There is a longstanding, if sketchy, tradition in New York City of people signing a lease on an apartment with the sole intent of subletting it for a profit. But where that crosses the line from sketchy to just plain evil is when you’re merely using someone else’s home as a showcase to rack up thousands of dollars in ill-gotten deposits from hopeful tenants. [More]
scams
Infomercial Scammer Kevin Trudeau Appeals Conviction
By 9.10.14
Almost a year ago, it seemed like a federal court had put an end to the decade-long fight with bestselling scam artist Kevin Trudeau, finding the author and infomercial weight loss/personal finance pitchman in contempt of court for violating a 2004 court order barring him from telling lies in order to sell his books. Now, only a few months into his 10-year sentence, Trudea has filed an appeal. [More]
Complain All You Want, California! State Outlaws Silly Non-Disparagement Clauses
By 9.10.14
In the wake of lawsuits over online retailers that try to charge customers huge fees for allegedly violating “non-disparagement” clauses that prohibit customers from complaining about their transactions, lawmakers in California have approved a bill outlawing the ridiculous practice. [More]
ID Thieves Don’t Need PINs To Withdraw Cash From Debit Cards Stolen From Home Depot
By 9.9.14
When Home Depot confirmed the potentially massive data breach of its in-store payment systems in the U.S. and Canada, it tried to quell some concerns by saying there was no evidence that PIN info for debit cards had been compromised in the attack. But it looks like enough other information was stolen in the hack that a clever ID thief wouldn’t need that PIN to drain the cash from a victim’s bank account. [More]
American, Delta Sue Operators Of Scammy Travel Clubs
By 9.5.14
We’ve told you before about travel club scammers who send out notices claiming that you’ve won free trips from Travelocity or travel vouchers from airlines that sound like they exist (but don’t). The airlines have always responded to these stories by saying they would have their lawyers look into these types of scams, but at least two major carriers are actually doing something about it. [More]
Your Next Fraudulent E-Mail May Come From Your Boss
By 8.26.14
If I received an urgent e-mail from Boss Meg telling me to send a $9,000 wire transfer to Consumerist’s fedora vendor, I would know that it was some kind of scam. Paying our bills isn’t part of my job, so clearly that isn’t an e-mail that I would receive. What if that were my job, though? Companies have reported losing an average of $55,000 to a scam exactly like this, wiring money to mysterious entities who forge e-mails from the boss. [More]
Couple Accused Of Stealing $16K By Exploiting Debit Card With Magically Increasing Balance
By 8.26.14
To my knowledge, there has never been an established, official “opposite day,” whereby spending money on products you actually magically increase how much money you have, much less an “opposite bunch of months” where this happens. So when a couple using a debit card that made them richer with every purchase realized what was happening, the legal thing to do would’ve been to pipe up. [More]
Woman Accused Of Faking Cancer To Get Donations Arrested On Her Way To Film TV Show
By 8.19.14
An Illinois woman who’s been accused of pretending both she and her son have cancer in order to scam people out of money was reportedly on her way to film an interview for the Dr. Phil show when cops caught up with her, warrant in hand. [More]
Scammers Call Restaurants At Peak Hours, Demanding They Pay Power Bill Now Or Lose Service
By 8.12.14
A good con artist knows that distraction and an added sense of urgency can help to separate a mark from his money. If you want to hustle a cashier into believing that he gave you the wrong change, it helps to have a line of impatient customers behind you. And if you want a restaurant to pay an electric bill they don’t actually owe, there’s no better time to threaten them with losing service than the lunch rush. [More]
Scam Artist Tries To Play Landlord, Collect Rent For House He Doesn’t Own
By 8.7.14
A woman in California was about to put down a $1,500 deposit on the house she’d just been shown by a nice young man who was managing the rental property for his dad. Luckily, she told her real estate agent pal about her new digs before she was scammed out of her hard-earned cash. [More]
Tourists: Read The Menu Before Ordering So You Won’t Need To Call The Police Over A Big Bill
By 8.1.14
When that gelato is more expensive than you think it should be, who you gonna call? Well, no one, or at least you shouldn’t if you failed to read the menu before ordering it. After all, numbers are written in a language everyone can understand, even if you don’t speak the language. [More]
Can ATM Operators Beat Skimmers By Simply Rotating Card Readers 90 Degrees?
By 8.1.14
For decades, we’ve been sliding our credit and debit cards into ATMs with the shorter side of the card entering the reader. All this while, ID thieves have been improving their card-skimming devices to fit this well-established mold. The skimmers have gotten smaller, sleeker, and smarter, to the point where even a trained eye might be fooled. So what’s the best way to upend all those years of hard work by the bad guys? According to ATM biggie Diebold, it’s just as simple as turning the reader 90 degrees. [More]
FTC Gives Wireless Industry Suggestions On How To Not Be Bill-Cramming Jerks
By 7.29.14
Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission sued T-Mobile, accusing the wireless company of making hundred of millions of dollars off of so-called “premium” text-messaging subscriptions that were often never requested by subscribers. To preempt others from getting involved in illegal “bill cramming,” the FTC is asking carriers to implement policy changes now instead of waiting until it’s too late. [More]
Man Charged With Conning Apple Stores Out Of $310,000
By 7.28.14
It’s not entirely uncommon for a quick trip to the Apple store to ring up a considerable bill. But it was the other way around for a Florida man who allegedly scammed the company out more than $310,000. [More]
If Someone From “Comcast” Requires You To Pay With A Prepaid Cash Card, It’s A Scam
By 7.28.14
You get a call from Comcast and the person on the other end says you can lock in a decent rate for the next year if you pay for the first six months’ worth of service up front. It sounds a bit odd, but you’re always looking to save a few bucks, so you keep listening. The caller then tells you that the only way to pay that money is to put it on a prepaid cash card. This is when you hang up because the caller is probably trying to run a scam on you. [More]
Feds File 9 Lawsuits Against Alleged Mortgage Relief Scammers That Took Millions From Consumers
By 7.23.14
If the thought of losing one’s home wasn’t bad enough, finding out that you’ve been ripped off by the companies promising to help must be even worse. Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, along with the Federal Trade Commission and 15 states announced a string of lawsuits and other actions against such deceptive companies. [More]
Man Returns From 2-Day Vacation, Finds Family Living In His Home
By 7.23.14
In our post about the AirBNB “guest” who decided to make himself at home and squat in a desert condo after he had stayed for a month, we noted that at least the condo in question was a vacation home, not her regular home. No, that actually happened this week to a man in Miami. He returned to the house he was renting after a short vacation and found another family living there. [More]
If You’re Going To Commit $175K In ID Theft, Don’t Do It Under Your Real Name
By 7.23.14
One would think that a scammer clever enough to steal a victim’s personal data and trick some of the nation’s largest banks into helping her steal $175,000 would have the forethought to hide her own identity. But that idea apparently didn’t occur to a North Carolina who also posted helpful photos of herself online to aid police in their search. [More]
