TheWorldNewsOrg

January 16, 2018

This month it’s (drumroll please)…coffee enemas! The website promises that the $135 enemas will “supercharge your detox,” when in fact (super ouch!) they could perforate your colon. The Mayo Clinic notes that “coffee enemas sometimes used in colon cleansing have been linked to several deaths.”

January 16, 2018

· If you lost money to a scam that involved a Western Union wire transfer between Jan. 1, 2004 and Jan. 19, 2017, you have until Feb. 12, 2018, to submit a claim here and see if you’re eligible for a refund. Why? The government found that Western Union had aided and abetted scammers’ wire fraud efforts. Common cons involving wire transfers include lottery scams, grandparent scams, romance scams and so many more ways of tricking you to give up your money!

January 16, 2018

If you’re willing to risk it all on a high-stakes scam, you could go Oceans Eleven on a casino—but you’ll probably get caught (and may even get your knees broken by a Joe Pesci lookalike). It’s probably safer to stick to reading Casino.org’s list of some of the most “popular” gambling scams. The article includes a scam employed by a pair of criminals who called themselves the Roselli Brothers. The brothers managed to hack into casino computers and steal the identity of regulars with stellar credit, before withdrawing huge amounts of money from the victims’ lines of credit. Other common casino scams to watch out for include card counting, using counterfeit coins and even employing radio transmitters to manipulate roulette balls. Don’t take any chances on games of chance!

January 16, 2018

Your dear author has a confession: If she received a message saying she’d been chosen for the beloved HGTV show Property Brothers (in which two tall twins come in, essentially take a wrecking ball to your home, and upgrade you with an open floor plan, modern grey paint and shiny kitchen appliances), she might have fallen for it. But you won’t, because now you know that scammers are contacting the reality show’s fans and promising home makeovers (via Facebook, in this instance, and not in a particularly convincing manner at that). HGTV has advised anyone who thinks they’ve received communication from the brothers to confirm its authenticity “by sending your name along with a scan of the letter or email you received to castingverification@scrippsnetworks.com.”

January 16, 2018

Would-be e-commerce entrepreneurs should take note of recent lawsuits that Amazon and Washington state’s attorney general have filed against a major seller of “business opportunities” that allegedly help people make loads of money selling goods on Amazon.com. The suits allege that two brothers who live in Massachusetts engaged in deceptive marketing and sales practices by promising that their company, FBA Stores, LLC, would enable sellers to make tens of thousands of dollars (for one hour of work a day, natch). The brothers offered webinars and in-person seminars, where they’d aggressively market—wait for it—more coaching and seminars, including a $20,000 "Master Mentor" program! If you’re into making money from online sales, financial empowerment website The Balance has advice on actually profiting on Amazon. While you’re reading, we suggest you also check out the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s article on avoiding business opportunity scams.

January 16, 2018

An elderly Caucasian man who is (clearly) neither Nigerian nor a prince has been implicated in hundreds of the infamous “Nigerian prince” email scams. According to Vice, Michael Neu of Louisiana’s arrest is “notable because—while the Nigerian prince scam has reached a certain level of cultural saturation—very few perpetrators get caught.” You’ve probably heard of the scam (which is so old it predates email): An African royal or government official emails to tell you that you’re due some sort of huge inheritance, but first you’ve got to give up your bank account information (or send money directly) to receive the windfall. It’s amazing that people are still falling for the almost prehistoric scam, which the New York Times points out existed even “before we started getting all-caps proposals in our inboxes,” when “con men in West Africa plied their trade by fax and paper letter.” As police in Louisiana learned, however, the con men can be closer to home. They charged Neu with 200+ counts of wire fraud and money laundering associated with victims across the country. To Neu’s dubious credit, he did have real connections in Nigeria, to whom he wired the money. Click here for more information on the scam (which hopefully will be a little less ubiquitous now that Neu’s no more).

January 16, 2018

The “hitman scam” is heating up around the country, and while it’s horrifying, it’s also easy to not fall for the extortion attempt once you’re aware of what’s happening. Put simply, a person contacts you claiming that they’ve been hired to kill you (or will otherwise end your life, perhaps without even being paid to do it, in some cases). Fortunately, the scammers behind this one usually aren’t the brightest bulbs—one dummy even emailed the CHIEF OF POLICE (!) of a New York town telling her that her life would be spared in exchange for what amounted to $6,639 (.40 in bitcoin currency to be exact). The “hitmen,” who know that you’ll probably be freaking out after the death threat (and wanting more info), will sometimes promise to reveal who “hired them” to kill you if you pay up. Another strategy? A countdown. One popular email version of the scam gives recipients a mere three days to pay up (talk about pressure!) before, tick tock, time’s up. And of course, reporting the scam will allegedly get you killed. The scammers are relying on you to react emotionally. But you have learned to stop, think and react logically anytime someone is issuing threats and making demands. Whatever you do, do not respond to these hitman scams with any personal information.

January 16, 2018

If you’re like this author, “presents” this holiday season consisted mainly of gift cards from loved ones baffled by what to get you. While gift cards are the “safe” option gift-wise, they also have a dangerous side, particularly if you’re trying to resell them to someone who appreciates dining at that chain restaurant more than you do. (Seriously, mom, Chili’s?!) But before you sell the card, beware! The National Consumers League (NCL) reports that they see “a spike in scams involving the resale of gift cards” each January. How do these scams work? Sellers often find “buyers” (i.e., scammers) on popular sites like Craigslist or eBay. Once the buyer pays, the seller emails them the code on the back of the card. The crafty con artists work fast, however, and will cancel the electronic payments they’ve initiated and drain the card’s funds before you can say “store credit.” To avoid falling victim to this scheme, NCL’s Fraud.org recommends you only sell your gift cards via a legit website dedicated to such sales (e.g., Cardpool or GiftcardZen). You could also think about donating said cards or simply trading cards for one store (like Walmart) for credit at another store (like Target). And remember, if you’re the one buying someone else a gift card, don’t purchase the in-store varieties directly off the rack (scammers could have already written down the card codes). Click here for more information on how to avoid gift card grift.

January 15, 2018

Fears fallout from Carillion collapse will spread to other companies https://t.co/UyLYdh6HKF
— Guardian news (@guardiannews) January 15, 2018

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