If you’ve seen ads promising to set you up with payments from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement — a Nov. 1998 accord that requires tobacco companies to pay $10 billion annually to 46 states and Washington, D.C. — don’t fall for it. These ads are just a big, fat scam. [More]
scams
How To Avoid Falling For Ticket Scams
By 6.6.17
It’s that time of the year again: Both the NBA and NHL finals are near, and all your favorite bands are on tour — which means tickets might be scarce. Scammers know you might be desperate for a good deal, however, so be prepared to do battle. [More]
Why Won’t Macy’s Tell Me If Password Reset Email Is Legit Or Not?
By 6.6.17
Someone (either Macy’s or perhaps a mysterious third-party) is confusing shoppers by blasting out emails telling them to either change their Macy’s passwords… or just ignore the email altogether because maybe they don’t have an account and shouldn’t be worried. [More]
Feds Shut Down Alleged Scam Promising Student Loan Relief & Forgiveness
By 5.25.17
A federal court has shut down a Florida-based operation that charged customers $1,200 up front and $50/month with allegedly false promises of getting their student loan payments reduced or forgiven, sometimes in the impossible timeframe of only three years. [More]
Cancer Faker Who Raked In $130K In Donations Gets 6-Month Sentence
By 5.23.17
After lying about having terminal breast cancer and collecting almost $130,000 in donations for her treatment, a woman pleaded no contest to grand theft and has been sentenced to six months in county jail, 30 days of community labor, and five years of felony probation. She also has to repay the fraudulently obtained donations. [More]
Man Behind $1.1M Home Depot Receipt Scam Gets Two-Year Prison Sentence
By 5.16.17
A Texas man who used Home Depot’s program for tax-exempt business purchases to scam more than $1.1 million from the retailer has been sentenced to two years in federal prison and ordered to repay all his ill-gotten gains. [More]
Feds Launch Major Smackdown On ‘Tech Support’ Scams
By 5.12.17
If the world of scams was a wrestling ring, the Federal Trade Commission would be launching itself from the corner to deliver a world of hurt on tech support scammers who claim consumers’ computers are full of malware and other nasty stuff that can only be vanquished by paying them hundreds of dollars. [More]
Imposter Phone Scam Targeting Veterans Who Misdial The Number For Healthcare Program
By 5.12.17
It’s easy to accidentally hit a wrong number when dialing, and usually it doesn’t lead to anything worse than an awkward conversation if someone picks up. But the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is now warning against a scam aimed at people who misdial the number for a healthcare program for veterans. [More]
How To Avoid Online Puppy Scams That Take Your Money And Do Not Give You A Puppy
By 5.10.17
We know: Those big eyes, huge paws, and soft fur in online puppy ads for popular breeds can be seriously beguiling when you’re looking for a new fuzzy friend. But don’t let the cuteness overload tempt you into falling for a scam that will ultimately leave your arms empty and your wallet hundreds of dollars lighter. [More]
Woman Accused Of Faking Cancer To Collect $38K From Fundraising Campaign
By 5.5.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
With fundraising campaigns popping up all over online and in social media, it’s not always easy to tell the real causes from the fake. Officials in Alabama say one woman faked cancer and scammed charitable givers out of $38,000. [More]
Google, Facebook Employees Targeted In $100M Phishing Scam
By 4.27.17
When the Justice Department recently said that two major tech companies had paid out a total of $100 million to a scammer posing as a hardware manufacturer, it chose to not name the businesses that had been conned. But now, both Google and Facebook are confirming that they were the ones victimized by this phishing scheme. [More]
Taco Bell Restaurant Scammed Out Of Thousands By Phone Call From ‘Vice President’
By 4.20.17
One Taco Bell restaurant was scammed out of thousands of dollars via a phony phone call that should have triggered a number of red flags for the employees involved, but apparently did not. [More]
Now The Federal Government Is Warning Against Scammy Nintendo Switch Emulators
By 4.18.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Almost immediately after Nintendo released its new Switch gaming console, videos and banner ads touted emulators that could let you play Switch games on your PC, meaning you don’t have to pay the $300 retail price. Problem is: There currently aren’t any freely available, legitimate emulators. This hasn’t stopped hopeful Switch fans from downloading these apps anyway. After multiple warnings from journalists and tech security companies went unheeded, the Federal Trade Commission is officially advising gamers to not fall for this con. [More]
Feds Go After Stock-Picking Writers That Were Secretly Paid To Hype Up Investments
By 4.10.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
The internet is not lacking in prognosticators telling you which stocks you should or shouldn’t buy. If any of these folks are being compensated — even indirectly — to promote an investment, then they are breaking the law. Today, the Securities and Exchange Commission took action against 27 individuals and companies for their part in hyping up investments without disclosing that money had changed hands. [More]
Kingpin Of IRS Scam That Made $225K/Day Arrested In India
By 4.10.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Police in India say they’ve arrested the suspected kingpin behind a scammy call center operation that raked in $225,000 per day by pretending they were agents for the Internal Revenue Service. [More]
If You Use A Tax Preparer, Make Sure They Don’t Get Taken In By ‘Last-Minute Email’ Scam
By 3.20.17
Taxes can be complicated, and you may have last-minute tweaks to make as you pull together paperwork. Scammers are now taking advantage of this fact, posing as taxpayers to siphon away their annual refunds. [More]
Maybe Don’t Answer Calls From These Area Codes If You Don’t Want To Be Scammed
By 3.7.17 — Updated: 3.8.17
Yesterday, in honor of National Consumer Protection Week, we highlighted four scams consumers should be aware of in order to keep their money. One way to avoid some of these telephone-based scams is to just avoid picking up the phone at all when receiving calls from certain area codes. [More]
4 Scams You Should Always Be Aware Of
By 3.6.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
In honor of National Consumer Protection Week — don’t worry; we forgot to get you a gift too — we wanted to take a few moments to remind everyone of some of the most common scams so that they can do their best to avoid them. [More]
