What would you call getting a bill for services you never received? How about fraud? That’s what Comcast is doing to one blogger’s mother.
fraud
Fraud Survey Results: 82% Less Likely To Respond To Legit Banking Emails Due To Phishing
By 1.29.07
Security firm RSA released the results of their annual online security survey, and the results are interesting. It seems that phishing and other forms of fraud are taking a toll on users.
Cingular Customer Hit With $31,000 in Roaming Charges From Nicaragua
By 1.29.07
“I told them this is impossible,” DeSofi said.
T-Mobile: Wanting to Buy Stuff From Us Is Fraud
By 1.18.07
Who knew that wanting to buy a whole bunch of crap from T-mobile was fraud? Reader Christine writes:
Don’t Tell Your Bank If Your Checks Get Stolen…
By 1.14.07
If a box of your checks gets stolen from your mailbox, only call if you’re going to cancel your account, at least if your bank is Wells Fargo. One blogger found they refused to cancel a whole box worth of checks stolen from his mailbox. And Wells Fargo told him that if he hung up without canceling his account, he removed the bank of any liability for any fraudulent checks getting cashed…
BofA Identity Theft Victim Gets Massive Runaround
By 1.8.07
Carmela’s Bank of America bank account was stolen. Someone was posting fraudulent transactions on her account. When she reported it to BofA, she entered into a colossal fun trap of transfers and incompetent support staff, even after visiting the branch on 107th and Broadway in Manhattan. However, rather than fighting The Man, she should have:
“Millions” Of Visa & MasterCard Accounts Breached?
By 1.8.07
Reader S. got a call this morning from Citibank. They said her card had been compromised and she needed a new card. When she asked for details, Citibank could only say that an unspecified business had their system compromised, affecting “millions” of Visa and MasterCards
Man’s $179,000 401k Plan Hacked Drained; No Federal Laws Protect Him
By 1.5.07
David DeSmitdt’s retirement plan with J.P. Morgan got hacked and emptied, and there’s no federal laws to protect him.
Citibank Thinks Donating to the Red Cross is “High-Risk Activity”
By 1.3.07
We recently bought a computer with a credit card and received a call confirming that we did, indeed, want a computer. We thought this was slightly annoying but nice, and appropriate because we don’t go around buying computers every day. The credit card company (not Citi) didn’t, however, stop the charge from going through. They just called us later. Not so for the blogger at Fivecentnickle.com. He tried to donate to the Red Cross with his Citi credit card. They stopped the charge, didn’t inform him right away that it hadn’t gone through, and, since it was the last day of the year, now Mr. Nickle might not get his charitable deduction for 2006.
Stoned Master Criminals Threw Stuff Over Walmart’s Fence
By 12.28.06
Two men, seen here, were apprehended after being caught by beach police while throwing merchandise over Walmart’s fence. On Dec 27, a Walmart employee flagged down the Virginia Beach Police and informed them, “there was a customer in the store who was taking items outside to the Lawn and Garden section and throwing it over the fence.”
Returns Gone Wild: Up To 30% of Merchandise Comes Back
By 12.26.06
The most common form of retail fraud is the return of stolen merchandise, and now, in the return season, is the time stores need to watch for it. And who pays the price? You. With stricter return policies. “According to most industry estimates, shoppers in the United States will return about $100 billion of merchandise this year, and about 9 percent of the returns will be fraudulent.”
VIDEO: No $1600 Camera But Here’s A Jar Of Pasta Sauce
By 12.7.06
Finally, a spaghetti western that doesn’t end in a flurry of bullets. — BEN POPKEN
Personal RFID Firewall Invented
By 12.6.06
This paper outlines a system for protecting yourself from the threat of RFID bandits snagging the credit card information you broadcast. The “RFID Guardian” jams your RFID signals, then it clones their signals and rebroadcasts them only if and when you tell it. If the banks won’t make the cards more secure, it’s up to the user to protect himself. — BEN POPKEN
No-Swipe Credit Cards Pose Risk Says Senator
By 12.5.06
Credit cards that use RFID signals to conduct transactions could put consumers at risk for identity theft and credit card fraud, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY said in a press conference Sunday.
Auto Shop Doesn’t Do Any Work It’s Paid To, Hidden Cameras Reveal
By 12.4.06
Two years ago, the AG sued franchiser Francare Inc. As a result of a settlement, the company agreed to stop deceptive trade practices. Apparently, the suit didn’t make enough of an impression. Perhaps this next one will.
No $1600 Camera But Here’s A Jar Of Pasta Sauce
By 11.28.06
UPDATE: According to KTVI/Fox in St. Louis, “A Sony representative has confirmed to Fox 2, the company is processing the shipment of a replacement camera to the Rittenbergs. They just have to send in the box as they found it — sauce and all.” (Thanks to Triteon!)
Department of Duh: Multi-Level Marketing Is A Scam
By 11.15.06
Ramit has a neat post on how Network Marketing and Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) are nothing more than a pyramid scheme in a cheap suit.
