fraud

The Jury Duty Scam – coming to a phone near you?

Posted 3 weeks 14 hours ago by Paul Michael

Consumer Affairs

jury duty phone scam

My wife forwarded me one of those “hey everyone, don’t fall for this” emails this morning. I get one from a friend or relative at least once a week, and usually they’re well-meaning but filled with gross inaccuracies or are just completely untrue. However, when I looked to my source for all things BS, Snopes.com, I discovered this one was 100% true. It’s called the Jury Duty scam. It’s a smart, simple con that could clean you out.

full story 9 comments

419 baiting – keeping online scammers running in circles

Posted 26 weeks 3 days ago by Paul Michael

Consumer Affairs

Hooked

How many of you have received an email telling you that you’ve one a lottery that you never even entered? Or, that a rich widow wants help distributing millions of dollars to the poor? Or, that YOU, and only you, can help free a fortune from a corrupt nation? Well, after years of deleting these cruddy emails I’ve discovered that there is a way to use them against the scammers.

full story 2 comments

I Shouldn't Have to Pay for This! A Consumer's Guide to your Rights

Posted 37 weeks 1 day ago by Nora Dunn

Consumer Affairs

angry!

If you buy something that stops working immediately and the seller refuses to refund your money, do you still have to pay for it? If a door-to-door salesperson lures you in with their wares, only to leave you with buyer's remorse days later, can you cancel the contract? If you receive merchandise in the mail which you didn't order, and shortly thereafter receive a bill for it, do you have to pay for it?Read on for the answers to that and more...

full story Add new comment

DO NOT buy a digital camera online until you read this.

Posted 1 year ago by Paul Michael

Filed Under: Shopping

Crime
Wisebread readers, take note. This is not just a case of buyer beware. This is “buyer run for your life clutching your credit card close to your chest.” Bestpricecameras.com, one of hundreds of Brooklyn-based digital camera stores with very shoddy reputations, is out to do one thing…deceive you and take your money. In my opinion, they are performing a classic fraud called Bait And Switch (more on that later).

Continue reading "DO NOT buy a digital camera online until you read this."

Permalink | 33 comments

The Key to Free

Posted 1 year ago by Andrea Dickson

Filed Under: Shopping

I love mail-in rebates, because I have perfected the art of receiving them. It can be a royal pain-in-the-ear, but if you are willing to do a little extra work, you too can get save a remarkable amount of money on rebates.

I came across Free After Rebate, a great site that posts deals in which you get stuff for free, after rebates (hence the name, see?). Now, rebates can be tricky, but I have faith that we can all fight the Man and wrench our hard-earned money back from those big, faceless corporations.

Continue reading "The Key to Free"

Permalink | 8 comments

Womanhood microscopic and other hot stock tips

Posted 1 year ago by Andrea Dickson

Filed Under: Investment

One of my favorite things about getting spam is... wait. Oh, I don't have a favorite thing. Unless you count the creativity involved in coming up with new filters to block spam, there's really nothing about spam that I find positive. Spam is completely obnoxious. It costs business a lot of money to filter out, and it is sent out people by whose kneecaps deserve a little rendezvous with my uncle, Big Meatball Gino, if you know what I'm saying, and I think you do.

Continue reading "Womanhood microscopic and other hot stock tips"

Permalink | 4 comments

UCLA security breach affects 800,000 people (not just students)

Posted 1 year ago by Will Chen

Filed Under: Consumer Affairs

LA Times reported this morning that "hackers have gained access to a UCLA database containing personal information on about 800,000 of the university's current and former students, faculty and staff members, among others."

The personal information stolen include names, birth dates, social security numbers, home addresses, and other contact information.

There are two things you have to know that are not widely reported by the media:

Breach Also Affects Applicants and Parents

Continue reading "UCLA security breach affects 800,000 people (not just students)"

Permalink | Add new comment

Have more to say? Join the discussions at Wise Bread's Finance and Frugality Forums.

Finance Blogs - Blog Top Sites