Have you been conned? Would you share your story? [more inside]
posted by Wink Ricketts on Oct 16, 2009 - 88 answers

Someone I know wants to find a job as the person who is portrays themselves as seeking housing or employment, and is either preferred or discriminated against because of their race, sex, age, etc. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind on Oct 15, 2009 - 7 answers

We received a "Thank-you reward notice" bearing the logo of a retailer that we thought was legitimate. It offers a number of "valuable items" as a "reward" for being a good customer. But close inspection suggests otherwise. [more inside]
posted by megatherium on Oct 5, 2009 - 5 answers

So, I inadvertently sent my phone number and address to a Craigslist Scammer. What problems could this pose me? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 16, 2009 - 4 answers

Sold an old textbook on Amazon. Buyer asks for expedited shipping, willing to pay extra. Turns out shipping address is in my town. I offer to meet, or ship. No responses. Suddenly my trick knee is twitching. [more inside]
posted by Fortnight Bender on Jul 13, 2009 - 18 answers

Recently, I've had recruiters asking for SS#s to submit my resume for positions. My husband has had the same thing happen, as have some friends. Is this the newest scam on the block? (as always...more inside) [more inside]
posted by dejah420 on Apr 7, 2009 - 7 answers

I'd like some smart advice for storage (and moving) in NYC! [more inside]
posted by ezekieldas on Mar 18, 2009 - 5 answers

Shady auto body shop in Toronto. Help me prepare myself... [more inside]
posted by reformedjerk on Feb 23, 2009 - 3 answers

Okay, so I fell for the copier toner scam. How do I fix it? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 23, 2009 - 8 answers

Why do so many email scams that I receive (95% of them) originate from Nigeria? [more inside]
posted by learninguntilidie on Nov 29, 2008 - 11 answers

What are some reliable ways to check the authenticity of companies that advertise for jobs on craigslist and other such websites?
posted by mannequito on Oct 20, 2008 - 9 answers

Why would a major airline help desk consultant ask for my phone number? Was I scammed? [more inside]
posted by boots77 on Jun 24, 2008 - 13 answers

Medical insurance paperwork still coming in 9 months after my mother passed away. [more inside]
posted by forthright on May 8, 2008 - 8 answers

What's the best way to find out who owns an apartment in New York City? A relative of mine has been offered a sublet, but the circumstances seem very shady. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 25, 2008 - 7 answers

I am implementing a home-grown 'affiliate' program on my website - with payments to affiliates based on commissions, rather than clicks - but I am a bit concerned that it may be possible for people to think of ways to abuse it that I haven't thought of. [more inside]
posted by woodblock100 on Nov 9, 2007 - 6 answers

Can someone explain the "I will exchange for new, boxed software" scam on Craigslist to me? [more inside]
posted by jimray on Sep 13, 2007 - 18 answers

I'm about to list a relatively expensive item on Craigslist (asking ~$700) and have been reading up on all of the different scam horror stories and what _not_ to do. I'm only going to be dealing with someone in person, and I won't accept any wire transfers, cashier checks or money orders because of the high abuse potential, but I'm not sure what this leaves as viable alternatives for what I _should_ do to receive payment. [more inside]
posted by freshgroundpepper on May 28, 2007 - 26 answers

I posted some items for sale on Craigslist, and shortly thereafter I got email from a typical scammer who wanted to send me and have me cash a check from "his client," and I'd refund him the balance--you know, the textbook overpayment with a fake check scam. Now, I'd like to have some fun with this. [more inside]
posted by fandango_matt on Feb 15, 2007 - 18 answers

Why does my credit card company keep trying to scam me? And how is it legal? [more inside]
posted by krippledkonscious on Jan 18, 2007 - 27 answers

I would like to hear personal anecdotes related to scams, scammers, or scamming. [more inside]
posted by Mach3avelli on Nov 12, 2006 - 33 answers

Bought a phone off eBay now i think im being scammed...HELP! [more inside]
posted by AMP583 on Nov 3, 2006 - 7 answers

IP Relay Scammers are plaguing our PBX operator. Is there anything we can do besides refusing to answer any IP Relay call? [more inside]
posted by IndigoSkye on Oct 13, 2006 - 6 answers

I've just started selling on eBay, and have Qs about protecting myself/etiquette. [more inside]
posted by bonaldi on Jun 26, 2006 - 23 answers

Work at home as a Processing Assistant for a financial Company. Has anyone heard of this before? Seems like a scam. [more inside]
posted by clubfoote on Apr 4, 2006 - 8 answers

Has anyone attended a "National Grants Conferences" (nationalgrants.com) event? Are they for real? Will they really help you find government grant money, or is it just a hugemondo scam? [more inside]
posted by jwhowa on Mar 4, 2006 - 7 answers

Someone is selling a car via an escrow service, Canada Escrow Services... [more inside]
posted by knave on Feb 11, 2006 - 16 answers

Why do phishing scam e-mails always seem to have at least one very obvious typo? [more inside]
posted by PinkStainlessTail on Dec 13, 2005 - 20 answers

Is mangosteen juice a scam? [more inside]
posted by Rash on Dec 2, 2005 - 22 answers

Does anyone know whether chronopay.com is legit? (Bonus question: how could I have checked up on them myself?)
posted by nebulawindphone on Oct 20, 2005 - 4 answers

MeFi beverage enthusiasts – For the past three years or so I’ve been buying the fruit drink brand called Sobe from gas stations whenever I fill up my car and so forth. Anyways, on the cap has always been the message: “1 in 12 scores! Instantly”, and yet never in all these years have I once got a winning cap. My question is this: are they blowing smoke up my ass? For instance, has anybody else that likes this brand noticed this? Or is it probably just chance? I don’t want to exaggerate, and don’t have an accurate count for how many I’ve bought, so I’ll just say that I’ve probably unscrewed 40 or 50 caps without a win.
posted by dgaicun on Aug 22, 2005 - 24 answers

Yoink! John Walkenbach (J-walk) wrote a cute little thing for his site about something called Wifi Speed Spray. Recently he was alerted that not only had someone completely stolen his idea and put it in a ebay auction, they took the artwork and all. When John contacted the seller to ask him to cut it out, the guy refused, claiming that John couldn't prove he was the author. What does one do in the information age when someone completely rips you off, claims credit for what you wrote, and refuses to admit any wrong doing? [more inside]
posted by crunchland on Aug 11, 2005 - 14 answers

What are the economics of bogus search engines and other oddities found by regular search engines? [more inside]
posted by elgilito on Jun 22, 2005 - 4 answers

I hate big corporations. I really do. They're enormous behemoths that can't be fought. Or when you do try to fight them, it's futile; you get squashed. Help me fight a behemoth. [more inside]
posted by jdroth on Jun 6, 2005 - 30 answers

Has anyone signed up for one of these sketchy-looking "get free stuff for being a product tester" sites? (example.) What disaster, if any, has befallen you? What expensive personal electronic devices, if any, have you received for "free"?
posted by Tubes on Mar 10, 2005 - 10 answers

What was the name and site of the girl a couple of years ago, who claimed to be terminally ill, but was just making it up for the sake of her blog?

If the site is down, does anyone know the details?
posted by lemonfridge on Feb 3, 2005 - 14 answers

Online credit card scams...[+] [more inside]
posted by ac on Dec 19, 2004 - 4 answers

I get a phishing e-mail on a daily basis. It probably accounts for 10% of my spam. The FTC and private industry groups are up in arms, but the problem keeps getting worse. Given the little old ladies who are losing their pensions by clicking on these links, why can't anyone catch these guys? What's the technological barrier?
posted by Saucy Intruder on Dec 15, 2004 - 15 answers

How do scammers who send email claiming to be from my bank and needing my account info know which banks I use? [More Inside] [more inside]
posted by shinnin on Sep 16, 2004 - 14 answers

ScamFilter: what's the deal with the "bid on info on how to get a free powerbook" auctions? It seems like a scam, and yet, it doesn't seem like this would be anywhere near as profitable as, say, selling something expensive and disappearing. If it's real, what's the catch? If it's not, how are these guys doing well enough to make it worthwhile?
posted by namespan on Jul 3, 2004 - 7 answers

eBay hell. I haven't sold many items through eBay, so I was startled to wade through all the associated fine print to discover - after I had concluded a sale, received a payment via Paypal, and was ready to ship my item - that as a seller I get absolutely ZERO protection from buyer scams if I ship my item from the US to Canada. [ further, buyer supplied phone # tracks to address different from shipping address provided which is, as well, "unconfirmed" ] So, I'm considering 1) calling off the sale, refunding the $ and taking an eBay rep. hit or 2) eBay's escrow service. Any opinions?
posted by troutfishing on Jun 15, 2004 - 9 answers

Dot-com fraudster whose company name I can't remember: Despite Google searches, I've been unable to find more on a scam I remember from the '90s. It was a guy who claimed to have a new display technology, but after a lot of investment it was revealed that the technology didn't exist. Who was it?
posted by inksyndicate on May 19, 2004 - 8 answers

Someone's offered to sell me tickets to an event and tells me they are "fax" tickets -- I can paypal him and he can fax the tickets. Is this legit? I don't know this person. [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders on Mar 12, 2004 - 13 answers

We went to a home show recently, and while there my sweetheart apparently filled out some sweepstakes form. As a result, we got a call today from a nearby resort offering us several apparently-nice 'free gifts' in exchange for visiting their timeshare-resort and "learning more about their property" .... my question is: I assume this is a scam of some kind, but what kind of scam is it? [more inside]
posted by anastasiav on Feb 25, 2004 - 15 answers

While chasing down a $16 dollar copy of $30 Film School, I learned Half.com
has been doing business with Reservation Rewards.

In spite of ignoring the offer to join the service, I may still end up becoming
an "instant member", as shoppers on buy.com and other sites have.

Anyone else discover any suprises while shopping for the holidays?
posted by Smart Dalek on Dec 10, 2003 - 6 answers

When administering websites and email accounts for the average Jose (hinternet tourists, the lot of them), what's a good FAQ to cc: to them for information on spam and scams?
posted by brownpau on Dec 8, 2003 - 2 answers