Browse by Tags
-
Posted
Sep 09 2009, 10:18 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Mark Huffman at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
Since the dawning of the Internet age, scammers have increasingly relied on the Web to ensnare their victims. With the Internet, one pitch can be sent to millions of potential victims for almost no cost.
Most experienced Internet users have learned to spot the scams in their e-mail inboxes, but a surprising number of people each year fall for the most seemingly transparent hoaxes. So dwelling on what might seem to be the obvious is not exactly a waste of time.
When one of these blatant scam e-mails was sent to Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, his staff took the time to analyze and deconstruct the document, coming up with seven obvious tip-offs the message was a scam.
First, here is the message in its entirety:
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 03 2009, 11:56 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Don Godding didn't review his credit card statements each month. He simply mailed a $200 minimum payment and called it good.
So he didn't realize that someone had fraudulently charged about $11,000 to his account over two months or that his balance had shot up to $18,000, according to TheDenverChannel.com. And, because of two other mistakes he made, he's on the hook for that amount, plus interest.
Read More...
-
Posted
May 15 2009, 10:03 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
We've all had those annoying calls on our cell phones -- the ones saying our car warranty is due to expire and that this is the last chance to make sure we're still protected.
Well, relief may be on the way.
U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Mark Warner, D-Va., have announced that the Federal Trade Commission has investigations under way into those rampant robo-calls and said the agency expects to bring cases against the companies responsible in a matter of days.
The senators unveiled a letter from FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz declaring that "law enforcement action in this area can be expected imminently." (Read an update on the FTC's action here.) The commitment came a day after Schumer called on the agency to put a stop to the practice that has generated 300,000 inquiries over the last two years, according to the Better Business Bureau.
Read More...
-
Posted
May 08 2009, 12:02 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Lisa Wade McCormick at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
It's that time of year when consumers need to be wary of deceptive door-to-door magazine salespeople, who often claim they're raising money for college, charity or class trips.
The Better Business Bureau says it has received 1,100 complaints in the past year from consumers nationwide who say they lost money in fraudulent door-to-door magazine sales schemes.
The companies behind these schemes often hire high school- or college-age students and send them to neighborhoods nationwide to peddle magazines. In many cases, the salespeople do not have the licenses required to sell products door-to-door. Some use high-pressure sales tactics or make misleading statements to convince consumers to buy the magazines.
According to the BBB, some salespeople claim they're raising money to get their lives back in order. Others say the money from the magazine subscriptions will help a charity, pay for a school trip, or support the troops in Iraq.
Read More...
-
Posted
May 06 2009, 11:06 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
The latest Consumer Reports National Research Center State of the Net survey found that one in five online consumers have been victims of cybercrime in the last two years -- to the tune of an estimated $8 billion. And the overall rate of the crime has remained consistent over the five years that CR has been tracking it.
But the magazine notes that the problem stands to get worse as rising unemployment and foreclosures fuel a wave of recession-orientated Internet scams, and as the popularity of social-networking services grows, creating more openings for identity thieves. The survey found that 13% of social-network users experienced some form of abuse.
Additionally, Consumer Reports estimates that 1.2 million consumers have had to replace their computers over the past two years due to software infections, and an estimated 3.7 million households with broadband Internet access did not use a firewall to protect against hackers.
Below are additional findings related to major online threats:
Read More...
-
Posted
Apr 29 2009, 08:52 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
It didn't take scammers long to latch on to the latest hot-button topic to try to make a quick buck. Scams built on fears of swine flu are proliferating quickly across the Internet.
The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team issued an alert this week warning of a number of e-mail scams related to the swine flu. The attacks arrive via an unsolicited e-mail message typically containing a subject line related to the swine flu.
"These e-mail messages may contain a link or an attachment. If users click on this link or open the attachment, they may be directed to a phishing Web site or exposed to malicious code," the alert said.
US-CERT encourages users to take the following measures to protect themselves:
Read More...
-
Posted
Apr 24 2009, 01:15 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
Online promotions promising easy wealth by joining a cash-gifting program or gifting club are flourishing on the Internet. With many families struggling to make ends meet in the current economy, the Better Business Bureau warns that cash gifting is not a legitimate way to make a few extra dollars, and in fact, is nothing more than a pyramid scheme.
Like most pyramid schemes of the past, cash-gifting operations are targeting people with some form of an affinity -- such as women's clubs, community groups, church congregations, social clubs and special-interest groups. But in keeping with the digital age, schemers have moved operations to the Internet and are now marketing their programs through videos on YouTube, paid ads on Google and attractive Web sites that engage victims.
Read More...
-
Posted
Apr 23 2009, 03:05 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
"Mr. ToughMoneyLove" says the IRS rewards whistleblowers who can provide the IRS with solid information about other people's tax fraud.
In other words, don't call the IRS if you just have a hunch. The IRS Web site says:
The IRS is looking for solid information, not an "educated guess" or unsupported speculation. We are also looking for a significant Federal tax issue -- this is not a program for resolving personal problems or disputes about a business relationship.
Would you feel right doing this? Mr. ToughMoneyLove seems to love the idea. (We can hear his malevolent gleeful snicker.) "Do you know of any likely suspects?" he writes. "Maybe an evil supervisor (think ‘The Green Mile' or ‘Office Space') or that jerk of a brother-in-law?"
Read More...
-
Posted
Mar 30 2009, 10:19 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
Scammers have learned that using the name of a legitimate business or organization often helps deceive victims. The National Association of Realtors is warning that its name is being used as part of a property-rental scam.
Victims targeted by scammers are led to believe that NAR is functioning as an intermediary to receive rental deposits from prospective tenants. NAR says nothing could be further from the truth.
Read More...
-
Posted
Mar 25 2009, 04:28 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Recently I treated my daughter and son-in-law to sandwiches (using a coupon, of course). At the register I heard those words no one wants to hear: "I'm sorry, this card was declined."
I responded with the same words all the deadbeats use: "That can't be right. Run it again."
He did, and it was declined again. Face aflame, I paid with a different card. (Yes, I could have paid cash but I use credit cards for the rewards. And ever since I got out of divorce debt I have paid my balances in full each month.) When I got home I called to ask why my plastic had been declined -- and the answer was also one of those things that no one wants to hear.
Read More...
More Posts Next page »
|
