It sounds like a dream come true: the doors of an armored truck fly open, and cash comes flying out, all over the road, just begging to be scooped up by passers-by. But even when dreams become reality, that doesn’t mean loose money is free money, which is why police in Baltimore are asking the public to return cash that spilled from an armored vehicle earlier this week. [More]
Crime & Fraud
3 Obvious Signs This “Walt Disney-World.” Facebook Giveaway Is A Scam
By 7.16.15 — Updated: 5.23.17
Another day, another Facebook scam that has suckered more than 25,000 people in just a matter of hours — in spite of the fact that nothing about this supposed giveaway indicates that it’s legitimate. [More]
Payment Processor Pleads Guilty After Allowing Fake Payday Lenders To Raid Bank Accounts
By 7.16.15
If a payment processor — the intermediary between a merchant and the banks — facilitates transactions that it knows aren’t on the up-and-up, it’s not just a no-no; it’s a federal offense. Just ask the California man who pleaded guilty to wire fraud for enabling the operators of fake payday loan sites to steal money from consumers’ bank accounts. [More]
FAA Investigating Cluster Of 11 Laser Hits On Planes Flying Near Newark Airport
By 7.16.15
They might seem like harmless flashes of light to those of us on the ground, but lasers can seriously disrupt planes in flight, most notably when they hit pilots in the eyes, potentially causing injuries. That’s why the Federal Aviation Administration is taking reports of 11 separate laser incidents near Newark Liberty International Airport in one night very seriously. [More]
Couple Gets Stolen SUV Returned To Them With Repairs, Courtesy Of Thief
By 7.14.15
It goes without saying that finding your car has been stolen is not a pleasant experience. But one Texas couple was not only reunited with their vehicle, but had it returned to them in better condition than the last time they saw it, after the thief apparently had some repairs done on it while it was away. [More]
Storage Unit Auctioned Off For $80 Comes Complete With A Meth Lab
By 7.13.15
As anyone who’s ever watched reality TV shows where people try to outbid each other to buy storage units that the original owners have stopped paying for, you never know what you could get. There could be expensive art hiding in there, or maybe just three hundred empty bags of dog food. Or in one recent case, there could be boxes filled with equipment for your very own crystal meth lab. [More]
Police: Men With ATM In Back Of Their Pickup Truck Can’t Remember Where “Scrap Metal” Came From
By 7.13.15
Because it seems unlikely that large chunks of metal and plastic fall from the sky and land in the back of pickup trucks without anyone realizing it, police have charged two Florida men with the theft of an ATM, alleging that the suspects used a stolen backhoe to remove the cash machine from its rightful home. [More]
Publix Coupon Promising $100 Worth Of Free Stuff Is (Gasp!) A Scam
By 7.13.15
We’ve said it once and we’ll say it probably a bajillion times more: If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So it goes with a recent fake coupon circulating in the Internet for $100 off a purchase of $120 or more at Publix. The company says it’s not giving away free stuff, and advises customers not to engage with the fake coupon or give out any personal information. [Publix on Facebook] [More]
Police: Taco Bell Customer Upset Over Lack Of WiFi Dumped Water On Teens, Then Pulled A Knife
By 7.10.15
Having iffy WiFi service when you want to be online is surely a frustrating experience. But police say one Taco Bell customer went too far, taking out her anger at the restaurant’s lack of an Internet connection on a group of teens. [More]
Warn Your Parents And Grandparents About The Fake Grandchild Debt Scam
By 7.10.15
It seems like as soon as we warn the public about a nefarious phone scam, another slight variation sprouts up to vacuum more money from the pockets of innocent people. This new scam that we’ve learned about combines a focus on grandparents with the urgency and fear of the overdue taxes and jury duty scams that we’ve shared with you recently. What these scams have in common, of course, is that the problem can always be solved with the number from a prepaid debit card. [More]
Police: Robbery Suspect At Check Cashing Business Left His Pay Stub Behind
By 7.9.15
Though there is a decided lack of actual bread crumbs found at the scene of most crimes committed by consumers (outside the bread factory/sandwich shop), once in a while there are some pretty obvious clues available to investigators. In one such recent case, police say a man accused of robbing a Connecticut check cashing establishment left them a pretty big hint, by way of his paycheck stub. [More]
Shoplifting Suspect Bites Target Security Officer On The Arm
By 7.9.15
Retail security officers, maybe you should consider a series of rabies shots. A few weeks ago, we shared the story of an alleged Macy’s shoplifter who chomped on a police officer who showed up to intervene. Now police in the Denver suburb of Aurora are looking for a woman who was suspected of shoplifting, and chomped on the forearm of a Target employee while making her escape. [More]
Man Behind IRS-Impersonation Scam Sentenced To 14 Years In Prison
By 7.8.15
One of the more insidious scams of this decade has been the IRS impostor phone scam, where someone posing as a police officer or federal agent calls you up and threatens to arrest you over your tax balance. Of course, that balance is payable immediately by prepaid debit card. A Pennsylvania man who pleaded guilty earlier this year to running such a scam from 2011 until his 2013 arrest has been sentenced to 175 months in prison and $1 million in forfeiture for his crimes. [More]
No, United Airlines Is Not Giving Away 100 Free Tickets For Sharing A Photo On Facebook
By 7.7.15
Here’s a hint: Sharing a photo is not a valid way to enter a sweepstakes where the prize has a value worth more than few bucks, and no multibillion-dollar international airline is going to run a contest that way. And yet, in just a few hours more than 40,000 Facebook users have shared an obviously bogus sweepstakes from a page pretending to be United Airlines. [More]
FTC And Florida AG Sue Company That’s Allegedly Behind Medical Alert Robocalls
By 7.7.15
Reputable companies that sell personal emergency alert devices might air disturbing TV ads, but at least they mean well, don’t lie in their ads, and–here’s the important thing–don’t bombard America’s seniors with robocalls about the “free” alert system they’ve been given. The attorney general in Florida and the Federal Trade Commission have teamed up to stop this scam further up the food chain. [More]
Police: Man Who Took 300-Mile Cab Ride Jailed Because He Couldn’t Pay $749 Fare
By 6.30.15
Can you take a cab on a cross-state ride? Sure. But you better be able to pay for it when you reach your destination, or you could face jail. One New York man found that out the hard way, after police say he didn’t have the money to pay his cab driver after a 700-mile journey. [More]
United Airlines Flight Forced To Turn Around After Passenger Refuses To Stop Smoking
By 6.29.15
Though it might seem like “no smoking” signs on airplanes aren’t even needed anymore — who could possibly think lighting up a cigarette in an enclosed cabin filled with other people is okay? — there are apparently those out there who still need reminding that smoking isn’t allowed. To wit: a United Airlines flight headed to Boston from Denver was forced to turn around after a passenger reportedly lit up and refused to stop smoking. [More]
Police Make Arrest After Hearse With A Body Inside Is Stolen From Atlanta Hospital
By 6.29.15
Because there are apparently no limits on what people are willing to steal, police in Atlanta say they’ve made an arrest after someone stole a hearse from a local hospital — with a body inside — yesterday morning. It’s unclear whether the suspect checked the hearse before boosting it, or just figured any vehicle would do… occupied or not. [More]
