Reader Todd says that WaMu issued him a provisional credit after he was ripped off by a fake online merchant, but reversed the credit because he didn’t supply the bank with “a product description, cancellation policy, and cancellation number.” He can’t get a cancellation number because the transaction was fraudulent (he never received the item he ordered.) No matter who he talks to, he can’t get WaMu to understand that he’s been ripped off.
fraud
Keg Fraud: Busted For Puting Pricier Brand Labels On Cheaper Beer
By 5.23.08
If you bought a keg in Greensboro, NC you might have gotten some crappy beer with a more expensive label, says the News-Record. David Edward Essa, 34, and Robert Christopher Martin, 35 are charged with three counts of the delightful-sounding felony “obtaining money by false pretenses,” after placing more expensive brand names on cheaper beer.
Beware: Calls From "The Jobline" Actually $9/Minute Scam
By 5.16.08
Consumers report receiving automated message calls from a service calling itself “The Jobline” where you’re told they have jobs for you if you call back, but it turns out it’s just a scam. If you call the number back, you will get charged $9 per minute, according to messages left in online forums where people share information on telemarketing numbers. They seem to be using the number 976-4477 in different area codes. A scam targeting people already hard up for work and money, that’s pretty high on the Richter scale of sleaziness.
WaMu Backs Down, Returns The $1500 To Bill's Bank Account
By 5.13.08
Bill, whose small business checking account had been inappropriately drafted $1500, sent us the following email late last night:
Rogue Charges Resurrect Expired Amex Card
By 5.4.08
Patricia closed her company’s American Express Delta Sky Miles card six months ago, but the expired card unexpectedly sprang to life thanks to a supplier’s accidental charge. American Express laughed off the matter, saying “this happens all of the time,” adding that it’s Patricia’s responsibility to ensure that all vendors destroy her outdated billing information.
Man Arrested For Trying To Pass A $360 Billion Check
By 5.1.08
Meet Charles Ray Fuller, 21, of Crowley, TX. He was arrested on April 22 after allegedly trying to pass a check for $360 billion at a Forth Worth Chase bank.
More Info On The $9.87 Credit Card Scam
By 4.29.08
MGD at dslreports read our post last night about Prophotosland.com and its fraudulent charge to reader Megan’s credit card. He’s been following the scammers—”an organized crime syndicate operated from Eastern Europe”—for nearly three years now, and has a ton of highly valuable information on them, including their recent targeting of military personnel stationed overseas. Bottom line: cancel your credit card, Megan, because they’ve got access to it now—and report the charge as fraudulent rather than dispute it.
Watch Out For $9.87 Credit Card Scam From Prophotosland.com
By 4.29.08
A reader named Megan noticed an unfamiliar charge for $9.87 from prophotosland.com on her WaMu credit card statement, so she began to investigate it.
Seller Gets Scammed On Ebay, PayPal Won't Help
By 4.26.08
Matt just got his first taste of Ebay, and it wasn’t good—as soon as he mailed off the Best Buy gift card to the buyer, the buyer reversed payment on Matt’s PayPal account and stopped communicating with him. We’re pretty sure he’s screwed on this one, but does anyone have any good advice for what he can do next?
5 Credit Card Scams To Beware
By 4.23.08
Completely fictional companies pass these charges onto people’s credit card bills and bank accounts and cellphone bills. The processing companies just pass them on and it’s up to consumers to monitor their bills and dispute the charges. So the fake company is just very nice about canceling all the charges from the people who complain, and then they rake in from all the people who don’t check their bills close enough.5. “Cramming”
Completely fictional companies pass these charges onto people’s credit card bills and bank accounts and cellphone bills. The processing companies just pass them on and it’s up to consumers to monitor their bills and dispute the charges. So the fake company is just very nice about canceling all the charges from the people who complain, and then they rake in from all the people who don’t check their bills close enough. [More]
Man Sentenced For $3.6 Million Credit Card Fraud
By 4.21.08
A Californian named Andrew Michael (not pictured at left) was sentenced to four years in federal prison last week for scamming Citibank and credit card companies by fraudulently applying for an $8.5 million commercial line of credit—some $2 million of which he spent on personal goods for himself, including “170 troy ounces of silver, 479 tubes of gold flakes, [and] a Rolex watch.”
Verizon Doesn't Care That Someone Hijacked Your Account While You Were Serving Overseas
By 4.21.08
While Barbie was in Greece serving in the US Military, her cellphone account was hijacked by a strange scammer in Texas. (Barbie is not from Texas.) Because her Verizon account is supposed to be on hold, it took her awhile to figure out what was going on with her her supposedly dormant account. Now Verizon Wireless doesn’t believe her case is really fraud, and she’s sent this letter of complaint to the FCC.
Sears Refuses To Refund $1070 For TV They Never Delivered
By 4.14.08
Update: one day after being posted here, the issue has been resolved. Sears strikes again! They sold Tom a TV for $1,070 on Black Friday last November. “Of course, it wasn’t in stock but they assured me that they could order it,” he writes.
Beware Of Buying Airline Tickets On Craigslist
By 4.14.08
If you buy airline tickets on Craigslist, you could find yourself paying for the tickets twice, thanks to this latest scam. Elliot blogs the story of a William Marleua, who who bought Southwest airline tickets from someone on Craigslist. Four months after taking the flight, a Southwest collections specialist called him and told him to pay up. Turns out the original tickets were bought using a stolen credit card, and then the real owner of the credit card disputed the charge. Here’s what Southwest said about the situation, “Southwest has never been paid for the flight Mr. Marleau took. It is our business policy to collect payment from the person who flew….It’s a difficult situation, but we cannot protect a customer who chooses to make a questionable purchase on Craigslist for a Southwest Airlines flight.”
Data On Over 40,000 Patients Stolen From NYC Hospital
By 4.12.08
The New York Times is reporting this morning that an unnamed employee stole personal data on over 40,000 patients from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The theft “occurred over the past several years and included patients’ names, phone numbers and Social Security numbers.” As we’ve come to grimly expect in these cases, the hospital was made aware of the theft in January, and announced it publicly on Friday after an internal audit. “We obviously deeply regret that this has happened,” said the hospital’s spokeswoman, Ms. Manners. She also said that investigators are “looking into the possibility that the theft could be part of a larger criminal scheme.”
