Category: Scams & Your Rights
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USA Clinics text recipients can claim up to $150 by October 5
Some people who received marketing texts from USA Clinics Group can file for as much as $150 under a proposed class settlement, but a valid claim must be submitted by October 5, 2026. The maximum is based on up to $50 for each qualifying message, capped at three messages, and actual payments can fall if…
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Counterfeit Social Security cards allegedly sold for $750 while carrying real people’s numbers
Federal prosecutors allege that counterfeit Social Security cards sold for $750 apiece contained names and numbers belonging to real people. A grand jury indictment in Georgia charges Derly Alvarez-Rodriguez with document trafficking and identity theft, but the charges remain allegations and no conviction has been entered. Three undercover purchases form the core account According to…
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Hurricane Sandy homeowners lost more than $1.5 million after paying a contractor about $2.5 million
At least 20 Hurricane Sandy homeowners paid a Long Island contractor about $2.5 million for elevation and foundation work, but prosecutors say unfinished projects left the households and a state recovery program with more than $1.5 million in losses. The contractor, Alexander Almaraz, has been sentenced to 48 months in federal prison after pleading guilty…
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Mostly older equipment buyers allegedly lost more than $600,000 on machinery that never arrived
More than a dozen prospective buyers, many of them older adults, allegedly sent over $600,000 for used farm and construction equipment that never arrived. Federal prosecutors say the sellers built a convincing commercial front around machinery they did not own. One defendant has been convicted; a second, who fled after indictment, was arrested near Seattle…
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MCNA dental-breach victims can claim up to $2,500 from a separate $250,000 cash pool
A dental-benefits data settlement separates cash reimbursement from automatic monitoring. People who received notice that private information was potentially affected by the MCNA incident can submit documented out-of-pocket losses of up to $2,500, funded through a cash pool capped at $250,000. The claim deadline is October 19, 2026. The class is tied to notices about…
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Bradford-Scott breach victims can seek $5,000 and three years of identity monitoring by October 7
A proposed data-breach settlement offers two very different forms of relief: reimbursement for documented losses up to $5,000 and three years of identity-monitoring service. The Bradford-Scott Data settlement also offers an estimated cash alternative for people without documented losses. Online claims and mailed claims must meet the October 7, 2026, deadline. The settlement class follows…
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A Vietnam veteran’s $99,496 gold-scam loss is covered by court-ordered restitution
A federal sentence has attached a precise restitution figure to a gold-based elder-fraud scheme. Venkateswara Chagamreddy was ordered to pay $99,496 after a jury convicted him of conspiring to defraud a Vietnam veteran. Investigators recovered 23 ounces of gold, but the court’s restitution order covers the larger documented loss identified in the case. A false…
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Release-card users can recover three times documented fees from a $4.2 million settlement
People released from jails and detention facilities sometimes received their own confiscated cash back on prepaid cards that charged fees. A proposed $4.2 million class settlement creates a claim route for certain release-card users, with valid claimants slated to receive at least $15 plus three times documented card fees. Claims must reach the administrator by…
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An adviser who stole nearly $10 million gave about $340,000 to a church before sentencing
The spending trail from a nearly $10 million theft included a mansion, a private beach-club membership and approximately $340,000 donated to a church. Federal prosecutors say those purchases came from money a financial adviser took from an elderly client whose accounts he was trusted to manage. A federal judge has now sentenced the adviser to…
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ZMC expanded full refunds to 245,124 recalled light-up children’s toys
A May toy recall has grown into a much larger September refund program. ZMC Group now covers about 245,124 light-up children’s toys after federal regulators added several products with accessible button batteries. The expanded action includes the units recalled earlier in the year and gives owners a full-refund route based on marking, disposal and photographic…