An educated and observant consumer isn’t just a good thing on a personal level, but that awareness can spread to others in a positive way. Case in point: a sharp grocery store employee realized that an elderly Kansas woman was about to send $1,900 off to a likely scammer, and so he got involved in order to save her from losing that cash. That’s what we call “spreading the warm fuzzies.” [More]
scams
Man Mad At Walmart Because He Doesn’t Actually Want A $480 Fake iPad
By 11.14.12
Even if you’re not buying iPads in gas stations (either in Texas or Florida, or anywhere else for that matter), customers are finding out there are duds popping up in the places you’d least expect. A man in Miami says he recently bought an iPad from Walmart ended up with a $480 piece of plastic that does absolutely nothing and is in fact, not an iPad. [More]
If You Buy An iPad In A Gas Station Don’t Be Surprised If It Turns Out To Be A Picture Frame
By 11.12.12
Here at Consumerist we like to keep our readers in the loop about schemes, cheats and tricks we hear about so you don’t end up as a victim. Unfortunately for a few wannabe iPad owners, they apparently hadn’t heard the story of the woman who bought one of the tablets at a gas station only to find out she’d really purchased a mirror. A couple unsuspecting consumers in Miami were looking for cheap electronics, but they ended up with picture frames after dealing with strangers at a gas station. [More]
Buying An iPad From Some Guy At A Gas Station Isn’t Such A Good Idea
By 11.9.12
If some random person pulls up to you at a gas station and asks you if you’d like to buy an iPad for $200, go with your gut instinct. Unless your gut instinct tells you that this sounds like a really great idea. It isn’t. A Texas woman did just that. Now she’s stuck with an iPad that only lets her do one thing: have one-sided FaceTime conversations. Because it’s a mirror. [More]
Homeowner Discovers Squatters The Night Before Closing On House Sale
By 11.8.12
A Florida woman says the sale of her childhood home is now in jeopardy after squatters were discovered living in the property on the night before the sale was supposed to close. [More]
What To Do If You’re Still Getting Calls From “Rachel At Cardholder Services”
By 11.7.12
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission shut down five operations responsible for untold number of scammy robocalls from “Rachel (or one of many other names) at Cardholder Services.” But several readers have written in to say that these calls have not ended. [More]
eBay Has A Zero-Tolerance Policy For Scammy Sellers (Who Haven’t Figured Out How To Game The System)
By 11.2.12
Recently we warned eBay buyers that they needed to make sure to complain about possible scams within 45 days or not only are they unable to get their money back, they can’t even leave negative feedback for the seller. We tried to get an explanation from eBay for this seemingly biased policy. Not surprisingly, eBay hasn’t been terribly forthcoming. [More]
Beware Of Power Company Scammers In Hurricane-Hit Areas
By 11.1.12 — Updated: 11.2.12
In addition to all the home-repair and charity scams that pop up in the wake of hurricanes, there appear to be several people out there trying to take advantage of consumers’ displeasure with their local utility companies. [More]
FTC Hangs Up On “Rachel From Cardholder Services”
By 11.1.12
For several years, American consumers have been receiving unwanted robocalls with a recorded message from “Rachel” or one of her fictional co-workers at the vaguely named “Cardholder Services.” Not only are these calls often in violation of do-not-call regulations, they are also a scam to trick people our of their cash. Today, the Federal Trade Commission announced it had pulled the plug on five companies behind these scammy robocalls. [More]
How To Figure Out If A Charity Might Be A Scam
By 10.31.12
It’s not just home-repair scams that pop up in the wake of natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy. There will also be grade-A-holes out there trying to trick consumers out of money by pretending to be raising money to help those hurt by the storm. [More]
5 Warning Signs That You’re Buying A Flood-Damaged Car
By 10.30.12
As happens just about every time there is large-scale flooding in a region, you can expect that the car market will be, well… flooded (sorry) with vehicles that have been damaged by soaking in too-high water. Thankfully there are some indicators to look out for if you go car shopping. [More]
NYC Hotels Double Rates On Some Guests, But Is It Gouging?
By 10.30.12
All over Manhattan today, there are hotel guests who were supposed to have checked out but who are forced to stay at least one more night because their flights are canceled — and they couldn’t get to the airport anyway. Making matters worse, a lot of these people are paying higher room rates then they have been. [More]
If You Get Screwed By eBay Seller, Complain Within 45 Days Or Forever Hold Your Peace
By 10.26.12
When you pay for something on eBay but it never arrives, you’d expect that eBay would be on your side and work to get your money back. That might be true, if you plead your case within 45 days of making the purchase. [More]
If You Fall For This Xbox Live Scam, You Should Probably Stay Offline
By 10.26.12
It’s just a hunch, but we’re pretty sure this important message is not from a real “Xbox Modiator.” [More]
Barnes & Noble Warns Of Credit Card Breach At 63 Stores
By 10.24.12
Early this morning, bookstore chain Barnes & Noble announced that it had detected tampering with PIN pad devices in 63 of its stores, and as a precaution has halted the use of PIN pads in all of its stores. [More]
Restaurant Owners Unite To Snare Free-Lunch Scam Artist
By 10.22.12
There are hundreds of restaurants in St. Louis, which would seem like a ton of potential targets for a scam artist. But one bad consumer didn’t take into account that the owners of these eateries actually know each other — and that they talk about the customers who try to pull one over on them. [More]
Think You Know How To End Robocalls? You Could Win $50,000
By 10.22.12
Even though the national Do Not Call registry has stopped most legitimate businesses from flooding consumers’ phone lines with unwanted robocalls, scam artists continue calling because they don’t really care about obeying the law in the first place. Thus, the Federal Trade Commission is offering a $50,000 prize for the person who can help put an end to robocalls. [More]
How Does Alarm Company Send Former Customer To Collections 4 Times For A Bill She Never Owed?
By 10.18.12
It’s bad enough when a company does such a bad job of keeping its books that it sends a customer to collections once for a bill she never owed. But it takes a special kind of stupid to pass that debt around like a hot potato until that customer has to prove her case four separate times. [More]
