When pictures of their employees dressed up as homeless foreclosed homeowners for last year’s Halloween were published in the New York Times, the high-volume foreclosure firm brushed the matter aside. They said that it was “another attempt by The New York Times to attack our firm and our work.” But now that it’s blown up in their faces, they’re falling all over themselves to apologize. [More]
disgusting
Foreclosure Mill Apologizes For Dressing Up In Halloween Costumes That Mocked Foreclosed Homeowners
By 11.2.11
Foreclosure Mill Employees Dressed Up In Costumes Mocking Foreclosed Homeowners
By 10.31.11
What do the employees at a foreclosure mill – a law firm that aggressively pursues massive numbers of foreclosures, even against homeowners in the middle of working out a mortgage mod – dress up for Halloween? Well at one joint, last year they dressed up as homeless former homeowners and as the corpse of a lawyer who filed a class action lawsuit against them, according to photos sent to the New York Times. [More]
Mom Arrested For Faking Kid's Leukemia To Scam Donations
By 10.5.10
A Detroit-area mother was arraigned this weekend on charges that she had faked her 12-year old son having leukemia to scam for donations. She shaved his head and eyebrows, drugged him with opiates in his apple sauce, and started posting Facebook updates about his condition and her need for help paying his medical bills. [More]
"World Progress Report" Latest Incarnation Of Vision Media
By 9.16.10 — Updated: 10.8.14
In April, NPR reported on how Vision Media was calling up non-profits, promising them a Hugh Downs-anchored PBS special. All they would have to do is underwrite the production costs. Instead, those who signed up and paid up got a pile of poorly made ads on DVD, and no airtime. Now the firm seems to once again changed names and hosts. They’re going by “World Progress Report” and the ostensible anchor is former Good Morning America newscaster Joan Lunden. [More]
Mall Skin Care Kiosk Hustles Mentally Disabled Man For $300, Refuses To Refund
By 8.11.10
Audrey’s mentally disabled uncle was snookered by a mall skin care kiosk worker into buying $300 worth of product he doesn’t need. When his niece found out, the kiosk refused to do a refund saying it was “against policy.” Now her special needs uncle has only $40 left to live on for the week and the kiosk manager is ducking her calls. [More]
Vision Media Tries To Squash Blogging Of Public Documents Re:Frivolous Lawsuit
By 2.17.10
The makers of the Hugh Downs video ripoff we wrote about are suing 800notes.com, a site that lets people anonymously post info about unsolicited calls they receive. Vision Media wants the posters’ identities revealed. That’s not uncommon, but what’s really rich is that they asked the judge for a gag order to stop 800notes lawyer, Paul Levy of Public Citizen, from posting the motions about the case online. Yes, they wanted to stop people from reposting public documents because doing so was “embarrassing” and “defamatory”. [More]
Rat Planter Pleads Guilty To Restaurant Extortion
By 2.8.10
Finding frogs in your weight watchers food or snakes in your TGIF or mice in your Pepsi is one thing and alerting the authorities for infomational purposes is one thing, but please don’t plant rats in your soup in the hopes of extorting a half-million. Because you will be caught, like Debbie Miller of Wisconsin. Here brilliant scheme was defeated by a microwave. [More]
Ripoff Video Maker "Vision Media Television" Renames As "Great America HD"
By 2.5.10
“Vision Media Television,” after getting exposed in a NY Times story as a ripoff production company, has changed its name to “GreatAmericaHD” and is back to its same tricks. The way it works is they call up non-profit organizations with an alluring pitch: a chance to be featured in a nationally-broadcast PBS show anchored by established broadcaster. In this case, Hugh Downs. What they don’t tell you is that you’ll have to front upwards of $20,000 in production costs, and the “program” they shoot will never see the light of day. [More]
H&M Store Cuts Up Unsold Clothing, Throws It Away
By 1.6.10
Some retailers donate unsold clothing to charity, or discount it by the palletful and sell it to thrift stores or closeout retailers. But the New York Times reports that the H&M at Herald Square in Manhattan gets rid of their unsold clothing by cutting holes in it to render it unwearable, then throwing it away. [More]
Giant Mold Universe Found Inside Chef Boyardee Can
By 12.29.09
Larry says that he opened a can of chef boyardee recently only to find a horrible giant mold world growing inside. When he contacted the store he bought it from, Walmart, a low-level employee was openly hostile to them and said the manager “wouldn’t believe them.” Yes, that’s the new scam: steal a can of food, open it up, grow a massive mold culture inside it for several weeks, then try to return it for a buck oh nine. [More]
Customer Finds Dead Mouse In Toyota
By 11.23.09
Greg was replacing the speakers in his 2003 Camry and uncovered a stinky little tomb in the rear of the car. He thinks it must have happened at the plant, but I can’t tell. Who wants to weigh in on whether the mouse tried to build a nest, or whether Toyota used mouse-enhanced stuffing on the assembly line? Oh, there are pics after the jump, but I made one of them less disturbing by adding a little sweater.
Make Yourself Beautiful With Bird Poop, Bull Semen, And Gold
By 8.15.09
Sure, in the interest of eternal youth and beauty, you can inject your face with collagen or botulism toxins. Or you could try something really disgusting! Treehugger.com rounded up eight of the most disgusting “natural” beauty treatments out there. Mmm, placenta.
Walmart Rips Off Girl Scout Cookies
By 8.6.09
Walmart is selling cheap knockoffs of Girl Scout signature Thin Mint and Tagalongs cookies, says a former Cookie Mom and blogger CV Harquail. She writes, “It’s not discriminating against women, strong-arming suppliers, polluting neighborhoods or racing to the bottom of the China Price. No, this time, it’s closer to home, and in my case, really close to home. This time … Walmart is knocking off the Girl Scouts.”
Steak WIth A Side Of Used Tampon Allegedly Served To Tourist At Waldorf-Astoria
By 7.30.09
The image at left has been redacted for the protection of our more sensitive readers. The events of this story, if true, simply boggle the mind. A German tourist visiting New York City alleges that his delicious steak was somehow served with a used tampon on it. Warning: blissfully grainy photo and video inside.
Verizon Willing To Let 62-Year-Old Man Die Unless Cops Pay $20 Of His Overdue Bill
By 5.22.09
Ohio police are pissed with Verizon after the company refused to help them find a missing 62-year-old man unless they paid his overdue $20 $20 of his overdue cellphone bill.
Attention: Your Insurance Doesn't Cover Damage From Corpse Fluid
By 5.1.09
Let’s say you have an apartment. One night, you wake up to find that a liquid is dripping from the ceiling onto your face. When it turns out that the liquid was bodily fluids from a decomposing corpse, your insurance lets you know that the damage to your belongings will not be covered by your policy. Yes, this happened to someone.
The 4489 Calorie, 1.66 lb Burger
By 3.24.09
The West Michigan Whitecaps recently unveiled their new stadium menu and gloating at the top of it is the 4489 Calorie “Fifth Third Burger.” This 1.66 pound piece of gastrointestinal wunder, named after team sponsor 5/3 Bank, costs $20 and feeds 1-4 people. If you eat it by yourself and finish it in one sitting, you get a free 5/3 tshirt. Said the team’s marketing director, “It’s something fun that people can understand.”
This Is Why You're Fat
By 2.19.09
This Is Why You’re Fat posts reader pictures of the incredible calorie bombs they’ve discovered, like The Hamdog, “A hot dog wrapped in a beef patty that’s deep fried, covered with chili, cheese, onions, served on a hoagie bun topped with two fistfuls of fries and a fried egg.” Really, it’s about efficiency. Who has time for all those meals when you can just eat one and get all the calories you need for the next couple of days?
