Over at InfoWorld they have a story from a guy who was trying to sell something on Craigslist, and because he is savvy in the ways of the internet, did not fall for an obvious “overpayment scheme.”
fraud
By 12.4.07
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GfK Mystery Shopping has issued a warning to be on the lookout for a mystery shopper scam making the rounds. Here are 12 warning signs to look out for. [Earthtimes.org]
Shopper Tasered After Using Someone Else's Credit Card At Best Buy
By 12.4.07
The Daytona Beach Police Department say that a woman was tasered last Monday inside of a Best Buy store after attempting to use someone else’s credit card to make a purchase.
Comcast Charges You For Service You Never Ordered, Threatens To Ruin Your Credit
By 11.29.07
Reader Allison wrote her Congressional rep in regards to Comcast defrauding her:
Dear Representative Snyder,
Shady Magazine Seller Ordered To Pay Over $7 Million
By 11.27.07
Kevin Trudeau isn’t the only one writhing in the icy grip of justice this week—one-time magazine subscription entrepreneur Richard L. Prochnow was ordered to pay over $7 million a few weeks ago when the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a judgment from July of 2006. Prochnow ran Direct Sales International (DSI), a bad magazine company that lied to customers and trapped them in a “buying club” that charged monthly fees and was very difficult to cancel.
Infomercial Scammer Kevin Trudeau Found In Contempt Of Court
By 11.27.07
Kevin Trudeau, well known for all sorts of cons over the years—his most recent one was this diet book—was found in contempt of court last week by a U.S. District Court judge for violating his permanent 2004 injunction.
The E-book Credit Card Scam
By 11.27.07
The Red Tape Chronicles details a credit card scam where an ebook company fraudulently charges consumers for ebooks they never ordered. Oddly, when you find the company’s hidden “customer service” number, they’re very quick to issue refunds. Using eBooks is clever, too. That way, if they’re raided, the only inventory they will have to show are a few digital files It’s almost like they know how to just skirt on the edge of the law… hmm…chin scratch….
Probably Why HomeDepot.com, et al, Doesn't Accept Gift Cards
By 11.19.07
Here’s a probable answer for that reader who complained Friday that HomeDepot.com won’t let you use gift cards, forcing him to drive 20 miles away to get his tool fix. It’s probably better than driving all the way there, only to find his gift card was empty. If you recall, last year there was a big problem with thieves stealing git cards….
Quickly Spot Restaurant Tip Fraud On Your Credit Card Statement
By 11.15.07
Punny Money has a neat, simple trick for protecting yourself from restaurant tip fraud, which is when a waiter will change the numbers on your credit card receipt in order to increase his tip. The best way to prevent it is to match all your monthly receipts to your statement, but you can use this simple checksum technique to scan a statement and quickly spot any suspicious transactions without referring to your receipts.
That $3000 Was Fraud? Chase Doesn't Care, It Only Wants Money
By 11.14.07
Brandon writes:“In January 2007, I was traveling in Mexico and was mugged, having my wallet and passport stolen. By the time I got back to the hotel and began calling my credit card companies to cancel, the criminal had charged close to $3,000 on my CHASE Circuit City Visa card. I explained to CHASE that the charges were fraud, and they sent me a fraudulent charge affidavit to complete and have notarized. As I couldn’t take care of this until I returned from my trip, and had more important things like a passport to worry about, I waited a few weeks before completing the paperwork and during those weeks received about 2 calls a day from CHASE urging me to send the documents.”
Commerce Bank Might Have Given Out SSNs And Account Numbers, Not Sure
By 11.13.07
Commerce Bank isn’t sure whether it accidentally gave out your SSN and account number, so its going to write you a letter to offer you some free credit report monitoring.
Walmart Fined $89,705 For Overcharging Wisconsin Customers
By 11.10.07
Walmart received an $89,705 fine after the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection found 280 weights and measures violations at nine Walmart stores. The gargantuan retailer failed to subtract the weight of packaging materials, or “tare weight,” when pricing bulk items like coffee, broccoli, and sweet potatoes.
Judy Cardin, section chief for weights and measures with the state, said that in the case of bulk coffee, the weight of the packaging materials was included when the price of the product was determined. The state had tested one-pound bags of Cameron brand coffee beans, which were found to be 3/100ths of a pound over the actual bagged content.
So What You're Saying Is Bank Of America Is Basically Powerless To Stop Credit Card Fraud?
By 11.9.07
“Got a charge on my credit card from “Member Services” for $19.23. This is a card I use for 3 specific bills, and I pay them off the day after the charge shows. I know it’s coming so this stood out.
Cuomo Subpoenas Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac In Home Appraisal Inflation Investigation
By 11.8.07
New York Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo has subpoenaed the nation’s two largest financiers of home mortgages, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in his investigation into the “systemic fraud” that has infected the business of real estate appraisals.
By 11.7.07
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Corrupt Government: Prison sentence for fraud and racketeering and a Nobel peace prize nomination. Who says you can’t deserve both? [NPR]
Fake Med Promoted Via Fraudulent Government Health & Drug Watchdog Site
By 11.6.07
The Chinese government has discovered a fake diabetes medicine on a fake research institute website, which then links to a fake version of the official government health and drug watchdog agency’s site. If you’re paying attention to urls, it’s hard to not notice that something’s wrong—but we’re sure there’s more than enough people who don’t notice that little detail.
Safeway DVD Kiosk Comes With Credit Card Skimming Device
By 11.4.07
Crafty identity thieves attached a credit card skimming device to a DVD kiosk at a Colorado Safeway. The 2-inch skimming device was discovered only after a customer asked a Safeway employee for help after his card wouldn’t scan.
Crazy Moving Scam In San Jose Area
By 11.3.07
RipOffReports has two claims—one of which was also sent to us by a reader—about Champions Movers and/or A.S.A.P. Relocations of San Jose, California. Or Fremont, California. That’s part of the problem—they seem to be intentionally using a mixture of names and addresses to help hide from what’s shaping up to be a terrible reputation.
One complaint claims that in June they bumped their quote from $1,070 to $2,460 after they’d loaded up her furniture and boxes, and threatened damage to her belongings if she didn’t pay up and sign a new contract on the spot. She paid and signed, but immediately put a stop payment on the check, and she hasn’t seen her furniture since.
