scam

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Offered a Free iPad? It's a Scam
 Offered a Free iPad? 
 It's a Scam 
ATTN. FACEBOOK, TWITTER USERS
Mar 2, 2010 8:45 PM CST

Offered a Free iPad? It's a Scam

Con artists will dupe you, friends in bogus cell charges

(Newser) - If you spend much time on Facebook or Twitter, chances are you’ve been given the chance to get a free Apple iPad by signing up to test the product. And if you’re at all familiar with the Internet, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that it’...

French Nailed for Selling Fake Pinot to Gallo

E and J Gallo unwittingly sold fake Red Bicyclette

(Newser) - French winemakers have been convicted in a massive scam to dupe unwitting Yanks by passing off 18 million bottles of a cheaper wine as Pinot Noir. The French producers sold the wine to major US buyer E and J Gallo for its popular Red Bicyclette brand. By calling a cheaper...

'Terminally Ill? $2K in CASH' Schemers Profit Off of Death

Investors recruit dying for no-risk death benefit

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors are investigating a Rhode Island lawyer who recruited terminally ill people so he could buy annuities in their names and cash in when they died. The lawyer, noted local philanthropist Joe Caramadre, began taking out ads in 2007 in the local Catholic diocese’s newspaper, proclaiming “Terminal...

HuffPo Blogger Unmasked as Fake Rothschild

'Stefan de Rothschild' is really Brit hoaxer Monty Roberts

(Newser) - Huffington Post editors were thrilled to find blogger Stefan de Rothschild, a wealthy heir whose $2.5 million donation to Haiti made national news. The only problem? None of it was true. Stefan "Monty" Roberts of Britain was unmasked by a group of flinty-eyed Wikipedia editors who noticed his...

Cops: Con Man Scammed $140K From Online Dates

Posed as multimillionaire pal of George Bush

(Newser) - A New York lothario posing as a multimillionaire Navy commander and confidante of George Bush scammed close to $140,000 from women he met on online dating sites, according to Westchester authorities. After cultivating relationships with women met on sites like Match.com, Jesus Nasser asked for loans, explaining that...

Mint Unwittingly Finances Tahiti Trip, and More

Frequent fliers buy dollar coins—at cost—with credit cards

(Newser) - Crafty frequent fliers have racked up thousands of free miles by buying coins from the US Mint on their credit cards, and then taking them right back to the bank. The Mint, which ships free of charge in order to get more in circulation, finally got wise to “large...

Gold Mine Scamster Rips Off Couple for $5M

Fraudster spent elderly couple's cash on oxygen chamber

(Newser) - A California man who claimed to have a new way of extracting gold from old mines has been busted for bilking a couple in their '80s out of nearly $5 million. John Arthur Walthall blew the couple's cash on cars, alimony, film school fees for his son, and a $60,...

Beware 12 Scams of Christmas
 Beware 12 Scams of Christmas 
Nov 21, 2009 3:12 PM CST

Beware 12 Scams of Christmas

Online schemes take advantage of the holiday spirit

(Newser) - The holiday season brings out the best in online scammers. CNET runs down common schemes to beware of, courtesy of McAfee:
  • Fake delivery invoices: They look like legit emails from UPS, Federal Express, and the like, asking for address confirmation and credit card info to ensure delivery.
  • Holiday e-cards: Make
...

Virus 'Scareware' Scams Millions
Virus 'Scareware'
Scams Millions
Oct 19, 2009 5:07 AM CDT

Virus 'Scareware' Scams Millions

Alarming virus warnings part of major rip off

(Newser) - Alarming warnings that internet surfers' computers are being invaded by a devastating virus are almost always scams used to either hack into computers or rip off consumers for phony protective software. More than 40 million people have fallen victim to the "scareware" scam in the past year. Experts have...

Madoff in Prison Yard Tussle
 Madoff in Prison Yard Tussle 
Oct 13, 2009 5:21 AM CDT

Madoff in Prison Yard Tussle

Bernie shoves another senior citizen in stock market argument

(Newser) - Scam king Bernie Madoff got into a shove match with another con during an argument about the stock market, according to jailbird witnesses. Another oldster con at the North Carolina fed pen where Bernie's serving 150 years shoved Madoff as the argument escalated. Madoff pushed back, causing the other inmate...

Mortgage Scammers Prey on Strapped Homeowners
Mortgage Scammers Prey
on Strapped Homeowners
investigation
Sep 24, 2009 7:50 PM CDT

Mortgage Scammers Prey on Strapped Homeowners

So-called rescue firms promise to negotiate lower rates, then take money and run

(Newser) - Mortgage brokers who made a mint during the housing boom setting up homeowners in toxic loans are now profiting from a different sort of shady deal. So-called foreclosure rescue firms are proliferating across the US, taking money upfront and promising to negotiate with homeowners’ banks for better interest rates. Instead,...

Buyers Scammed for Millions in Record EBay Ripoff

Customers paid big bucks for counterfeit products

(Newser) - Consumers around the world were bilked out of millions of dollars for counterfeit golf clubs in the biggest-ever eBay scam, reports the Times of London. The clubs, as well as clothing, accessories and passes for an airline lounge, were auctioned online from 2004-2008 by a criminal network involving crooks from...

Cash4Gold a Scam? Watchdog Site Says So
 Cash4Gold a Scam? 
 Watchdog Site Says So 
ANALYSIS
Sep 4, 2009 9:14 PM CDT

Cash4Gold a Scam? Watchdog Site Says So

Consumerist named, along with ex-employees, in lawsuit

(Newser) - The consumer-watchdog blog Consumerist finds itself among the targets of legal action by Cash4Gold.com, an outfit that promises consumers a good return on unwanted jewelry. After following up on a whistle-blowing complaint posted by an ex-employee, Consumerist has been accused of “a false and defamatory posting” about Cash4Gold,...

Fake GOP Panel Recruits Docs in Health Reform Battle
Fake GOP Panel Recruits Docs in Health Reform Battle
INVESTIGATION
Sep 4, 2009 7:07 AM CDT

Fake GOP Panel Recruits Docs in Health Reform Battle

Fraudulent 'Physicians' Council' uses names without permission

(Newser) - Republican members of Congress have been touting a "Physicians' Council for Responsible Reform," which supposedly consists of 100-odd doctors working with the GOP leadership in the fight against Obamacare. In fact, writes Timothy Noah for Slate, the council doesn't exist; it's a PR exercise, not to mention a...

Trustee Set to Gouge Madoff's Sons, Brother

May ask for $50M of clients' cash back

(Newser) - They're not accused of being in on the fix, but that's not stopping the court-appointed trustee of Bernard Madoff from going after the swindler’s sons and brother, CBS News reports. Trustee Irving Picard will file civil complaints against Mark, Andrew, and Peter Madoff and seek up to $50 million...

Swindlers Are Trying to Tweet You

Scamsters use site to get rich from phony cash-for-tweets schemes

(Newser) - The world's lowlifes are taking full advantage of Twitter's high profile, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Better Business Bureau warns that there has been a surge in scamsters luring people into phony work-from-home schemes. They urge users to be extremely wary of any "cash-for-tweets" scheme offering easy...

NHLers Sue Developer in Porn Party Scam

Players say fraudster promised to build resort with their $25m

(Newser) - A group of NHL players is suing a developer they say blew their cash on X-rated parties for baseball hotshots, the New York Post reports. The 19 current and former Islanders and Rangers players accuse Ken Jowdy of promising to build a luxury resort with their $25 million, and then...

Music Gang Busted in iTunes Royalties Scam

Group boostsrankings, bank accounts by buying their own music with stolen cards

(Newser) - A group of ten British DJs have been arrested for allegedly using stolen credit cards to download their own music from iTunes and Amazon, the Times of London reports. The gang is believed to have made $300,000 in royalties from the $750,000 they spent buying 19 compilations they...

Runaway Brides Scam Desperate Chinese Bachelors

Surplus of men inspires fraudsters to make off with rural families' 'bride prices'

(Newser) - China's one-child policy may have birthed a rising number of pretty and fleet-footed criminals, the Wall Street Journal reports. The traditional preference for boys has caused a surplus of tens of millions of men of marriageable age, mostly in rural areas, and some villages are being scammed by women who...

Scammers Target Panicky Job Hunters
Scammers Target
Panicky Job Hunters
May 26, 2009 2:10 AM CDT

Scammers Target Panicky Job Hunters

Experts warn work-from-home frauds are mushrooming as unemployment rises

(Newser) - Scammers are taking advantage of the recession to con people desperately seeking work out of what little cash they have left, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Watchdog groups warn that phony work-from-home offers promising quick cash in return for an initial outlay of money are proliferating, and that some fraudsters are...

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