Click here to check if anything new just came in.
October 28 2011
Those who toil away on free-to-play Facebook games may have built up a false sense of security as they blindly click on all the permission buttons in order to get to the good stuff. But an ad that claims to offer Facebookers access to a free Mario Kart game is a trap, like one of those upside down question blocks in the real version of the game.
Sophos Naked Security reports a scam masquerading as access to the non-existent game is popping up as status updates and messages, tricking users into filling out a seemingly endless stream of online surveys and possibly asking users to install dubious software, as well as an offer to attempt to win a non-existent "iPhone 5."
If you run across this offer as a message or post, you'll probably want to delete it to stop it from spreading.
Mario Kart on Facebook? Fast-spreading scam hits many users' accounts [Sophos Naked Security via Kotaku]
October 17 2011
NEW YORK: Church Rakes In $150K From Federal Anti-Terrorism Fund
"It's ridiculous," James Carafano, a security expert with the conservative Heritage Foundation, said of some of the grants. "It makes no sense." Carafano says the entire grant program has little value and would be better spent on active counterterrorism efforts. Henry Willis at the Rand Corp. also takes issue with the spending. "We haven't done a good job of understanding how our investments in these programs come together to increase our capability," Willis said. Hundreds of New York nonprofits got $18.9 million of the $2 billion nationwide total because they were deemed to be at "high risk" of terrorist attack. The money, usually $75,000 a group, is supposed to pay for equipment such as security cameras and metal detectors.
November 18 2010
A restaurant owner had a sizzling idea: a bikini bacon contest. Women were judged based on patron hoots and hollers in their ability to wear bikinis made out of woven bacon. The proceeds from the night and from the raffle tickets were all to go to a foundation for juvenile diabetes. Sounds great, except the charity doesn't exist. CBS Sacramento's Call Kurtis investigates.
Call Kurtis Investigates: Fake Bacon Bikini Fundraiser [CW31]
July 15 2010
I don't know about you, but when I go out in the sun, I'll only wear a pair of hugely oversized $500 Dolce & Gabbana shades so that I'm easily recognized by the paparazzi. But apparently, says the Wall Street Journal, I need not have spent my entire month's paycheck on my designer specs.
Investigating whether or not sunglasses like my D&Gs are really worth the leopard-print plastic they're made out of, WSJ's Brett Arends found six things you should keep in mind before shelling out piles of cash for brand name shades.
1. Most sunglasses are made by the same company
Whatever the name on the side of the sunglasses, there's a good chance they're made by Italian manufacturer Luxottica. Among the brands they manufacture for are Prada, Burberry, Chanel, Polo Ralph Lauren, Paul Smith, Stella McCartney, Tiffany, Versace, Vogue, Persol, Miu Miu, Tory Burch, Donna Karan and my beloved Dolce & Gabbana.
2. In many cases, the same company is also selling you the glasses
In addition to being the shades-makers for the world, Luxottica also owns LensCrafters, Pearle Vision and Sunglass Hut. Writes Arends: "Make of it what you will. But if your financial advisor was actually employed by the mutual fund company that he recommended for your portfolio, you'd at least want to know."
3.The markups are as big as they seem
Luxottica says its gross profit on a pair of sunglasses is $.62 on the dollar. Even after deducting sales and advertising costs, overhead and brand licensing royalties it's still making 52 cents.
4. Those expensive sunglasses may not be any better for your eyes, either
Arends quotes a the chair of ophthalmology at Tufts University as saying that "For about $40 you can get a pair that offers 100% protection against ultra-violet rays. If you spend maybe $70 you should be able to get a pair with decent quality polarizing lenses that cut out glare. Beyond that, the medical benefits tail off pretty fast."
5. An inexpensive pair of sunglasses from the pharmacy isn't the worst thing in the world
According to Dr. Reza Dana, director of the cornea and refractive surgery service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, "The main reason people wear sunglasses is to block out (regular) white light... and from that point of view, cheaper glasses work pretty well."
6. Those fancy glasses are really costing you a lot more than you realize
Between damage, loss and keeping up-to-date with the latest styles, "these things add up. Indeed they compound. Even at, say, 4% interest, $200 a year over 50 years adds up to $30,000."
What's the most that you pay for sunglasses?
FYI, the folks over at Glasseyes are always blogging about ways to save on eyewear.
June 29 2010
Reader Paul was trying to enjoy fried pop tarts at an outdoor city festival in his hometown when his debit card was nearly stolen by a fake ATM. Someone had modified an arcade cabinet and placed it outside a bank where it had captured the overflow traffic spilling out of the bank lobby.
Paul writes:
I read the post about the fake ATM machines and wanted you to know that I got nearly burned by one.
I cannot give out a lot of information due to the ongoing investigation, now an FBI investigation, about my incident.
A few weeks ago there was a weekend outdoor city festival going on with thousands of people roaming the kiosks, tents, carnival rides and eateries. Naturally they only accepted cash.
Since I don’t normally carry cash I went down the street to large chain bank to use the ATM. The indoor ATM and the drive through one was jam packed and with the 90+ degree temperature most people were opting to wait in the lobby of the indoor ATM. There was a small line with a stand-alone ATM sitting outside the bank against the wall. Nothing seemed out of place, just seemed convenient to have one at that moment. The girl in front of me and I started some chit chat about this ATM and she noted she goes to this bank all the time and has never seen this ATM before. We concluded that the bank may have added it the day before to get a ton of ATM fees off non-bank members during the festival. We laughed but not for long. The guy in front of her started cursing up a storm when he tried to withdraw $100 and only got one $20 bill. I looked at the ATM and noted that it looked too familiar to me
it was a modified ARCADE CABINET!! The screen was basically a TV screen and number pad lifted from another ATM machine and a real (definitely not fake) card reader installed very well next to the screen.
Long story short, I gave my statement to the county police and yesterday I was brought in for questioning by an FBI agent and I found out what was going on. The FBI agent and I have heavy IT backgrounds and he revealed that the ATM was simple setup: TV, cheap PC, speakers, REAL card reader and a WIFI router. The best part, it actually had a real cash dispenser and actually gave out REAL cash (found a real $20 bill jammed in the dispenser).
The scam works like this:
Build and deploy a fake ATM, let it dispense real money not to tip off anyone, sit in a van down the street with a laptop and have the fake ATM feed credit card numbers and PIN’s to it over WIFI. Once the money runs out, just dip out.
Turns out that the machine probably had about $2000 in it, not bad for the potential money that can be stolen later and the fake ATM couldn’t have cost more than $1000 to make. The bank logo, the ATM menus can easily be copied from image files off the internet and setup to look real.
The agent also told me that this sort of thing is happening more often. Some of them dispense counterfeit bills, real money or errors out saying it is out of order (but gets the card information and PIN). Best ones so far he said are how ballsy the crooks get by putting these ATM’s in malls and gas stations. Also they are also finding ATM’s solely to do “Fast Deposits.” Basically it says that it will immediately credit the deposit (cash only, naturally) to your account no matter when you put the money in, even weekends. Those are the worst since it asks for your card, PIN, savings/checking account number to be entered at the machine.
My particular incident is under Federal investigation because some leads point it to an international Asian crime gang that has a chapter (is that what they’re called?) in my area. Those Triads
always getting on my nerves.
The FBI agent gave me some tips that I think you guys might want to pass on to your readers:
- Only use familiar ATMs you've used before
- If it looks fake, it probably is
- If you get counterfeit money, call the cops immediately
- If you realize you've used a fake ATM, call your financial institution immediately to put a fraud alert on your account
LOVE the Consumerist!!
-PaulWhile you're on the alert for fake ATMS, and boning up on how to spot ATM skimmer devices, be sure to also check out these 5 credit card scams to beware.
PREVIOUSLY: Fake ATMs Drain Your Account Dry
June 24 2010
We've talked about spotting skimmers placed on ATMs before, but what if the whole ATM is a skimmer?
Thieves in China bought a normal ATM machine and installed it on a busy Beijing street to scoop up victims debit card info. They then embedded the stolen info on debit cards they manufactured and started sucking up all the money in the duped customers' accounts.
It was spotted in Beijing, but given China's fondness for exporting, best to be forewarned.
May 04 2010
A new Craigslist scam is targeting your cellphone. Sellers report getting a message from a "serious buyer" who is busy "at work" and "can't contact" them now. The fictional buyer says they "use a website that can save information" and asks the seller to "leave your phone number there" so they can call you after they "get home to arrange a meeting." Based on one users' experience, the site, which has already been pulled, then starts cramming $9.95/month monthly charges onto any cellphone number that gets entered. Here is one of the scam emails:
"Hi, I'm very interested in your item and would like to pay in cash.While most Consumerist readers wouldn't fall for such a ridiculous request, the naive, inexperienced, or desperate could fall afoul.I'm at work currently, so I can't contact you before I get home.
However, I use a website that can save information so you can leave your phone number there.
Send me your cell phone number here: www.inf-saver.me.pn
I'm a serious buyer and need this. I will call you after I get home to arrange a meeting.
Jennifer
QSW16S1MFYYACEWJA1TJ75HTBHGFQZ
(Thanks to c-side!)
Maybe Soup is currently being updated? I'll try again automatically in a few seconds...
