Primary Sites:
* Hydroxycut Recall: FDA Warns Against Weight-Loss Supplement *
Also: The manufacturer of the dietary supplement Hydroxycut has been slapped with a class action law suit in Canada.
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A typical eBay reply to forwarded phishing or spoof attempts (1) *
It's a good practice to send ALL suspicious e-mail that pretends to originate from eBay to spoof@ebay.com anyway, and any that supposedly comes from PayPal to spoof@paypal.com. Here's an example of the kind of reply you wll receive from the REAL eBay. . .
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A typical eBay reply to forwarded phishing or spoof attempts (2) *
It's a good practice to send ALL suspicious e-mail that pretends to originate from eBay to spoof@ebay.com anyway, and any that supposedly comes from PayPal to spoof@paypal.com. Here's an example of the first reply you should receive from the REAL eBay. . .
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Almost five years later, where's the review? *
Here's an interesting piece of history. In March, 2000, the Ontario government set up its Five Year Review Committee to review the workings of the Ontario Securities Commission and the regulation of securities issues in the province.
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Anti-Phishing Working Group site *
An excellent industry-driven site dedicated to wiping out Internet Scams and Fraud.
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Ask the Expert: Paid for goods never delivered *
What happens when you buy something online, and pay for it, but never receive it?
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Avoid identity theft with common-sense habits *
Financial fraud is out of control. Security can't keep up with the criminals and people add to the problem because they are too trusting and casual in their use of this technology. Stop, look and listen are words you must live by if you want to protect yourself, your money and your family.
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Blood system still needs watchdog *
In the final report of the 1997 Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System In Canada, Justice Horace Krever described the systematic shortcomings and missed opportunities that led to the tragedy of transfusion-transmitted HIV in the early 1980s.
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Busy U.S. shoppers should check price scanner receipts for errors *
American holiday shoppers need to check their receipts, check them twice. They need to find out if the price scanner has been naughty or nice.
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CFP designation is consumer's first line of defence *
It's simple to do a rudimentary background check on a financial adviser: Just look for the letters CFP after his or her name on a business card, website or advertisement.
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Cloak and dagger inside the computer *
Internet firms are taking steps against adware and spyware, programs that worm their way in often for dubious purposes.
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Consumer advocate battles 'spy-chips' *
Consumer-privacy expert Katherine Albrecht has a thing or two to say about spy-chips. . .
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Consumer problems with Capital One (Garber commentary) *
Forget this "hands in your pocket" business; it's a catchy tune, all right, but scams, problems, controversy, harassment and outright fraud are the hallmarks of Capital One's approach to consumer finance. It's a BOMB!
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Credit card security breach warning *
Canadian credit card companies are telling card holders and financial institutions to keep a close eye on all financial transactions following the security breach in the U.S. that could affect up to 240,000 Canadian Visa card holders alone.
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Dangerous supplements *
While most supplements are probably fairly benign, consumer watchdogs have identified a dozen that according to government warnings, adverse-event reports and top experts are too dangerous to be on the market.
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Faulty consumer item *
My sister hurt herself from using an umbrella with a fibreglass
shaft. She has fibreglass slivers all over her palm and fingers. As a consumer, what can she do?
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Food agency launches probe into power bars, sports drinks *
Internal report by federal inspectors questions safety of consumer fad foods.
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Further political thoughts from Dave Olsen *
With the election coming up on Monday (7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.), the Pacific Cinemathéque couldn't have timed its screenings of Viva Maria! any better (Friday the 20th @ 9:30 p.m. and Saturday the 21st @ 7:15 p.m.).
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Garber Gastronomic: How to spot restaurants you REALLY don't want to patronize *
There are great restaurants in the Pacific Northwest and all over BC, and we try to tell you about as many as we can -- both the pros and the cons. But we can't be everywhere, so sometimes, it's important to know a few things about how to fend for yourself.
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Harry Potter phenomenon sparks global youth activism *
"It's clear that the values of Amnesty resonate throughout Harry Potter," says Andrew Slack of Somerville, Mass. -- the 27-year-old founder of HP Alliance.
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How Gmail handles spoofing and phishing attempts *
Google is currently testing a service designed to alert Gmail users to messages that appear to be phishing attacks. . .
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Microsoft to offer bounty on hackers *
Microsoft will announce on Wednesday that it will offer two $250,000 (U.S.) bounties for information that leads to the arrest of the people who released the MSBlast worm and the SoBig virus.
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Millersmiles Spoof & Phishing Report site *
The home of the internet's biggest archive of Spoof Email and Phishing Scams -- and a great resource for checking fraudulent e-mails or anything that looks suspicious.
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Monitor TV product placement: watchdog group *
They're stealth commercials within a television show: a soft drink can in front of an American Idol judge, a bag of chips offered to a starving Survivor contestant.
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More about spoof and phishing e-mails *
Another friend-of-the-consumer, helping to protect you (and spread the word) about e-mail scams, spoofs and phishing expeditions.
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New health council to stay above the fray, leader says *
The head of a new council that will monitor Canada's health-care system vows to keep the watchdog from being swept away in the political squabbling that long delayed its creation.
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Online Consumer Watchdog *
Naturally, it's in the best interest of the B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) community to self-regulate before some incompetent multi-govenmental task force is set up to botch things up, and that's why this support service has come to be.
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Online sales up 26 per cent *
Online retail sales rose 25.9 per cent during the first quarter of 2003, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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Pester power: Marketing's new weapon *
You may not know it, writes SHARI GRAYDON, but your three-year-old may have picked out that new car you're driving.
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Poll shows huge support for GMO labelling *
An overwhelming majority of Canadians thinks that the government has provided insufficient information about genetically modified organisms (GMO) in food and believes that all foods containing GMOs should be labelled as such.
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PrePaid Legal *
Never fear legal bills again. PrePaid Legal covers you. . .affordably.
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Protect Your PayPal Account (Spoof warning) *
Recently, PayPal members have reported suspicious-looking e-mails and fake websites. Here's what to do if you receive a 'fake' e-mail.
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Provinces delay medicare watchdog *
President of CMA fears governments plan to use agency as bargaining chip
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Securities regulation report to get hearing *
The Ontario government will finally begin public hearings this week to consider the recommendations of a sweeping report on securities regulation in that province.
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Sierra Fund files complaint over U.S. mercury pollution *
A Canadian environmental group has formally complained to Washington about a proposed law it says will leave millions of people in Canada exposed to mercury pollution from U.S. coal-fired power plants.
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Singapore to blacklist unethical retailers *
The Singapore Tourism Board is threatening to blacklist retail outlets that overcharge or sell fake goods to tourists.
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Snow + Ice = Accidents *
To help those people who have just had the misfortune of being involved in an accident, Jill Franklin, author of Auto Accident Survivor's Guide for British Columbians is signing books and answering auto accident related questions Save-On-Foods in North Vancouver, South Surrey, Abbotsford, Clearbrook and Burnaby, BC.
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Supreme Court decision puts watchdogs on high alert *
A Supreme Court of Canada decision favouring a retired Quebec schoolteacher in her 14-year battle against a now-disbarred Montreal lawyer and a Quebec bar association the court accused of "gross carelessness" and "serious negligence" has sent a chill through the corridors of the provincial law societies that police the conduct of lawyers.
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Talking Pictures: Bring Me the Head of Famous Players! *
John Keyes points a finger at the Real Culprits in today's Low Box Office Scores; he thinks a lack of respect for the audience is why movie-going is at an all-time low.
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Tech support inadequate: survey *
One in three consumers who contacts a software maker for technical support goes away with the problem unresolved, according to Consumer Reports magazine.
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Tech Tips and Tricks: What is Phishing? *
Phishing involves the use of e-mail messages that appear to come from your bank or another trusted business, but are actually from impostors.
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The BBB's Wise Consumer newsletter *
The Better Business Bureau provides an excellent newsletter to help warn consumers of shady deals and rip-offs -- including one scam pretending to be from the BBB!
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The gravy train doesn't stop here anymore *
JANE TABER meets the man responsible for so many long faces on Parliament Hill. MP John Williams is out to expose anyone who's wining and dining too freely at the public's expense.
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The Savvy Consumer: Be wary when shopping online *
When a deal sounds too good to be true -- as the Better Business Bureau always reminds us -- it probably is.
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The squeaky wheel DOES get the grease *
The moral of this tale is: Consumers: Speak up! You will be heard. And if you get unacceptable results, please write to us, and we'll throw our weight behind you.
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The truth squad is on-line to help you choose a new car *
Never buy a new car without first calling in the truth squad!
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The war on credit card fraud *
An increased industry focus on fraud prevention has reduced 2005 fraud losses for Visa, MasterCard and American Express by 10 per cent from $223 million in 2004, but the good-guy, bad-guy battle in security one-up-man-ship continues.
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TV too blue, group says *
The use of foul language on television is increasing, a study of the major U.S. broadcast networks indicates.
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U.S. Senate wants to can spam *
The U.S. Senate agreed Wednesday to impose tough new limits on the irritating but lucrative business of e-mailing unwanted sales pitches to millions of people in the United States. Internet users have complained about mailboxes clogged with offers for prescription drugs, cheap loans, herbal remedies and pornography.
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U.S. to continue ban on silicone breast implants *
The United States will continue its decade-plus ban on most silicone gel breast implants for now, health officials announced yesterday, saying they still have serious questions about how often the devices break apart and the damage that can result.
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Watchdog hopeful defines mandate *
Blueprint for national health council calls for accountability, transparency.
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Winter Olympics digital dark side: A Warning *
How safe will your personal information be when you attend the Winter Olympics? Noted security authority David Gewirtz tells you how to protect yourself from cyber attack.
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Yes, but who's monitoring the MONITORS? *
The world of consumers is increasingly being invaded by monitoring devices -- can implants in humans be far behind?
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You can't beat word of mouth *
There are lots of different criteria for choosing cars, vacations or other big expenditures, but one beats all.
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Secondary Sites:
A very sneaky new eBay spoof attempt *
A mean-spirited message like this one pushes a lot of buttons for most honest eBayers.
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Brin says Google compromised principles *
China deal "wasn't the right move," co-founder says.
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Dangerous supplements -- the 12 supplements to avoid *
The 12 supplement ingredients in this table have been linked to serious adverse events or, in the case of glandular supplements, to strong theoretical risks.
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evalu8.org's Big Bomb Awards for 2008 -- the very WORST of 2007 *
"The customer is always right," went the old maxim. But I've long been wondering, when exactly did that catch-phrase get thrown out the window? When did the customer become not only always wrong, but apparently also an enormous pain in the butt? Read our Big Bomb awards to see which companies were extra-naughty in 2007.
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Firm fined $2-million (U.S.) in anti-spam case *
A company accused of sending unsolicited bulk e-mail was fined $2-million (U.S.) by a U.S. judge Friday, the first such ruling under California's anti-spam law.
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Hefty fine for superstore for rewrapping old meat *
The Real Canadian Superstore in Langford has been fined $100,000 for rewrapping old meat with new labels.
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Judge orders U.S. agency to name unsafe companies *
The U.S. government must disclose the names of companies with the worst safety records, along with their injury rates, a federal judge has ruled.
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MIKASA store-closing sale Rip-off *
A store-closing sale has been announced, that is one of the most shabby attempts to capitalize on a downsizing that I've ever seen!
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NASA safety panel resigns *
Nine experts on a NASA space safety advisory panel have resigned in the wake of sharp criticism from the Columbia accident investigation board and by Congress, the space agency said Tuesday.
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PayPal e-mail infected *
A computer virus that camouflages itself as a message from PayPal has started spreading among home users, antivirus companies said on Friday.
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Trouble with eBay seller! *
I bought $200 worth of essential oils from a seller with an eBay Store and everything. It has almost been a full month and I still have nothing. What can I do?
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Virtual Assistants -- part three: A Test Case *
In which we pursue a local consumer communication problem with IKEA Canada. . .
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Your American Express credit limit -- is it ethical to weigh where you shop against your ability to pay? *
Kevin Johnson is a 29-year-old self-employed businessman from Atlanta with excellent credit and an established history with American Express, but recently he has had his credit limit cut by 65 per cent because AMEX said he was shopping at the "wrong kinds" of stores.
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