Elon Musk, who’s worth $400 billion, making him the world’s richest man, wants to “delete” the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) (see story here). The federal agency may not survive the Trump administration. Here’s what it does, and why ordinary Americans ne[...]
Posts Tagged ‘Consumer Fraud’
Scam Alert: Mexican cartel preys on timeshare sellers
Technically, a “timeshare” is merely a legal structure of shared ownership (or lease rights). As a concept, it can be legitimate; it’s used to sell access to luxuries to consumers who can’t otherwise afford them. For example, you can buy timeshares (aka “fractional owne[...]
May 16th, 2024 - 4:04 pm § in Business, Law and Courts
Federal consumer agency survives Supreme Court test
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), brainchild of former law professor Elizabeth Warren, now a U.S. Senator, has survived a crucial legal test in the Supreme Court, which issued a 7-2 decision upholding its funding mechanism on Thursday, May 16, 2024 (read story here). Warren proposed a[...]
May 28th, 2023 - 12:42 am § in Donald Trump, Republicans
There’s a sucker born every minute
You can’t buy $10,000 for $99.99, but some Trump fans think so. “Trump Bucks” bills, coins, and checks are being sold by scammers as “memorabilia” and “commemorative” items, but some of their advertising (e.g., the video below) claims they can be used as cas[...]
Insurrection senator gave free pass to crooked insurance company
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who raised a clenched-fist salute in solidarity with violent rioters trying to overthrow the 2020 election (photo, left), ignored “a Christian-backed medical insurance company” that was stealing from his constituents when he was Missouri attorney general (read st[...]
January 20th, 2023 - 10:53 pm § in Business
Will USDA finally crack down on organic food fraud?
In November 2021, a New Yorker article described how a major grain trader got away with passing off non-organic corn and soybeans as “organic” for years, making millions in the process. (Read it here.) What’s striking about that story is how easy it was, how porous the certificatio[...]
April 3rd, 2022 - 2:50 pm § in Health
Beware telemedicine fraud (video)
A phone call could cost you thousands of dollars. Watch this segment from the April 1, 2022, NBC Nightly News broadcast to learn how crooks exploit telemedicine to steal your money. Return to The-Ave.US Home Page[...]
January 27th, 2022 - 3:08 pm § in Politics
Federal judge OKs states’ probe of shady GOP fundraising tactic
A federal judge threw out a lawsuit by WinRed, a GOP fundraising platform (details here), “seeking to block attorneys general in four states from investigating the company’s fundraising tactics,” CNBC reported on Thursday, January 27, 2022 (story here). The New York Times reported last[...]
April 4th, 2021 - 6:52 pm § in Donald Trump, Politics
How the Trump campaign ripped off unwitting donors
“Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign reportedly issued a total of roughly $122 million in refunds to supporters in 2020,” in many cases because of deceptive fundraising tactics, The Hill reported on Saturday, April 3, 2021. The campaign’s tactics included setting up “recurring[...]
September 16th, 2020 - 3:25 pm § in Misc.
Don’t buy these used cars
Tropical Storm Sally made landfall on Wednesday, September 16, 2020, leaving lots of water in its wake, including this flooding in Pensacola, Florida (photo below). And flooding always brings a flood of waterlogged cars to the used-car market, where crooks clean them up and try to pass them off on u[...]