When we asked you to tell us your car mechanic scam stories, by far the most common mentioned was “dirty air filter trick.” The mechanic shows the customer a dirty air filter and charges them for the part and installation. The trick? it’s actually a prop filter they keep around to snooker unwary drivers. [More]
ripoffs
Scammers Sell Plywood Wrapped In Black Tape As 50" Flat Screen
By 10.26.10
They cut a slit in the back of the wrapping and then the guy got nervous and said “I left something in the car,” and booked. What had appeared to be a 50″ flat screen TV was actually plywood wrapped in black tape. [More]
What Are The Common Car Mechanic Scams?
By 10.4.10
One of our readers recently complained about a shady dealership mechanic trying to sell him on replacing his whole rear differential on his car for $3,800, when all he really needed was his fluids to get flushed for about $160. [More]
Roofing Company Caves, Leaving Homeowners Out Thousands
By 8.25.10
The takeaway from this story about a roofing company that went under, taking people’s deposits with it, is to never pay for a job in full and up front. If the company stipulates this, the BBB says it’s a big red flag. [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]
Watch A Money Mule Scam Unfold
By 7.14.10
This gal was looking to make ends meet by doing finding a part-time work-at-home gig, and ended up getting accused of committing felony fraud. [More]
Reader Nearly Gets Jacked By Fake ATM
By 6.29.10
Reader Paul was trying to enjoy fried pop tarts at an outdoor city festival in his hometown when his debit card was nearly stolen by a fake ATM. Someone had modified an arcade cabinet and placed it outside a bank where it had captured the overflow traffic spilling out of the bank lobby. [More]
Fake ATMs Drain Your Account Dry
By 6.24.10
We’ve talked about spotting skimmers placed on ATMs before, but what if the whole ATM is a skimmer? [More]
Wait Until You're Dead To Pay For Your Funeral
By 5.23.10
You’re gonna die. Why make your family suffer even more by burdening them with the cost of your funeral? That’s the pitch made by companies that try to get you to pay for your funeral years in advance. But, in most cases, you’re better off putting your money into normal savings accounts or life insurance instead.
Harper's Magazine: Insider Reveals How You Get Jacked When Selling Jewelry
By 5.19.10
Struggling to make next month’s rent, you might be tempted to dig out some necklaces and rings you don’t wear and try to sell it to your friendly neighborhood jeweler. But you might actually be buying a ticket to a sick magic show. The jeweler performs a blistering series of slight of hand tricks, whipping out calculators, spouting off fees, keeping your eye on the supposedly worthless diamonds under a tenth of a carat while double-deducting for the base metal. By the end, you slink out in a dizzied blur, accepting 1/5th of what the piece is actually worth. In this exclusive excerpt from the latest issue of Harper’s, ex-jeweler Clancy Martin takes you on a journey to the dark underbelly of the jewelry game. [More]
Ex-Jeweler Dissects "Buying Roadshow" Ads
By 5.18.10
The ads are cheesy as all get out: “Buying Roadshow” “Instant Cash For All” “Will pay up to 1100%” in giant block letters and starbursts. And the crazy thing is that they’re really good at packing in suckers eager to sell their “scrap jewelry,” dreaming of riches, but eventually convinced to be happy walking away with a few bucks. Over at Harper’s Magazine, ex-jeweler Clancy Martin takes apart these ads piece by piece and reveals what really goes on behind the black curtain. For instance: [More]
5 Ways Grocery Stores Rip You Off
By 5.14.10
LiveCheap uncovers ways in which grocery stores make you pay more for less with subtle techniques you may not easily notice. It seems supermarkets can get mighty sketchy when it comes to arranging its meat section. [More]
Top 7 Legalized Ripoffs
By 5.7.10
We busted the trusts! Oil! Rail! Coal! Kapow! You just got Tafted! Yeah, but that was a century ago. Industries have had more than enough time to mutate and adapt, especially when it comes to technology, and figure out new anti-consumer ways to develop and maintain hegemony. You get higher prices, lower product quality, and fewer rights. They get more yachts to waterski behind. In no particular order, here are some of the top 7 legalized ripoffs consumers face today: [More]
New Craigslist Scam Harvests Your Cellphone, Crams $9.95/Month
By 5.4.10
A new Craigslist scam is targeting your cellphone. Sellers report getting a message from a “serious buyer” who is busy “at work” and “can’t contact” them now. The fictional buyer says they “use a website that can save information” and asks the seller to “leave your phone number there” so they can call you after they “get home to arrange a meeting.” Based on one users’ experience, the site, which has already been pulled, then starts cramming $9.95/month monthly charges onto any cellphone number that gets entered. Here is one of the scam emails: [More]
Is Your Parking Garage Ripping You Off?
By 4.12.10
Next time you get your ticket from the parking garage dispenser, better grab a clock. [More]
Deceptive "Just Energy" Salespeople Cruising Brooklyn
By 3.10.10
Reader Dan reports that salespeople from the “Just Energy” ESCO are going around his Park Slope neighborhood, banging on doors and incessantly ringing doorbells. Their opening gambit it to say they’re there to “make sure every bill payer in the house is signed up for the ConEd and National Grid price protection insurance program.” A warning by the Citizens Utility Board says the company routinely poses as representatives of other energy companies… [More]
Boston Bridal Show Was Massive Scam That Duped Over 6,000 Victims
By 3.3.10
This weekend was supposed to be the Boston 411 Spring Home & Bridal Show, but it was cancelled at the last minute. Now police are saying that the entire thing was an elaborate scam that pulled in money from attendees and vendors, raking in more than $150,000 over the past five months. The scammers used a website, Facebook page and Twitter account to promote the event, used PayPal to accept payments, sold fake hotel room reservations and issued fake conference passes. Boston police and the FBI are investigating, but so far nobody has been taken into custody. [More]
NY AG Guns For "Discount Clubs" Webloyalty, Affinion And Vertrue
By 1.28.10
New York’s Attorney General has subpoenaed 22 retailers as part of an investigation into the allegedly deceptive practices of internet “discount clubs” Webloyalty, Affinion and Vertrue. “We want it stopped. We believe it is a classic consumer fraud,” said Cuomo. [More]
