Category: Scams & Your Rights
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A former bank employee got 10 years for an identity-theft scheme aimed at more than 100 customers aged 90 to 103
Yue Cao was hired at an Ohio bank as a quant analytics manager, a role meant to help protect customers from fraud. A federal jury in Cleveland found in February 2026 that he used that access to target more than 100 customers ages 90 to 103 instead, and a judge sentenced him on September 17,…
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About 21,000 NEWDERY power banks sold on Amazon are recalled, and buyers get a full refund
NEWDERY power banks sold exclusively on Amazon have gone from a government warning to a full recall in about a year, and the roughly 21,000 Amazon customers who bought one are now eligible for their money back in full rather than a partial credit or a repair. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says the…
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Buyers of VSL#3 probiotics from 2016 to 2019 have until October 20 to claim from a class-action settlement
Purchasers of the probiotic supplement VSL#3 between June 1, 2016, and June 19, 2019, have until October 20, 2026, to file a claim in a $20 million class-action settlement, with payment options running from a flat $20 per bottle without a receipt to as much as $800 per household for buyers who kept proof of…
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About 51,000 recliner battery packs sold on Amazon for about $105 are recalled, and owners can get a free replacement
About 51,000 battery packs for power-reclining chairs, sold on Amazon for roughly $105 apiece, are the subject of a federal recall that spares owners the cost of a repair. The Blue Cactus Company’s packs can overheat, smoke or catch fire, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is replacing every affected pack at no charge…
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A 23-year-old who posed as Coinbase staff drained nearly $16 million from about 100 people, gambled away $6 million and got 4 to 12 years
A Brooklyn courtroom sentenced Ronald Spektor, 23, of Sheepshead Bay, to 4 to 12 years in prison on September 23, 2026, after prosecutors said he posed as Coinbase support staff and persuaded roughly 100 people to move their cryptocurrency into wallets he controlled. The scheme drained nearly $16 million before investigators closed in. Spektor gambled…
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Health insurance agents will need a consumer’s electronic sign-off before acting on any 2027 marketplace application
Starting with the run-up to 2027 coverage, a health insurance agent or broker working through the federal marketplace will need a consumer’s electronic sign-off before taking any action on that person’s application or enrollment. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services described the requirement as new, part of a wider set of changes meant to…
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The agency that runs Medicare froze new health insurance agent sign-ups for 2027 after sending more than 200 termination notices
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the federal agency that also runs the health insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act, has stopped registering new agents and brokers for the 2027 plan year unless they already hold an active 2026 Exchange Agreement. The freeze is temporary and applies to newcomers to the federal…
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Shoppers have until September 25 to tell the FTC whether stores may set prices using personal data
The Federal Trade Commission has given the public until September 25 to weigh in on whether retailers may use a shopper’s personal data to decide what price that shopper sees. The comment window covers a proposed enforcement policy statement, not a finished rule, and it says nothing about banning the practice outright. Comments are filed…
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TJX and Marshalls shoppers can get refunds for 32,400 recalled power banks
Shoppers who bought XO Poppy Power Trip Magnetic Wireless Power Banks at TJX and Marshalls stores can get a full refund because the devices’ lithium-ion batteries can overheat and ignite. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of about 32,400 power banks on September 3, 2026. The chargers were sold nationwide from April…
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Amana offers refunds for more than 4,600 recalled air conditioners and heat pumps
Daikin Comfort Technologies Manufacturing is offering full refunds on about 4,633 Amana through-the-wall air conditioners and heat pumps sold in the United States because a circuit inside the units can short and emit flames. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall on September 3, 2026. The units sold for $625 to $900 each…