.10.15
There are many ways to get caught in the act, but one guaranteed method to landing in hot water is calling the police directly and letting them know what you’re planning. Although one man accused of burglarizing homes in New Jersey didn’t mean to bring the cops in on his plan, his backside did all the dialing, calling up 9-1-1 just as he was allegedly discussing his plans. [More]
Customer Turned Down For Loan, Threatens Kia Dealership With Handgun
By 8.10.15
There are many ways to deal with the situation when you’re turned down for a car loan. You could, for example, try a different dealership, or apply for financing through your own bank or credit union first. We do not recommend the tactic that one man in Kansas took last week, which was to pull out a handgun and threaten Kia dealership employees with it. [More]
Mozilla: Firefox Bug Could Secretly Search, Upload Your Files
By 8.7.15
If you use Firefox on a PC, you should make sure you update your browser right now: Mozilla says a Firefox user notified the company after spotting a bug that has the potential to search and download local files. [More]
Don’t Fall For The Mail-Order Puppy Scam
By 8.7.15
Getting a dog from a breeder can run you thousands of dollars, so it might be tempting when someone offers to sell you a baby puppy for a fraction of that. But if that seller is just some random person who demands that you wire them a cash payment, you’re probably getting rooked. [More]
Report: Hackers May Have Breached Sabre Reservations Systems, American Airlines
By 8.7.15
Another day, another report that says hackers have been busy plundering major companies. Insiders say the same group of hackers believed to be behind security breaches at Anthem Inc. and the U.S. government’s personnel office have two more victims: Sabre Corp., which processes reservations for hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotels, and American Airlines. [More]
Scammer Accused Of Swindling Investors Out Of $24K For Fake Clint Eastwood Cowboy Documentary
By 8.6.15
When you think of Clint Eastwood, he of the flinty-eyed gaze and chiseled jawline, you probably think about the Wild West, the wide open prairie and the cowboys who range there. Which is exactly what one scammer was counting on when he allegedly swindled $24,000 out of investors in Montana for a cowboy flick that he said would be narrated by Eastwood himself. [More]
San Francisco Lamp Post Falls Over Because People, Animals Kept Urinating On It
By 8.6.15
San Francisco officials have a pee problem, and it’s getting dangerous: a three-story tall lamp post corroded by urine snapped and fell over this week, crashing onto a nearby car and narrowly missing its driver. [More]
Stolen Stradivarius Violin Returns After 35 Years
By 8.6.15
A rare Stradivarius violin that went missing 35 years ago has reappeared, after someone happened to open a box in the attic. Here’s where we get the urge to start searching grandma’s attic. [More]
Reminder: An Airport Runway Is Not A Safe Place To Drive, Intoxicated Or Not
By 8.6.15
It might be a tempting stretch of road, but the only wheels that should be hitting the runway at an airport belong to planes. In a recent example of such unsafe behavior, police say a drunk driver drove through fences and onto an active runway at the Louis Armstrong International Airport near New Orleans on Wednesday afternoon. [More]
Disingenuous Shoplifting Suspects Claim They Misunderstood “Tax-Free Holiday” Concept
By 8.5.15
During back-to-school season, some municipalities have tax holidays, where sales tax isn’t charged on clothing purchases. Georgia is holding one right now, and some shoppers took advantage of the holiday to… pretend that they didn’t understand that the term doesn’t mean “grab everything you can and run out of the store.” [More]
Yahoo Removes Malware From Its Advertising Network That Exploited Weakness In Adobe Flash
By 8.4.15
For six days last week, malware known as “malvertising” was reportedly lurking in Yahoo’s advertising network, with the potential for attackers to infect internet users’ computers and hold them for ransom. Security researchers say they notified Yahoo of the malware upon discovering it on Sunday, and the company removed the malicious code immediately. [More]
