UPDATE: Cash4Clunkers Admin Responds To MPG Switcharoo, Says Nothing
Government Policy
AT&T Lifts 4Chan Block, Was To Stop DDos Attacks
By 7.27.09
AT&T released a statement about their temporary blocking this weekend of troll haven 4chan for its customers. The company said the temporary block was to stop DDos attacks on one customer emanating from IP addresses associated with the site. After the threat was over, the block was lifted. Here’s the official release:
3 Big Banks Sued For Overdraft Fee Practices
By 7.27.09
Banks don’t believe in first come, first served, when it comes to processing your transactions. Instead, it’s biggest appetite, first served. In other words, they process a batch of debits on your account by order of largest to smallest. The result, critics, and now, several lawsuits, charge that it maximizes the overdraft fees they can harvest.
Victim Of Mystery Shopper Scam Arrested, Spends Night In Jail
By 7.27.09
Here’s one more reason to avoid mystery shopping scams: you could be the one who ends up in jail. A woman in Minnesota answered a “mystery shopper” email (that she found in her spam folder, sigh) and signed up. It turned out to be the old check fraud scam—they sent her a $2700 check and told her to deposit it and keep $300 a payment, then use the rest to make mystery shopper purchases. She took the check to her bank, and her bank called the police.
AT&T Reportedly Blocks Wildly Popular And Deeply Offensive Website
By 7.27.09
UPDATE: AT&T has a statement. They said the temporary block was to stop DDos attacks from IP addresses associated with img.4chan.org. After the threat was over, they lifted the block.
Who's Responsible For The Chinese Poison Train? Us!
By 7.26.09
Apparently we were wrong about this whole “Chinese Poison Train” thing. It turns out that it was “filthy U.S. inspectors” who were tainting “pristine Chinese shipments” all along, according to The Onion.
Scientists Agree: Denny's Is Dangerous
By 7.25.09
Denny’s entrees are loaded with dangerous amounts of salt, according to a class action suit filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The CDC recommends consuming no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day, but some Denny’s entrees contain a whopping 5,500 milligrams.
Two Men Charged With Placing Skimmer On Maryland ATM
By 7.24.09
Two men “of no fixed address” were charged in Maryland earlier this month with tampering with an ATM and skimming funds. The men, currently in custody in Oklahoma for similar crimes, allegedly added a skimmer and camera to an ATM at a Maryland PNC bank in April, but police weren’t notified of the tampering until May 20th.
WaMu/Chase Doesn't Believe Your Card Was Stolen, Despite The Fact That The Thief Was Arrested
By 7.24.09
Reader Stephen says that a NYC Taxi driver tricked him into using an ATM skimmer-like-device instead of the normal credit card machine and made off with his card and PIN. The NYPD made an arrest, but Stephen says he’s still battling with Chase/WaMu.
By 7.24.09
../../../..//2009/07/24/if-youre-an-etrade/
If you’re an E*TRADE customer who lives in California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, or Washington, you may be eligible for a class action settlement regarding the undisclosed recording of phone calls. The deadline to file your claim form is September 25, 2009. [Settlement site]
Man Claims To Have Found Condom In Soup
By 7.23.09
A man in Mission Viejo, California, says when he began eating his french onion soup over Easter brunch at the restaurant Claim Jumper, he bit into something rubbery. He “spit out the piece of cheese only to discover he had been chewing on what his wife claimed was a condom.”
Babies R Us Accused Of Price Fixing
By 7.22.09
If you feel like had to pay too much for baby supplies this past decade, look to Babies R Us. Time reports that last week, “the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia granted class-action status to a complaint that Babies ‘R’ Us coerced manufacturers of high-end strollers, car seats, high chairs, strap carriers and breast pumps into preventing Internet retailers from discounting their products.”
Another Arbitration Firm Pulls Out Of Credit Card Arbitration
By 7.22.09
Just days after the National Arbitration Forum agreed to stop arbitrating consumer credit card disputes, the American Arbitration Association has decided to do the same. This is good, but passage of the Arbitration Fairness Act is still necessary.
Don't Threaten To Kill Telemarketers
By 7.21.09
We know how you feel; telemarketers suck. But no matter how much they’re in the wrong, please don’t threaten to burn down their place of business and then kill them and their families—even if they call you a jackass—because they may report you to the police. Then, if your police are anything like the ones in St. Louis, Missouri, you’ll likely be arrested and charged for making terrorist threats, like poor Charles Papenfus.
National Arbitration Forum Exits Credit Card Dispute Business
By 7.20.09
Score one for the consumer over unfair arbitration. Just last week, Minnesota’s Attorney General sued the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) for fraud, false advertising, and deceptive trade practices—and now the company has agreed to pull out of the credit card business entirely. According to the settlement reached on July 17th, “The only business NAF can now be involved with is in arbitrating Internet domain disputes, a business it has long been in.”
Help, Baggage Screeners Stole My Underwear!
By 7.19.09
Careful travelers, there’s a panty-stealing baggage screener lurking in San Francisco’s international airport, according to reader Ari, whose girlfriend lost eight days worth of underwear on a recent trip.
Be Sure To Wear Your Wetsuit, Blindfold, Pepper Spray Necklace To Florida's Water Parks
By 7.17.09
Various water parks in Florida have taken on a weird Westworld vibe this summer, only instead of robots gone mad it’s fellow parkgoers, and instead of trying to kill you they’re trying get at your genitals. And by “you” we mean teenaged girls and boys.
$300,000 Credit Card Skim Was "Model Employee" Scam
By 7.16.09
His name was “Erick,” and after earning respect and responsibilities at the Arco gas station he’d been working at for 8 months, he dissapeared, leaving behind only a hidden credit card skimmer that stole $300,000 worth of debit card info from reams of customers. Police believe that “Erick,” pictured, was a low-rank solider in an organized crime ring who had been given the assignment of working his way up the ladder at the gas station until he was in a position to place the credit card skimmer, a type of con known as the “model employee” scam. As a shopper, protect yourself from skimmers by only using cash, credit cards, or swiping your debit card as credit. [More]
