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scams
scams
(ronalisa)
Scammers Using Real Vacation Rental Info To Trick Victims Out Of Thousands
By Chris Morran on February 6, 2012 12:15 PM
22 Comments
As people have gotten wiser to the obvious hallmarks of online scams, the scammers have had to step up their game in order to keep making a dishonest buck. And now that people begin thinking about their upcoming summer vacation rentals, these scammers are prepared with the latest in darned-close-to-realistic-but-still-fake realty listings. More »
Facebook Hasn't Even Gone Public And People Are Already Selling Fake Shares
By Chris Morran on February 3, 2012 3:30 PM
29 Comments
You're all educated, gorgeous people so you are fully aware that shares in Facebook won't be publicly available for several more weeks. But that didn't stop a woman in Wisconsin from using fake stock in the website to pay for home repairs — she even gave some to her daughter for Christmas. More »
(B Rosen)
Report Lists The Top Scams Of 2011, Somehow Nigerian Email Tricksters Weren't The Worst
By Mary Beth Quirk on February 2, 2012 4:00 PM
43 Comments
Whether it's being suckered into thinking you won a super awesome prize that requires a payment to collect it, or some aristocrat in Nigeria needs your help and money to collect on a big financial settlement, consumers were hit by a lot of scams last year. A new report lists the top 10 schemes consumers fell prey to in 2011. More »
Even If You're Lonely This Valentine's Day, Don't Fall For A Romance Scam
By Mary Beth Quirk on January 30, 2012 11:00 AM
38 Comments
We all know about looking for love in all the wrong places (bars with free hot dogs), but another thing to avoid is sending your love in the form of money to someone you've never met. Consumers looking to making a match might just be happy enough for a connection to send money for their new interest to visit, which could result in heartbreak and a ding to your bank account. More »
(tjean314)
Beware Of Super Bowl Scams
By Maggie Shader on January 25, 2012 11:15 AM
23 Comments
The countdown to Super Bowl XLVI has begun, and while you're gearing up to cheer on either the NY Giants or the New England Patriots (may we suggest a color palette of red, white and blue?) the Better Business Bureau is reminding football fans to avoid being sacked by knock-off team jerseys, counterfeit memorabilia, and phony game tickets. More »
Be Sure That Call From The Electric Company Isn't A Scam
By Chris Morran on January 5, 2012 1:32 PM
21 Comments
A lot of people, especially in areas hit hard by the recession, haven't exactly been paying their utility bills in a prompt manner, knowing that it takes a long time for someone to eventually getting around to shutting off the power or gas service. Thus, scammers are trying to take advantage of these delinquencies by calling and pretending to be from the power company. More »
Bank Nightmare Continues For Woman Whose Late Brother's Debt Left Her Facing Foreclosure
By Chris Morran on December 28, 2011 11:30 AM
41 Comments
Some of you may remember the story from October of the New Jersey woman whose brother squandered more than $200,000 in loans tied to the home they inherited on numerous internet scams, and who was left facing foreclosure when the same brother passed away. After the media got involved, the bank said that after years of denying her a modification, it finally wanted to grant her one — but you wouldn't be able to tell by their actions in the weeks since. More »
(kusine)
Canceling Orders Over A Pricing Error Is Not The Same As Bait-And-Switch
By Chris Morran on December 22, 2011 2:30 PM
86 Comments
Several times a year, the Consumerist inbox is flooded with e-mails from people who are livid because they purchased something online at a huge discount only to have the retailer cancel the order, claiming it was a pricing error and the item should never have been listed at that price. Some people are quick to call this "bait-and-switch," and state very confidently that the retailer is somehow legally obligated to honor the original price. These people are mistaken. More »
Don't Fall For The "Locked Debit Card" Text Alert Scam
By Chris Morran on December 20, 2011 12:31 PM
21 Comments
With holiday shopping season heading into the home stretch, it's prime time for ID thieves. Which is why some people might fall prey to scammers who text cell phone users with alerts that their debit cards have been locked. More »
A Dozen Scams Certain To Spoil Your Holiday Spirit
By consumerist.com on December 15, 2011 3:30 PM
22 Comments
With Christmas just 10 days away and Hanukkah even sooner, it's no wonder that most of us are feeling harried and distracted. But don't take leave of your senses. Thieves and scammers celebrate the season by taking advantage of people who don't have time to give things the usual scrutiny. More »
Microsoft Thinks You Stole $67.50 From Your Own Xbox Account
By Laura Northrup on December 15, 2011 12:30 PM
45 Comments
In recent weeks, we've heard from quite a few Xbox Gold customers who report that points have been stolen from their accounts, but Microsoft doesn't seem terribly concerned about it, or about stopping the account breaches. Today's example: reader Jesse, who loaded several cards on his account before a move, for some reason assuming that the points would be safer in his account (in the cloud!) than packed for his move. Not so. Someone spent those points on content that Jesse never downloaded, and Microsoft isn't giving him those points back. More »
(scoboco)
San Francisco Scammer Posing As Bank Manager To Fleece Old Women
By Chris Morran on December 8, 2011 5:00 PM
19 Comments
Police in San Francisco say a seedy character has scammed elderly women, ranging from 83 to 92 years old, out of thousands of dollars by pretending to be a bank manager. More »
Friends Of Rental Scam Victims Go Undercover To Nab Scammer
By Chris Morran on December 7, 2011 1:15 PM
61 Comments
A couple in California recently got taken for several hundred dollars by a woman pretending to be a landlord. So to help catch the baddy, a pair of friends went undercover to help police nab the alleged scammer. Thankfully, a news crew was also there to get it on videotape. More »
5 Commonly Counterfeited Items To Avoid Buying
By Chris Morran on December 2, 2011 3:40 PM
103 Comments
It's one thing to purchase a generic or store-brand product that has the same ingredients or components but at a lower price; and a completely different thing to buy a truly counterfeit product that might save you cash but could end up doing damage to your body. More »
(jayRaz)
How Can I Make A Scammy Contractor Refund Me Or Replace My Roof?
By Laura Northrup on December 2, 2011 8:00 AM
80 Comments
Austin thought he was being sensible and avoiding scammy contractors when storms hit his area and his roof needed replacing. He turned down one contractor who just didn't look professional, but the contractor he ultimately chose screwed him over while looking nice and professional. He paid for a roof replacement back in September, but the company stil hasn't showed up at his house. He's run through all of his legal options and filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and now doesn't know where else to turn. More »
(Gabrieel)
HP Responds To Claims That Hackers Could Cause Your Printer To Go Up In Flames
By Chris Morran on November 30, 2011 5:18 PM
28 Comments
Yesterday, we brought you the story of a team of Columbia University researchers who claim they have discovered a way that hackers could infiltrate any number of networked printers to do anything from steal information to cause your paper to smolder and possibly catch fire. But the folks at HP, which was singled out in the report, have now come out to defend their product and refute the researchers' claims. More »
(Gabrieel)
Researchers: Some Printers Vulnerable To Hack Attack That Could Lead To Fire
By Chris Morran on November 29, 2011 2:30 PM
63 Comments
It's like something out of a movie starring Matthew Broderick. Researchers at Columbia University claim they've discovered a vulnerability that could let hackers remotely access your printer for nefarious hijinks, like making said printer go up in flames. More »
6 Tips For Avoiding Early Retirement Seminar Scams
By Chris Morran on November 28, 2011 1:30 PM
27 Comments
The idea of retiring early — putting the workday behind you and living a life of leisure before you're too old to enjoy it — is incredibly tempting and there is no shortage of not-so-nice people out there willing to stoke that pipe dream at seminars where smooth-talking speakers make it all seem so attainable. Alas, it's not so simple and a lot of these seminars will do nothing but leave you with less money than you had beforehand. More »
(Taunton Police Dept.)
Customer Discovers Card Skimmer On Bank ATM
By Chris Morran on November 18, 2011 1:00 PM
67 Comments
When most of us think about illegal card skimmers on ATMs, we think of free-standing cash machines at convenience stores or on the street. But a sharp-eyed bank customer in Massachusetts spotted a skimmer at the last place you'd expect one: the bank. More »
The "Do You Have This In Stock" Email Scam
By Ben Popken on November 14, 2011 3:00 PM
55 Comments
Reader SkokieGuy's manufacturing company keeps getting these emails asking to buy parts and equipment they don't even make. The diction is weird and they seem to be using a template. "I know this is a scam," writes SkokieGuy."But I can't figure out why." More »
