Rite Aid is selling antifreeze-laced fog juice, the substance that is atomized and turned into a gas by smoke machines, isn’t terribly concerned, reports reader Jennifer.
consumer alert
Walmart Flipflops Continue To Chemically Burn Wearers
By 8.30.07
Like Kerry, Walmart told her to file a complaint with the Chinese manufacturer of the bargain sandals.
Check Fraud Up As High Quality Printer Prices Drop
By 8.29.07
With high-quality printers are widely available at the consumer level, check counterfeiting is on the rise, usually in conjunction with “advance fee scams,” where someone is tricked into cashing an overpayment of some sort and then sending the remainder to another address, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Then by some machination or another, the overpayment turns out to be fraudulent and the scammer vanishes. The image above shows various security features to look for when evaluating a check’s verisimilitude.
Check Credit Card Statements For "STC SAWA RECHARGE RIYADH SA"
By 8.28.07
Check your credit card and debit card statement for unauthorized charges from STC SAWA RECHARGE RIYADH SA. The Saudi Arabian phone card company is fraudulently passing charges to consumer’s cards, usually for sums of $80. If you find one of these unwanted charges, contact your card company to dispute the charges. This may not be enough, as consumers report being the charges hitting their cards multiple times, even after reporting them. In these cases, it may be better to cancel the account.
By 8.24.07
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When riding a taxi, it’s a good idea to see if the meter has a sealed wire hanging from the meter, which shows the meter hasn’t been tampered with, especially when riding in the Wild Wild West of taxi cities, Phoenix. [The Arizona Republic]
How To Identify Botulism Symptoms
By 7.27.07
Botulism is an incredibly serious food-borne illness, and the Castleberry’s recall means we should remind ourselves of the symptoms. According to WebMD they are:
By 7.27.07
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identity thieves chameleon FTC, IRS, and Justice Department in recent phishing attempts. [Seattle P-I]
Check Your Credit Card Statement For "VIP TUNES" Fraudulent Charges
By 7.26.07
Check your credit card statement. Is there a $29.99 charge for VIP TUNES or VIP Tune Limassol CYP that you can’t remember what it’s for? It could be a fraudulent charge. Some of our readers and people online noticed the bogus charge this month from the company located in Limassol, Cypress. If you notice the charge, dispute it immediately with your credit card company.
Beware Nationwide Locksmith Swindle
By 7.20.07
Takeaway: AAA membership has perks. Or, consider taking a few to find a locksmith with a good local word of mouth and putting their number on your cellphone. The fire department can unlock cars, but only if it’s on fire or there’s a baby trapped inside. And of course, try not to lock your keys in your car.
Why We're Not Telling Geek Squad CEO Which Agent Stole The Porn
By 7.5.07
subject looking for comment re: VIDEO: Consumerist Catches Geek Squad Stealing Porn From Customer’s Computer
How To Make Your Computer Catch People Stealing Your Porn
By 7.5.07
Here’s how we rigged our computer to make a video of itself and caught the Geek Squad stealing porn from it.
By 6.28.07
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Supreme Court ends 96-year ban on manufacturers conspiring to set minimum product prices.
eBay Only To Verified PayPal Addresses Or You Can Get Scammed
By 6.25.07
I haven’t sold very many things on Ebay. I run a DJ company and had a brand new Pioneer DJ CD player that sells for over $1000 that I wanted to sell on Ebay. I went through the process of selling it and the winning bidder (who had very low feedback) payed me very quickly via paypal. The address the person gave me was for her son in Nigeria. Yes, I know Nigeria I should have known, but I was naive and trusted this person. Plus, I had seen on the Paypal website that they have up to $1000 – $2000 of seller protection. So I figured if it was a scam, then I was covered.
Colgate: Phony Toothpaste Poses Little Health Risk
By 6.15.07
Colgate has released a statement on the four-state counterfeit toothpaste scare, saying that the quantities of diethylene glycol (a chemical more often used to give flavor to antifreeze) are not high enough to pose a significant health risk. Diethylene glycol is the same chemical, sources say, found in toothpaste imported from China that was recalled just two weeks ago. According to MSNBC News, “consumers who have purchased 5-ounce toothpaste under the Colgate label can return them to the place of purchase” to get their ninety-nine cents back.
Watch Out For Poison Colgate
By 6.14.07
The 5 oz of poison can be identified by these tell-tale package misspellings:
Questions To Ask Before Switching To An Energy Reseller
By 6.6.07
A guy may come to your door pitching the fabulous savings you’ll get by switching to an energy reseller. But before you sign on the line which is dotted, ask these questions:
Door To Door Energy Resellers Fail To Deliver Promised Savings
By 6.4.07
The NY Post ran a good article looking into whether the savings promised by door-to-door energy resale reps like IDT Energy ever really materialize for subscribers:
“I’ve had complaints from residents, as well as small businesses, who have unwittingly switched to a different energy provider and seen their bills go through the roof,” said City Councilman John Liu (D-Queens).
One Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, IDT customer – a bartender who gave her name as Carmel – said her electric bill jumped from $40 to $70, and she is anxious to cancel.
