Taking huge, commercial-size bladders of Heinz Ketchup and repackaging it into smaller plastic bottles may not seem like that insidious of a scam, until you think about what else might be getting added to the sweet red goo — and what happens when you leave a few thousand bogus bottles of the stuff in a warehouse unattended. [More]
scams
Only Bad Things Can Happen When You Abandon Thousands Of Bottles Of Counterfeit Ketchup In A Warehouse
By 10.18.12
Home Depot Employee Accused Of Making $26,000 Off Of Fake Returns
By 10.17.12
We’ve heard of shoplifters trying to “return” products they never actually purchased for cash. And we’ve heard of employees pretending to enter a return and then taking that returned item and fencing it. But this may be the first time we’ve heard of a retail employee using customer’s personal info to cook up fake returns for illicit profit. [More]
Check To Make Sure Your iPad Box Isn’t Full Of Notebooks Before You Leave The Store
By 10.11.12
Once again, a consumer plunks down hard-earned cash for a pricey electronic device, only to find out later that the box is full of something completely useless. And since she had the gall to wait until she got home, the folks at her local Walmart all but accused her of trying to pull a scam. [More]
Rent-To-Own Companies Busted Using Tracking Software To Spy On Customers
By 9.26.12
For years, we’ve been warning consumers about rent-to-own electronics businesses because they usually end up costing customers a heck of a lot more money in the long term. Now there is another reason to avoid them: The Federal Trade Commission has caught seven rent-to-own companies installing tracking software on computers to do everything from tracking their locations to capturing screenshots of confidential info to secretly snapping photos of customers. [More]
Should Western Union Do More To Catch Scammers?
By 4.17.12 — Updated: 1.19.17
A search for Western Union’s name on Consumerist will bring up a pile of stories about scammers who, with varying levels of success, have attempted to use the money-wiring service as conduit to transmit ill-gotten cash from their victims. While Western Union is certainly not guilty of the crimes committed by these fraudsters, are there steps the company could take to discourage these abuses? [More]
"World Progress Report" Latest Incarnation Of Vision Media
By 9.16.10 — Updated: 10.8.14
In April, NPR reported on how Vision Media was calling up non-profits, promising them a Hugh Downs-anchored PBS special. All they would have to do is underwrite the production costs. Instead, those who signed up and paid up got a pile of poorly made ads on DVD, and no airtime. Now the firm seems to once again changed names and hosts. They’re going by “World Progress Report” and the ostensible anchor is former Good Morning America newscaster Joan Lunden. [More]
How Can I Make The Scamtastic Junk Mail Stop?
By 3.6.10 — Updated: 7.15.14
Jon needs help in getting out from under a pile of junk mail. He writes that after falling for a psychic scam, his grandparents have ended up on mailing lists advertising every scam imaginable. They receive about one hundred pieces of mail per week. He wants to stop the deluge, but isn’t sure how. Can the Consumerist hive mind help him? [More]
Here’s What A Card Skimmer Looks Like On An ATM
By 4.19.09
[protected-iframe id="9b6e89c2a2d363ebc95643d071c6468b-40783744-40309798" info="http://digg.com/api/diggthis.php?u=http://digg.com/hardware/Here_s_What_A_Card_Skimmer_Looks_Like_On_An_ATM" width="55" height="82" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"]A lot of you have been asking to see what a skimmer looks like before it’s yanked off an ATM. Are they easy to spot or virtually unnoticeable? Our reader Timeus works for a bank and deals with this sort of thing every day, and he sent in the following photos. Enjoy.
Mandatory Binding Arbitration: The Worst Choose Your Own Adventure Ever
By 2.10.09 — Updated: 8.21.13
Mandatory binding arbitration agreements are bad for consumers for so many reasons that, unless you’re the victim of one, it’s hard to keep track of the various ways you can be screwed. So we’ve come up with this helpful illustration: a choose-your-own-adventure-styled trip through the arbitration process.
Fake Credit Card Reader Found At California Grocery Store Linked To Thefts
By 4.30.08 — Updated: 10.25.12
A small California grocery store chain and its…
Kelly’s Will Rent-To-Own You This Wii For $948
By 2.29.08 — Updated: 1.21.15
Here’s a perfect example of what a ripoff rent-to-own or “lease-purchase” (to use the Kelly’s phrase) arrangements are to the consumer. This $250 Wii console can be yours for only $79 a month, and after 12 months, it’s yours to keep. By that time, you will have paid $948 for it. By comparison, if you charged it to a credit card with 18% interest, you could pay $23 a month and have it paid off after 12 months. Kelly’s offer will cost you $673 more than paying with the credit card.
UPDATE: Calls From A Stranger
By 4.28.06 — Updated: 10.25.12
Remember that strange Spanish phone spam scam that was going around? Two weeks after we first started reporting it, and hundreds of people complaining about it, it’s still going on. And from the same number, 305-503-8068 .
