Travel Scams Can Ruin Your Super Bowl Trip Consumer News Travel Scams Can Ruin Your Super Bowl Trip Make sure your luxury Super Bowl hotel isn’t really an abandoned house.
Tech Support Scam Ad Alert Tech Support Scam A reader describes her experience with a recent suspicious call. We just got a call on our home number from a man with an Indian or similar accent claiming to…
Donate Securely to Sandy Hook Charities Ad Alert Donate Securely to Sandy Hook Charities Make sure donations to charities don’t go to scam artists.
CT Officials Warn about Bogus Lottery Checks Ad Alert CT Officials Warn about Bogus Lottery Checks State officials in Connecticut are warning consumers about a postal scam in which residents are being notified that they’ve “won” a lottery. But what they receive is really a bogus government…
Getting the Real Goods on Cyber Monday Consumer News Getting the Real Goods on Cyber Monday Think you’ve found a great deal on a name brand item to give as a gift for the holidays? Be wary. Bargain hunters may find themselves searching for discounts on…
Ignore that “You’ve Won” Text Ad Alert Ignore that “You’ve Won” Text The text may say you’ve won something, but what are you giving the messenger?
Is that a Real Job Offer? Know the Red Flags of Fake Opportunities Consumer News Is that a Real Job Offer? Know the Red Flags of Fake Opportunities If you’re looking for a job, you need to watch out for ads offering to help you with your resume or help you find employment. While some of these companies…
Internet Scams: Avoiding Fraud on the World Wide Web Consumer News Internet Scams: Avoiding Fraud on the World Wide Web Over 200 million people in the U.S. are now Internet users. Many of our daily activities – reading the news, watching movies, paying bills, buying products, and even catching up…
What to Know about this Vehicle Notice Ad Alert What to Know about this Vehicle Notice This official-looking postcard warns recipients that their warranty is about to expire, and that if they want to continue coverage, they must call the company’s hotline. If you have questions…
No Need to Pay for a Government Refund Ad Alert No Need to Pay for a Government Refund This postcard advertises a supposed government job opportunity. Unfortunately, this job is not actually with the government but with a third party that helps to process Federal Housing Administration refund…
Look Alike Yellow Pages Ad Alert Look Alike Yellow Pages United Directories wants you to pay $300 to be listed in its version of the yellow pages. But this is not the traditional yellow pages that you’re used to getting…
MyCashCall: Fast Cash from a Text? Ad Alert MyCashCall: Fast Cash from a Text? MyCashCall.net is not a lender. The site collects your Data that can be used to identify you, like your name, address, birth date, or Social Security number and sends it…
Best-Buy-Offer.com: Not Exactly Best Buy Ad Alert Best-Buy-Offer.com: Not Exactly Best Buy Watch out for any site that uses a slightly altered version of a major vendor’s URL to try to seem more legitimate. The link in this shady-looking text message leads…
E-mail Alert: Does Ghana Have $8 million to Give You? Ad Alert E-mail Alert: Does Ghana Have $8 million to Give You? Sorry, the Vice President of Ghana doesn’t really want to give you $8 million out of the blue. The tip-offs? Poor grammar, request for nonsensical “RED SEALED stamp fee” of…
Is Chiefnana Offering a Golden Opportunity? Ad Alert Is Chiefnana Offering a Golden Opportunity? For over a year, Chiefnana has been sending this e-mail trying to get recipients to invest in a supposed gold mining operation in Africa. Odds are that if you send…
Are Apple’s Ads about Siri Misleading? Consumer News Are Apple’s Ads about Siri Misleading? A lawsuit filed against Apple claims that the company “. . . has conveyed the misleading and deceptive message that the iPhone 4S’s Siri feature, a so-called voice-activated assistant…
Total up the Real Toll in Travel Offers Consumer News Total up the Real Toll in Travel Offers When you’re thinking about planning your dream vacation to the Caribbean, the last thing you want to worry about is getting ripped-off. But, unfortunately, crooks exist everywhere and the world…
What do Jewelry and Art Have in Common? Consumer News What do Jewelry and Art Have in Common? What do jewelry and art have in common? They both are easily subject to particular types of deceptive advertising. Here’s a look at five kinds of advertising deception to watch…
Hair-raising Hair Product Ads Consumer News Hair-raising Hair Product Ads Want to know the secret behind the lustrous, voluminous, “salon beautiful” hair that is featured in some television and print ads for hair products today? Extensions! Yup, fake hair. Well,…
It All Starts with a Good Foundation Consumer News It All Starts with a Good Foundation Socrates said that “beauty is a short-lived tyranny,” but cosmetic companies will have you believing otherwise. The vast majority of ads for foundation feature celebrities and models, regardless of age,…