scam

Grandma uses Facebook to confirm scam

Ocala, Fla. -- A 75-year-old Florida woman said she used Facebook to discover a man claiming to be her grandson and asking for money was actually a scammer.

Dolores Langley, 75, of Ocala, said she received a call from a man who claimed to be her grandson and told her he has been arrested in Canada with 2 ounces of marijuana in his vehicle, the Ocala Star-Banner reported Thursday.

Langley said she spoke with a second man who claimed to be a Canadian police officer and told her she would need to send a $5,050 money gram through Walmart to post bail.

However, Langley said the man sent up a "big red flag" when he told her to send the money to Haiti.

Mom fakes son’s cancer, scams $7000 from well-wishers

How does one condone a mother fundraising under the guise that her healthy son is dying from terminal cancer?

Apple’s iTunes accounts hit by scammers

Hundreds of iTunes accounts were hacked over the festive weekend but the Apple Inc. preferred to maintain silence.

Texas goes after alleged 'past due' scam

Austin, Texas -- Texas is accusing Bally Total Fitness Corp. of "false, misleading and deceptive acts and practices" for allegedly mailing false "past due" notices to customers.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said he wants the company to repay the 1,000 Texans who paid the bogus fine, which was detailed on notices sent to more than 11,000 former members between summer 2009 and March 2010, as well as pay a fine of up to $20,000 for each violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, The Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday.

The notices received by the affected customers informed them they were 45 days late with payments and demanded immediate payment, with some of the letters saying the overdue fines would hurt the recipient's credit score.

Sellers of fake antivirus software indicted

Three men, one Swede and two Americans, have been accused of duping scores of people and pocketing over US$100 million by selling harmful "scareware" antivirus.

$62,000 taken in 'curse' scam

Chicago -- Authorities in Illinois are searching for two women charged with stealing a woman's money under the pretense of cleansing it of evil spirits.

Cook County authorities indicted Laura Santini, 61, and her daughter, Rosann, 35, on felony theft charges this week for scamming a Park Ridge woman out of $62,000, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.

Swine flu scams galore on the Internet

New York, October 23 -- While the unrelenting swine flu pandemic has created a scare worldwide, scams trying to make the most out of it are making matters worse for the hoi-polloi.

100 suspects charged under Operation Phish Phry

New York, October 8 -- In what is being termed as the culmination of the two-year investigation, dubbed Operation Phish Phry, the law enforcement authorities in the United States and Egypt have charged 100 suspects in connection with an online phishing scam.

FTC files charges against con artists

New York, July 2: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Wednesday announced series of civil and criminal charges against alleged con artists for luring customers to make upfront payment by promising jobs and services that never materialize.

SEC failed to act on tip offs in Madoff case

Washington, February 5: Tardy, inexperienced and lacking dexterity is what can be said of the SEC officials when one listens to what Harry Markopolos has to say. Markopolos, an investment manager, had tried since the year 2000 to wake up the regulators by tipping them off about a possible fraud in the Bernard Madoff ponzi scheme.