Z. found a great deal on an Asus notebook computer on his local Craigslist in Florida. “I am now in Toronto,” the seller explained before going through with the transaction. Z. and his mom ignored every anti-scam warning posted on Craigslist, and just sort of assumed that this meant the seller was on a trip to Toronto and had taken the computer with her. Z. is underage, and his mom used Western Union to wire the money. They waited. No computer came. [More]
scams
AP Twitter Hack Shows That Not Every Scam Email Is Created Equal
By 4.25.13
So you think you’re savvy when it comes to scams, huh? Maybe you’d never click on a link in an email from someone you don’t know with a funny email address asking to send money to Nigeria — but what if it seemed to come from a coworker you know very well including a link that looks totally legit? That’s apparently how the hack of the Associated Press Twitter account went down, with a scam called “spear-phishing.” [More]
No, You Did Not Randomly Win A Vacation From Travelocity
By 4.25.13 — Updated: 9.5.14
Remember when we told you about the scammers out to trick people into thinking they’d won travel vouchers from the nonexistent (at least in the U.S.) United Airways? Since then we’ve heard of two apparently separate-but-similar scams using the Travelocity name to deceive unsuspecting consumers. [More]
Bank Investigators Do Not Need You To Withdraw $6,000 Cash And Give It To Them
By 4.25.13 — Updated: 4.26.13
Bank fraud is pretty serious business, and investigating it is important work. Banks do not, however, need you to help. If someone calls you up claiming to need your help with an investigation, do not help them. Do not withdraw thousands of dollars from the bank and give it to the “investigator.” It’s too late for two elderly women outside of Albany, New York, who withdrew $5,800 and $6,400 from their accounts, respectively. [More]
Bogus Weight-Loss Products, Fraudulent Prizes Top List Of Biggest Scams
By 4.19.13
More than 1-in-10 American adults fall victim to some sort of fraud, according to a new report from the Federal Trade Commission. And scams related to fraudulent weight-loss products are by far the most prevalent. [More]
FTC Accuses Company Of Cramming Millions Of Dollars Of Bogus Charges On Wireless Bills
By 4.17.13
In the first case of its kind for the wireless industry, the Federal Trade Commission has accused a company and its owners of raking in millions of dollars by charging wireless customers for text services they never signed up for. [More]
More Than 125 Sketchy Domains Registered Within Hours Of Boston Marathon Explosions
By 4.16.13
Yesterday, many of us stopped giving a hoot about — at least for a few minutes — about problems with our wireless bills and cable connection to watch with concern as news reports tried to piece together exactly what happened during and after the explosions that rocked the Boston Marathon. Then there were those jerks who, as will all high-profile tragedies, sought to cash in. [More]
No, You Didn’t Earn Two Free Travel Vouchers From ‘United Airways’
By 4.11.13 — Updated: 9.5.14
For at least the last year, something calling itself ‘United Airways’ — which is the name of a regional carrier in Asia that has nothing to do with this story — has been sending out versions of the above letter to consumers, promising free reward travel, but both the airline industry and the Better Business Bureau say it’s nothing but a scam. [More]
Walmart Worker Stops Woman From Wiring $2,100 To Fake Stranded Grandson
By 3.7.13
With all the news of scammers out there stealing money from unsuspecting folks using the lowdown, dirty “Help, I’m your grandson/niece/other close family relative!” act, our hearts are warmed all the more when observant customer associates stop those scams cold. Here to brighten the day comes the tale of the Walmart employee and the loving grandma. [More]
5 Warning Signs That A Craigslist Rental Listing Is Probably A Scam
By 2.27.13 — Updated: 12.6.16
Even though it’s nothing new, we’ve recently started seeing a resurgence of reader e-mails asking if a really awesome-sounding rental listing on Craigslist might be a scam, so we figured it was time for a refresher course. [More]
Months After Newtown School Shooting, Facebook Finally Gets Around To Dealing With Scammy Tribute Pages
By 2.26.13
It’s been more than two months since the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, and just as long since heartless, greedy scammers immediately jumped on the event as an opportunity to enrich themselves with fake Facebook pages. Now the site is finally doing something about it. [More]
ID Theft Not Just Fodder For Wacky Comedies, Also Tops FTC’s List Of Most Complained-About Issues Of 2012
By 2.26.13
The Federal Trade Commission has finally sorted through the more than 2 million complaints filed by consumers during 2012, and once again identity theft identity theft was by far the most griped-about issue of them all. [More]
Debt Collectors Keep Calling About Bogus Debt, Even After Being Threatened With Suit
By 2.19.13
From calling at all hours of the day and night to contacting you at work, we’ve told you before about the large number of banned practices for debt collectors. But one man says he’s the victim of a tenacious debt collector trying to collect a debt he doesn’t even owe. [More]
Why Would I Fund A “New” Kickstarter Product If I Can Find It Cheaper Elsewhere?
By 2.8.13
That headline is a big fat rhetorical. No one would (or should) pledge to back a Kickstarter product if it’s already for sale — meaning the creator may not have come up with it in the first place — and is cheaper elsewhere on the Internets. In a recent case of a project gone awry, the creator behind a “three-in-one” USB cable that can charge a mobile device, transfer data and read cards found themselves in hot water when a few of the 464 backers noticed the exact same thing on sites like Amazon.com. Kickstarter suspended the project yesterday. [More]
5 Examples Why Just About Everyone Hates Debt Collectors
By 2.6.13
People go into debt. The businesses that own that debt want their money. This is why the world needs debt collectors. But what the world doesn’t need are debt collectors who harass, lie, and threaten to take debtors’ children and pets away. [More]
Do A Bit Of Research On Kickstarter Projects Before You Hand Over $100 For A $15 Watch
By 1.31.13
The projects looking for crowd-sourced funds on Kickstarter range from the absurd to the brilliant, but a few of them are just plain scams. One very questionable project is currently suspended over such concerns, but not until after it scored donations of more than $9,000. [More]
Ticketmaster CEO Takes Pity On 49ers Fans Who Fell Victim To Super Bowl Ticket Craigslist Scam
By 1.30.13
We’ve warned readers many times about the dangers of Craigslist or other online scams, especially in the weeks leading up to big events like the Super Bowl, but for one couple and their family, paying $5,900 for tickets to the game made it seem like a legit deal. Oh, but it wasn’t. And while their story has a happy ending (spoiler alert), there are many scamees who aren’t so lucky. [More]
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Smart Move Or Bad Service? Restaurant Calls Cops On Diner Who Claims He Left His Wallet In Hotel Room
By 1.25.13
It’s a nightmare situation for any consumer: You’ve just finished your expensive meal and suddenly realize you can’t pay because you don’t have your wallet. How do you convince the restaurant manager to cut you some slack? What if they won’t? [More]
