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Have You Ever Been Scammed When Buying a Gadget?
A brick in a box is hardly my dream gadget unboxing scenario, but that's exactly what happened to Consumerist reader Ryan, who bought a MacBook Pro at his local Best Buy, and took it home to open up the sealed box — and found this brick.
So far Best Buy hasn't refunded his money, insisting that he take it up with Apple, but some wily brick-seller in the loop is to blame somewhere. I have my eyes wide open when shopping for gadgets — especially used ones on Craigslist or eBay — but you wouldn't expect to be the victim of a scam going through a big chain like Best Buy.
Daily Tech: Is the Kindle 2 Coming Feb. 9?
- It's rumored that Amazon's new and improved Kindle will be officially announced on Feb. 9 in NYC. — Gizmodo
- The US Patent Office has granted Apple the multitouch patent and because the new Palm Pre features multitouch support, this might not go over well with Palm.
Geek Tip: Don't Send Money to Nigeria
Do you really have to read gadget blogs every day like I do to recognize that sending money to someone in Nigeria via sites like Craigslist is a terrible idea?
Because you could knock me over with a feather every time I hear another story about someone falling for a Nigerian scam, and this new one, about a women who lost $400,000 to a Nigerian racket, is a real doozie. I mean, she was promised over $20 million dollars if she just helped this stranger in Africa .
Other Search Results
Weight Loss Scams Top List of Scams in 2007
The ConsumerAffairs.com's Top 10 Scams of 2007 has recently been released and you may (or may not) be surprised to learn that Weight Loss Scams tops the list at number one in consumer complaints. Yikes. Most notable scams from the FTC were the weight loss patch, "The Weight Loss Cure They Don’t Want You to Know About," book, and marketers of various Hoodia products.
Don't Let a Stripping Woman Ruin Your European Vacation
It would be tough to pass by a chaotic scene like a woman stripping down to prove her innocence against a shoplifting accusation, but in the name of your traveling cash, it's best to keep walking. MSNBC reports that one of the many scams used to trap tourists involves an attractive young woman versus a street vendor, and once she's in her skivvies, all is forgiven and the crowd disperses. The woman gets to put her clothes back on, while tourists might find their wallets have disappeared during the commotion.
Free Credit Report Scams Aren't Going Away
By now we all know about the not-so-free nature of those FreeCreditReport.com services; a few of you even say you've fallen for its misleading practices. But even after the government publicly condemned the site, "free" credit monitoring services — which require you to sign up for a paid service, but promise you can cancel at any time — are popping up everywhere.
One friend recently had a particularly nasty experience with one of these companies while apartment hunting.
Hold On to Your Money: Don't Fall For This Scam!
If you've gotten a threatening call from any of these alleged parties lately, it's likely you're a scam target: U.S. National Bank, Federal Investigation Bureau and United Legal Processing, Denzel Washington, and Steve Martin, have all been used by a group of scammers pretending to be debt collectors. They use classic intimidation tactics like impending arrest if victims don't pay their (non-existent) debts and calling people at any available number.
IRS Says Scammers Are Reaching For Rebate Checks
While you already know when you're going to get your rebate check, some scammers are doing their best to get in their way of you and your check finally coming together. The IRS just issued the top 12 tax scams — usual suspects like phishing and hiding income offshore made the list, but this year scammers have been trying to squeeze money from the economic stimulus rebate checks.
The bad guys gather other people's financial information by convincing them it's the only way to receive their rebates.
Online Dating Scammers Want Your Money
The online dating scene has blown up in the past couple years, and I'd venture to say that most of us at least know one person who has tried (and maybe succeeded) to find love online. But not all stories end with the ga-ga couples we see on the sites' commercials or with a simple admittance that there was no chemistry.
The National Consumers League has been tracking what they call the "Sweetheart Swindle" which is one of the top ten scams on their list.
Nigerian Email Scam: The Real Story
If those Nigerian scam emails were telling the truth about dead kings, off-shore accounts that only you, a chump at your desk in your cubicle can access, this is what it would look like. I just got one yesterday, and I tell you, they're an entertaining read!
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