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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: scam

scam stories: 44 news summaries

1 - 20 of 44 Stories | 1 2 3 Next >>

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Virus 'Scareware'
Scams Millions

Alarming virus warnings part of major rip off

Oct 19, 09 5:07 AM CDT
(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... More »

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Internet • hacker • computer virus • scam • computer • antivirus • scareware

 Madoff in Prison Yard Tussle 

Bernie shoves another senior citizen in stock market argument

Oct 13, 09 5:21 AM CDT
(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... More »

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prison • theft • scam • Ponzi scheme • sentence • Bernard Madoff • prison sentence

investigation

Mortgage Scammers Prey
on Strapped Homeowners

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

Sep 24, 09 7:50 PM CDT
(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,... More »

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foreclosure • mortgage • scam • mortgage debt • homeowners • housing crisis • interest rates • Federal Trade Commission

 Buyers Scammed 
 for Millions in 
 Record EBay 
 Ripoff 

Customers paid big bucks for counterfeit products

Sep 23, 09 3:30 AM CDT
(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... More »

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China • Internet • eBay • Europe • Hong Kong • counterfeit • scam • counterfeiters • Augusta National Golf Club • criminal network

ANALYSIS

 Cash4Gold a Scam? 
 Watchdog Site Says So 

Consumerist named, along with ex-employees, in lawsuit

Sep 4, 09 9:14 PM CDT
(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,... More »

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lawsuit • scam • jewelry • Consumerist.com • whistleblower • Cash4Gold • consumer watchdog

INVESTIGATION

Fake GOP Panel Recruits Docs in Health Reform Battle

Fraudulent 'Physicians' Council' uses names without permission

Sep 4, 09 7:07 AM CDT
(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... More »

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Republican • physician • doctor • scam • health care reform • NRCC • National Republican Congressional Committee

Trustee Set to Gouge
Madoff's Sons, Brother

May ask for $50M of clients' cash back

Sep 2, 09 7:32 AM CDT
(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... More »

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scam • Ponzi scheme • civil lawsuits • Bernard Madoff • Peter Madoff • trustee • Andrew Madoff • Mark Madoff

 Swindlers Are 
 Trying to Tweet You 

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

Jul 7, 09 8:31 AM CDT
(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... More »

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social networking • online fraud • scam • Internet crime • Twitter

NHLers Sue Developer in Porn Party Scam

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

Jun 19, 09 2:06 AM CDT
(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... More »

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MLB • NHL • New York Rangers • scam • New York Islanders • porn star • Ken Jowdy

 Music Gang Busted 
 in iTunes Royalties Scam 

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

Jun 11, 09 2:08 AM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
music downloads • iTunes • royalties • scam • Britain • cybercrime

 Runaway Brides 
 Scam Desperate 
 Chinese Bachelors 

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

Jun 5, 09 6:31 AM CDT
(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... More »

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China • marriage • scam • brides • one child policy

Scammers Target
Panicky Job Hunters

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

May 26, 09 2:10 AM CDT
(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... More »

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online fraud • fraud • recession • scam • unemployment • job search

 Top Traits That Mean 
 You're a Sucker 

Researchers find a fifth of people are most likely to be fooled by fraudsters

May 19, 09 1:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - British researchers have identified several traits that make a person more likely to be sucked in by a scam, the Daily Telegraph reports. The country's fraud watchdog warns that while nobody is immune to being conned, the following traits make around a fifth of the population most vulnerable:
  • An
... More »

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online fraud • fraud • scam • con man

E-Vigilantes Punk Scammers, Just for the Fun of It

Baiters delight in wasting crooks' time

May 14, 09 8:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Bait scammers are turning predators into prey, Ars Technica reports. “419 scammers” are crooks who demand upfront payment in return for money or services they never provide, but vigilantes are turning the tables by sending them on wild safaris or furtively coaching them into foolish practices—some spending as... More »

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Internet • fraud • scam • vigilante justice

 NY Attorney 
 Beat, Suffocated 
 Family Over Hours 

Gig was about to be up on Parente investor scam, investigators believe

Apr 23, 09 3:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - A New York attorney beat and suffocated his wife and two daughters in a horrific attack that took hours, police told the New York Daily News. He then fatally slashed himself in a Baltimore hotel room where the four bodies were found. Investigators believe William Parente, 59, was ripping... More »

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parenting • New York • Manhattan • murder • scam • lawyer • father • attorney • filicide • William Parente

 Oprah's Not 
 Giving You $1M, 
 FBI Warns Marks 

Bogus email asks for cash payment to attend Oprah 'giveaway'

Apr 9, 09 2:05 AM CDT
(Newser) - The FBI has warned that Oprah Winfrey isn't really giving anybody $1 million, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Scamsters have been sending people emails about a supposed "Oprah Winfrey Millionaire Contest Show." Recipients are told they have been nominated to attend a special show where the host will hand... More »

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television • online fraud • fraud • Oprah Winfrey • scam

Madoff Victims Trustee
Eyes Brother's Bucks

New focus on Peter as trustee seeks to compensate swindle victims

Apr 8, 09 4:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - A federal court official may seek to claw back any funds transferred by Bernard Madoff's swindle company to his brother, reports the New York Post. The new focus on Madoff's sibling, an officer in his firm, was revealed in a letter to an attorney representing a New York law... More »

MORE ABOUT:
theft • scam • Ponzi scheme • Bernard Madoff • Ruth Madoff • Peter Madoff

Email Scam May Be Behind Murders at NFL Player's House

Vilma not suspected in deaths at NY condo

Mar 31, 09 1:13 PM CDT
(AP) - Investigators suspect two African immigrants slain at a Long Island condo owned by an NFL player may have been killed as revenge for an Internet scam, police said today. Sekou Sakor and Ansu Keita were each shot in the head sometime Thursday night at a condominium in Woodbury, NY, owned... More »

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Internet • crime • murder • scam • New Orleans Saints • Jonathan Vilma • linebacker

Scammed Law Student Wins Freeze of Madoff Bro Funds

Peter Madoff had 'full knowledge' of scam, lawsuit charges

Mar 26, 09 3:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - A Brooklyn law student who lost a $500,000 inheritance in the Bernard Madoff scam has won a court order freezing the assets of the swindler's brother, reports Reuters. Peter Madoff was in charge the student's trust, which he invested in Madoff's s scheme. Peter Madoff was an executive officer... More »

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hedge fund • scam • Ponzi scheme • Bernard Madoff • Peter Madoff

 Scammers Set Sights on 
 Desperate Homeowners 

Calif. AG: Be 'deeply skeptical' of offers to help refinance

Mar 16, 09 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - A record 5.4 million homeowners across the country are behind on their mortgages, and scam artists are looking to cash in, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Ads offering help lowering mortgage payments are everywhere. But these "loan negotiators" usually provide services that homeowners can handle on their own,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
housing market • foreclosure • scam • mortgage rates • refinanced mortgages • economic stimulus package • mortgage delinquency

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