Filed under: Entrepreneurship, The Dolans, Career, Fraud
Ken and Daria Dolan, America's first family of personal finance, answer your questions every Friday.
Click here to ask Ken and Daria your question.
Everyone is looking for easy ways to make an extra buck these days.' [...]
Filed under: Technology, Fraud
Mark Zuckerberg released an open letter to Facebook users that promised to keep information private by making it simpler to do so. Zuckerberg also said that Facebook, originally created for college students to find one another, has grown exponentially and that [...]
Filed under: Fraud, Identity Theft, Consumer Ally
Scammers are now capitalizing on fear of H1N1 (swine) flu and the limited availability of the vaccine to steal people's personal information.
Filed under: Shopping, Charity, Fraud, Consumer Ally
The first tip-off that a company isn't on the up and up is when the product it's selling is offered at a price that really is too good to be true.
Filed under: Entrepreneurship, Charity, Fraud, Consumer Ally
The online micro-finance charity Web site Kiva rose to be a shining non-profit success story in the recession years. It marries the trendiness of social digg_url = 'http://digg.com/people/Kiva_A_great_Idea_That_Isn_t_Exactly_What_it_Seemed'; entrepreneurship with an almost perfect combination of online [...]
Filed under: Banks, Fraud, Recession, Recession Diaries
Beloved One,
The largest wine scam in the history of the United States was partly resolved this week with Mark Anderson's plea of guilty to numerous counts associated with torching a wine storage facility in the San Francisco area in 2005 to [...] 
Filed under: Technology, Fraud, Consumer Ally
"Hi. This is Rachel from Cardholder Services." It's safe to say that millions of Americans have received a call from Rachel or one of her robo-calling cohorts at some point. In fact, there have been so many complaints about [...]
Filed under: Saving Money, Fraud
I must be really important, because two "Who's Who" publications have chosen me for inclusion in their publications. The e-mails arrived in my mailbox this week.
Filed under: Transportation, Fraud, Consumer Ally
Extended warranties of all sorts have always been a dicey proposition, but when it comes to extended auto warranties many don't even appear to be warranties at all.
Filed under: Shopping, Fraud, Black Friday, Cyber Monday
Retail theft is on the rise, but not from hard pressed consumers looking to make ends meet. Rather, organized groups or gangs are hitting stores, stealing large quantities and reselling the goods, often online.
Filed under: Borrowing, Home, Kids and Money, Ripoffs and Scams, Tax, Fraud, Mortgages, Taxes-tax credits
Homebuyers did not have to truly be first-timers in order to qualify for the "first time homebuyer" tax credit, expiring Nov. 30; they only had [...]Filed under: Home, Fraud, Recession, Investing, Consumer Complaints
Home repair contractor Kaile Warren had a rags-to-riches story that was enviable. The former homeless home improver credits "divine intervention" with giving him the idea for a home improvement company and brand name that would ultimately place him [...]
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud, Consumer Ally
MoneyGram International, Inc., has agreed to pay $18 million to settle federal charges that the money transfer service allowed itself to be a conduit for con artists who allegedly bilked people out of tens of millions [...]
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Shopping, Fraud
Imagine you're minding your own business looking for a new coat at Burlington Coat Factory on an idle Tuesday afternoon when a stretch Hummer Limo rolls up and out jumps Linda Brown, 45, who tells the entire store that she' [...]
Filed under: Saving Money, Shopping, Transportation, Fraud, Personal loans
Anyone who has ever bought a car and had the purchase financed by a dealership knows what a sweaty-palm experience it can be.
Filed under: Insurance, Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud, Consumer Ally, Insurance-car
Filed under: Debt, Real Estate, Wealth, Fraud, Bankruptcy, Recession Diaries
The Great Recession of 2008 and 2009 has hurt not just the everyday working person, but also those who harbored big dreams in real estate, only to see fortunes vanish as [...]
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Fraud
Here's a tip for Richard Ridyard, a wannabe writer who has taken the plagiarism road to fame and fortune; there's this thing called the "Internet" that makes it way easy to discover pilfered prose. And if you're going to submit stories you've [...]
Filed under: Technology, Fraud, Banking-checking-account
Everybody's worst online banking fears have come true -- for some German banking customers. The rest of us can hold our collective breath and hope that we don't have to deal with this, although it seems inevitable that some of [...]
Filed under: Real Estate, Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud, Investing, Consumer Ally
A real estate investment guru who hosted a radio talk show and investing seminars was arrested in Dallas on fraud and identity theft charges, the FBI said.
Filed under: College, Technology, Fraud, School
As autumn nears, it's time for college students to think of preparing for exams, coeds, long walks through campus and identity theft.
Filed under: Banks, Home, Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud, Relationships, Bankruptcy
It's hard to imagine a pleasant foreclosure. Like root canals or appendicitis, they don't really come with a silver lining; after all, it's hard to find a way to put a smiley' [...]
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Transportation, Fraud, Insurance-car
Depending on the state you live in, your wheels may be more likely to be stolen. In Arizona, the most stolen vehicle is a Dodge Ram Pickup. In Washington, it's a Honda Accord.' [...]
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, The Dolans, Fraud, Identity Theft
You can now add Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to the long list of the the rich and famous who have been victims of identity theft.
It's just been revealed that while Bernanke' [...]
Filed under: Real Estate, Fraud, Mortgages
The collapse of the real estate market has brought to light a lot of nefarious activity that might have gone unchecked had home prices continued to rise.
Filed under: Travel, Fraud, Celebs & Money
Along with "passports, tickets, money," every traveler ought to repeat a second mantra: "Don't bring it if you can't afford to lose it."
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Fraud
So did you hear the one about the BMW heiress who made a sex video? Germany's wealthiest woman, who is worth $13.2 billion, was lured into an affair by a Swiss hunk. Thus began, if you'll pardon the phrase, the dirtiest game [...]
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud, Recession, Identity Theft, Consumer Ally
Consumers have more to complain about, but the agencies they are complaining to have fewer resources with which to help them, a national survey found. A lot of problems people are [...]
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud, Consumer Complaints, Identity Theft, Buyer Beware, Consumer Ally
Nearly 45% of people reporting being scammed were ripped off using a phony check scheme -- by far the largest type of fraud reported in the first six [...]Filed under: Fraud
According to a Wall Street Journal article, earlier this morning, the FBI raided through several New Jersey towns and arrested 30 people, including Hoboken and Secaucus mayors, rabbis, and other elected officials in a corruption case.
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Technology, Health, Fraud, Buyer Beware, Consumer Ally
In an attempt to crack down on the organized posting of phony positive Web-based reviews, New York's attorney general announced a settlement with Lifestyle Lift -- a firm that' [...]
Filed under: Real Estate, Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud, Consumer Ally, Mortgages
The FBI is warning senior citizens to protect themselves with reverse mortgage deals on the sharp increase and the number of scams increasing along with them. Since 1999, reverse mortgages have [...]
Filed under: Fraud, Consumer Complaints
If you've ever seen an infomercial for a product called Grant Day One, there is at least one unsatisfied customer out there who suggests you stay away.
Filed under: Credit, Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud
What's not to love about a Snuggie? Sure it's no Slanket, but it keeps you warm at home, at sporting events and even makes it easy to identify the members of your cult, erm...family, when you're out' [...]
Filed under: Kids and Money, Fraud, Identity Theft
I have a theory about my safety in traffic when riding my "mamabikeorama," a bicycle-built-for-me-and-my-kids. I feel I'm safer on it than if we were riding in the manliest of SUVs. Why? Because my toddler rides between' [...]
Filed under: Fraud, Investing, Bankruptcy
With the perp walk becoming a standard Wall Street entertainment, I suppose the business plan of the company Wall Street Prison Consultants is sound.
Filed under: Credit, Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud
We all know not to give out our Social Security number on social networking and other websites, but new research indicates that it is possible to determine one out of every ten social security [...]
Filed under: Entrepreneurship, Fraud
The teddy bears may have looked cuddly and sweet, but what cops found stuffed inside was a bitter pill to swallow. Drug Enforcement Administration officials busted a crew of drug dealers who were smuggling heroin using the popular Build-A-Bear toys. The [...]
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud, Buyer Beware, Consumer Ally
Targeting scams that prey on people vulnerable because of the down economy, federal and state officials announced today a laundry list of legal actions including a lawsuit against a collection of get rich [...]
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud
Preying on the widely held dream that someday the lottery will pay all the bills and fuel a hundred fantasies, a new collection of frauds have set up shop in a place better known for vacations than scam. Their goal [...]
Filed under: Home, Real Estate, Fraud
In Tokyo, it's called "Operation Flower."
Filed under: Debt, Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud, Buyer Beware
A group of Florida men who made false promises that they could fix consumers' credit agreed to a $21 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission that was reduced to $5,000 apiece because they' [...]
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Fraud, Relationships
Grandparents from coast to coast are getting shaken down and being conned into believing their grandchildren are being held in a Canadian jail and need cash to make bail. As unlikely as this scam might seem, it just [...]
Filed under: Food, Fraud, Consumer Complaints
Remember the KFC grilled chicken giveaway (promoted by Oprah) that went awry? Well two consumers can't get it off their mind; after several disappointing trips to KFC, wasted gas, printer ink and postage they decided to sue KFC.' [...]Filed under: Banks, Ripoffs and Scams, Technology, Fraud, Consumer Complaints
My family knows about cashier's check scams and other crafty international methods of loosing the elderly and other emotionally fragile types from their money. Over the past few months, both my husband's great uncle and his [...]Filed under: Real Estate, Fraud, Recession, Identity Theft, Video
The Brooklyn, N.Y., district attorney announced the Monday arrest of 49-year-old Thomas Parkin for dressing as his dead mother to collect Social Security benefits, according to a New York Daily News story.
Marc Acito, Tom Barlow, Mitch Lipka, Barbara Bartlein, Laura Heller, Amy Pyle, Beau Brendler, Lita Epstein, Ken and Daria Dolan, Barbara Hernandez, Josh Smith
