Scam Alert – The News Desk

“Vanilla Gift” card issuer faces lawsuit over card-draining scam risk

21Dec

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Money

“Vanilla Gift” card issuer faces lawsuit over card-draining scam risk

A gift card issuer is facing a lawsuit over allegations it failed to make its popular prepaid cards less susceptible to a common scam.The lawsuit, filed last month by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, alleges Incom's "Vanilla Gift" and "One Vanilla" non-reloadable cards featured "insufficient" packaging and "lax security features" that made them susceptible to scams. According to the complaint, the gift card packaging allows for "easy access to the card inside,'' enabling thieves to record the barcode and PIN information so they can make unauthorized transactions, a practice known as card draining. The complaint also alleges that Incomm failed to improve its product's packaging despite knowing the flawed design led to incidents of theft."As the di...

Former NBA stars convicted of defrauding the league’s health insurance of millions

16Nov

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Money

Former NBA stars convicted of defrauding the league’s health insurance of millions

Former Celtic Glen 'Big Baby' Davis convicted in NBA insurance fraud scheme Former Celtic Glen 'Big Baby' Davis convicted in NBA insurance fraud scheme 00:16 A grand jury in New York has convicted former NBA players of bilking the basketball league's health care plan of millions of dollars while trying to recruit other players to join the scheme. Among those found guilty were Ronald Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who played eight seasons in the NBA and won a championship in 2008 with the Bosto...

Is your Ozempic pen fake? FDA investigating counterfeit weight loss drugs, trade group says

5Oct

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Health

Is your Ozempic pen fake? FDA investigating counterfeit weight loss drugs, trade group says

The Food and Drug Administration is now investigating an array of fraudulent schemes that appear to be trafficking counterfeit versions of Ozempic, an industry trade group recently warned its members.The new warning about knockoffs of Ozempic and similar drugs, which have seen demand surge over their use for weight loss, comes after a counterfeit Ozempic injector pen was discovered being sold at a U.S. pharmacy earlier this year.FDA investigators have found that fraudsters are passing themselves off as employees of medical wholesalers, effectively taking over accounts of the legitimate licensed companies, according to an alert sent to supply chain industry members of the Pharmaceutical Cargo Security Coalition obtained by CBS News. They then target uns...

Feds are launching another crackdown on robocalls

19Jul

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Money

Feds are launching another crackdown on robocalls

Federal regulators on Tuesday announced a broad crackdown on what they called a "tide of illegal telemarketing calls" plaguing U.S. consumers. Samuel Levin, Director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said the effort will target telemarketers that continue to flout laws against robocalls as well as so-called consent farms, or firms that provide people's phone numbers to robocallers while falsely claiming that consumers have agreed to receive calls. Federal and state authorities will also target providers of internet phone service that enable illegal robocalls, he added.The FTC — along with officials from the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Department of Justice as well as state prosecutors from Ohio and Illinois — have already filed complaints agai...

Amazon Prime Day this year could expose shoppers to scams, experts warn

11Jul

By adminNo Comments

Money

Amazon Prime Day this year could expose shoppers to scams, experts warn

With Amazon Prime Day kicking off Tuesday, experts are warning consumers to beware of scams targeting bargain-hunting shoppers.Fraudsters will employ a number of deceptive tactics, including "phishing" emails and fake websites, social media posts and text messages to trick customers into sharing their personal information, according to the Better Business Bureau."More deals are great for consumers, and more people out shopping is great for businesses large and small," the group said in its Prime Day warning to customers. "Just be careful, and don't get so caught up in the excitement that you fall for phishing scams, misleading advertisements and lookalike websites." A phishing scam happens when a fraudster sends an email or text message to a cus...