Consumerist
scams
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scams
identity theft
Why No Credit Card Is 100% Safe Against Fraud
It seems that there is nothing a consumer can do to completely prevent a merchant from putting an unauthorized charge through on their account. Even if that account is closed or you're using a "single-use" or "virtual" credit card, fraud-prevention cards with disposable credit card numbers that change after you use them once, you're not 100% secure. How come? Well, we'll tell ya.
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fraud
Bestsmartstore Is A Scam, Check Your Statements For Fake Charges
Watch out for fraudulent charges from Bestsmartstore.com on your credit card statements. Consumers are complaining about unauthorized charges for $4.95 or $4.99 for "e books" they never ordered or received. E-books are a favorite tool of online scammers as, if they ever got caught, they could just point to a few PDFs on their computer and say that's the inventory of their legitimate business. If you get one of these charges, do a chargeback on the card and cancel the card immediately.
bestsmartstore.com = fraud [toddbradley]
(Photo: Getty)
ebay
EBay & PayPal Phishing Gone For Good On Gmail and Yahoo?
If your email account is with Google or Yahoo, your days of seeing phishing emails from fake eBay or PayPal addresses should be over. Google announced last week that it's now using DomainKeys to verify messages really do come from paypal.com or ebay.com—if they don't, they never even make it to your In Box. This is possible because eBay and PayPal are now making sure "that all their email is signed with DomainKeys and DKIM." Since Yahoo! also uses DomainKeys and DKIM (they developed it, in fact), phishing attacks for Yahoo! Mail accounts should also disappear.
No amount of security will stop a bit of social engineering, but this is a great strike against phishing. Now if only banks would start embracing DomainKeys.
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Coupons
Office Depot didn't want to accept Chaz's OfficeMax coupon for $20 off his $259 printer, so they told him that competitor's coupons didn't apply to technology purchases, which is an utter lie. Office Depot's policy is to accept competitor's coupons, subject only to the terms and conditions of the coupon, a simple concept Office Depot apparently can't understand.
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Office Depot Makes Up Lame Excuse To Weasel Out Of Price Match Guarantee
Office Depot didn't want to accept Chaz's OfficeMax coupon for $20 off his $259 printer, so they told him that competitor's coupons didn't apply to technology purchases, which is an utter lie. Office Depot's policy is to accept competitor's coupons, subject only to the terms and conditions of the coupon, a simple concept Office Depot apparently can't understand.
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Universal TechTronics
It's A Miracle! This Free Digital TV Converter Box Will Cost Me $100
We know you're too smart to fall for this ridiculously fraudulent digital TV converter offer, but maybe you know someone who's not wise to the facts of the upcoming switch to digital TV—specifically that converter boxes cost less than $100, and that you can get a government coupon to offset $40 of that cost. Universal TechTronics—the same scam outfit behind those "Amish" Heat Surge miracle fireplaces—is now conning the less knowledegable with their "free" converter box offer: pay nothing but a warranty and shipping, bringing the total cost to anywhere between $68 and $97. The Los Angeles Times says this is "the first large-scale [converter box] scam the Better Business Bureau has seen." More »
smartserve
"Whole Chicken Breast" Actually Chicken Part Composite
Why not try a SmartServe Chicken, brought to you by Sysco:
Our fully cooked Classic Brand SmartServe glazed chicken breast fillets have the appearance, taste and texture of a whole chicken breast at a much lower cost, plus they offer better portion control, consistent quality and easy preparation. Boneless, skinless, 100% chicken breast pieces shaped into natural breast fillets. Glazed flavoring. Unique 3-D technology gives you the look and texture of a solid muscle chicken breast, at a fraction of the cost.
Mmm...particle chicken! According to tipster Phil, it's a popular item among restaurants.
payphone ripoff
NCIC Airport Payphones Are A Ripoff
Reader Victor wrote to alert us to NCIC payphones which are charging outrageous rates and fees in various airports across the country. At first, Victor used some spare change in an NCIC payphone and received a reasonable long distance rate of about $1 for 4 minutes. But Victor ran out of change and used his credit card to make 3 more quick calls. When Victor received his bill he discovered that he'd been charged $11 per call. He directed us over to ripoffreports.com and as far as we can tell, he got off easy. We read numerous reports of customers being charged exorbitant rates for local and long distance calls. The amounts that their customers are being charged vary so wildly that we're not even sure what NCIC's rates are supposed to be. Victor's letter, inside... More »
Wedding Registry
Target confiscated Nick's coupon for 10% off items left on his wedding registry after randomly deciding that the coupon was too generous.
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This Target Coupon Is Made Of Lies
Target confiscated Nick's coupon for 10% off items left on his wedding registry after randomly deciding that the coupon was too generous.
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great moments in commercial history
PedEgg Ads Scam, Suit Alleges
Who would have ever thought that a low-budget infomercial touting an egg-shaped device home pedicure device with "100 precision microfiles" might be deceptive in some way? Not, apparently, its actors, two of whom are suing the makers of "PedEgg." The thespians say they PedEgg told them the commercial would be internets-only. Instead, it's on the national airways. We don't care about that part. Rather, we chuckle over the suit's revelation that PedEgg hired a horror-makeup guy to apply "artificial bumps and discoloration" to their feet to increase the contrast between the "before" and "after" shots. Quelle horreru! Besides their dishonest advertising tactics, someone should also sue PedEgg for the gross-out shot when they dump all the foot shavings in the trash. See the full commercial inside. More »
scam artists
TicketsMyWay: Sell Tickets You Don't Have, Keep Money, Threaten Customers, Profit!
A reader sent in the following tip about a Vegas-based ticket broker:
There is a company by the name of Ticketsmyway.com (Event Tickets LLC) that has the scam of the century running. Their operations run like this.More »
- Advertise tickets slightly cheaper than Stubhub and other sites.
- Consumers place an order online for tickets often months in advance
- Credit cards are charged full amount immediately
- Customers are told to check status of order online
- Orders always show as "processing"
- As date of event gets closer, customer starts calling to find out Status of shipping
- 1-2 days before event, customer are told tickets are "no longer available"
- Phone rep says a refund can only be requested online
- Terms of Use online say any refund request is considered a "cancellation" and customer is charged 45% of the purchase price
Even though company cannot produce tickets, customers lose 45% of their entire purchase price.
chase
Chase Shrinks Credit Due Dates Without Warning, Profiting Off Fees
Got a Chase credit card? Check your bill to see if the due date shrunk. For the past ten months, the due date on reader NDphoxylady's four Chase credit card due date was the fifteenth. Then, without warning or notice, it became the tenth. NDphoxylady only noticed when she was charged a $39 late fee and a $20 finance charge. When she complained to Chase, they told her that simply changing the due date on the bill was adequate notice. Nu-uh More »
Pack A Bag
United To Require Minimum Stays Starting In October
Sorry travelers, as expected, United Airlines will require minimum stays on all flights starting in October. Gone are the halcyon days of jetting away for a business meeting after breakfast with time to spare before returning for dinner. Most United fares will now require a three-night or weekend stay, but it "will depend on the destinations involved, the price of the ticket and the length of the flight." And, yes, you will still be charged $15 to check your first bag. More »
scams
Quaker Oats: Watch Out For A Fake Check Scam Asking For Your Personal Information
The Quaker Oats company contacted us to ask that we help get the word out that a mailing offering thousands of dollars in exchange for sensitive personal information did not come from their company and is a scam. More »
travel
Scam Alert: Are Hotels Billing You For Goodies You Didn't Eat, Hoping You Won't Check Your Bill?
Travel superhero Christopher Elliott is wondering if there's some systematic shadiness afoot in the land of the hotel minibar. He's been hearing reports of items not consumed showing up on hotel bills, and when the error is brought to the attention of the front desk, refunds are instantly credited with no argument. Hmmm. More »
back taxes
Tax-Relief Company Agrees To Refund $1.5 Million To Scammed Customers In 18 States
JK Harris & Company is a tax-relief company in South Carolina that promises to help people settle IRS debts for "pennies on the dollar" by helping them file an Offer in Compromise (OIC) on their behalf. What they didn't tell consumers is that "the IRS accepts only a small number of these kinds of cases," writes digtriad. What they also didn't mention is that they'll accept your money even if they know you won't qualify for an OIC, and they won't give refunds. "In many cases, JK Harris did not even apply to the IRS to help consumers as promised. But the company still refused to give those consumers their money back." Now JK Harris has made an agreement with attorneys general in 18 states to change its advertising and pay $1.5 million in restitution. More »
Free software scams
"Free Software" Scammers To Pay $2.2 Million
The company Think All Publishing has reached a settlement with the FTC in which the "free-software" scamming company will pay $2.2 million for consumer reimbursement, according to NetworkWorld. The scammers offered free software CDs and then billed unsuspecting customers for a continuity program which was unwittingly ordered by checking a "terms of use" box. Details, inside... More »
scams
Roofing Co Sends Misleading"Class Action" Junk Mail, Fakes Customer Reviews Online
Update: The owner of Feazel Roofing has responded and apologized for the misleading nature of the junk mail.Blogger HolyJuan was annoyed with a piece of junk mail he received from Feazel Roofing, because it was written in such a way that it could (intentionally) mislead homeowners into thinking the roof inspection being offered was somehow official, required, or necessary. In fact, it was simply an attempt to drum up new business for the company—but when you lead off with "DEFECTIVE ROOF NOTICE" and then mention class action lawsuits in the first paragraph, it's hard to claim marketing innocence. HolyJuan complained about the letter on his blog, and a few weeks later an anonymous "customer" posted a rebuttal full of praise for Feazel Roofing—from the IP address of the company, naturally. More »
