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Police & Fire
U.S. Attorney: Elmwood Park Bait-And-Switch Movers Held Customers' Goods Hostage U.S. Attorney: Elmwood Park Bait-And-Switch Movers Held Customers' Goods Hostage
U.S. Attorney: Elmwood Park Bait-And-Switch Movers Held Customers' Goods Hostage The owners of an Elmwood Park moving company pulled bait-and-switches on helpless customers -- holding their valuables hostage -- before federal agents busted them, authorities said. For three years, Lola Larios 36, of Haledon, and Lior Atiyas, 42, of Long Island, took advantage of customers who “were in a vulnerable state and unable to refuse their demands,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Larios and Atiyas – using the names “Michelle Jacobs” and “David Cohen” – gave customers low-ball quotes, then jacked up the prices two to three times after the valuables were loaded onto their Premi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Wells Fargo To Pay States $575M To Resolve Customer Ripoff Claims: NJ, NY, CT Get $34M Wells Fargo To Pay States $575M To Resolve Customer Ripoff Claims: NJ, NY, CT Get $34M
Wells Fargo To Pay States $575M To Resolve Customer Ripoff Claims: NJ, NY, CT Get $34M Wells Fargo Bank has agreed to pay $575 million – including more than $34 million combined to New Jersey, New York and Connecticut – to settle charges that it engaged in a variety of sales, lending, and other improper business practices for more than a decade. The bank also has agreed to pay more than $385 million to 850,000 auto finance customers who were wrongly charged premiums, interest, and fees for forced-place collateral protection insurance, even though they already had the coverage. That includes payments to more than 51,000 customers whose cars were repossessed, according to the m…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
BEWARE: Don't Fall For Facebook 'Secret Sister' Gift Exchange BEWARE: Don't Fall For Facebook 'Secret Sister' Gift Exchange
Beware: Don't Fall For Facebook 'Secret Sister' Gift Exchange A seasonal scam is back: By participating in a Facebook "secret sister" gift exchange, you won’t receive anything – you’ll just be a fool. It began three Christmases ago, according to Snopes.com, when social media users began getting messages urging them to send a gift worth $10 to someone on a “sister list.” In return, the post said, they would get them three dozen presents – that’s right: 36 -- the come-on read. All you have to do, the bogus request says, is send a gift to the first “sister” on the list, move the second one the list to first and put your own name in the No. 2 spot. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
'Operation Mother's Attic': State Snags Six Rogue Moving Companies From Bergen, Passaic 'Operation Mother's Attic': State Snags Six Rogue Moving Companies From Bergen, Passaic
'Operation Mother's Attic': State Snags Six Rogue Moving Companies From Bergen, Passaic Four unlicensed moving companies from Bergen County and two from Passaic County were snagged in a state-led undercover sting that cost them $2,500 each, authorities announced Monday. Over the course of four days in April, investigators from the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs posed as people planning to move from an upscale neighborhood in Montvale in what was dubbed “Operation Mother’s Attic,” state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. “The investigators found various unlicensed moving companies advertising online and hired them for their ‘move’,” Grewal said. “The movers drove…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Police Urge Caution After Growing Cellphone Delivery Scam Fools Glen Rock Resident Police Urge Caution After Growing Cellphone Delivery Scam Fools Glen Rock Resident
Police Urge Caution After Growing Cellphone Delivery Scam Fools Glen Rock Resident In what’s become a common scam, a thief had an illegally purchased iPhone shipped to the home of a Glen Rock woman who may end up being a victim. After receiving the package, the borough resident notified Fed-Ex and arranged to have it picked up, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. She was waiting for the Fed-Ex driver to arrive, Ackermann said, when a woman came to her door, claiming that it was her phone but had ended up at the wrong address. “The woman then took the package and left the area in a dark SUV,” Ackermann said. It wasn’t until a Fed Ex driver showed up later that the woman re…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
Be On Lookout For New Amazon Scam Be On Lookout For New Amazon Scam
Be On Lookout For New Amazon Scam There’s a new scam - this time involving Amazon - making the rounds in the area. A local resident received a call, allegedly from Amazon customer support, soliciting a response in regards to a purchase that was never made on the website. “Hi this is Alice from Amazon customer support,” the robocall stated. “This call is to notify you regarding your purchase on Amazon. You have been charged on your VISA card. If you have made this purchase on Amazon and recognized it, then simply hang up and your order will be delivered to you. If you have not made any such transactions, then call Amazon sup…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
IRS Warns Of 'Aggressive,' 'Sophisticated' Phone Scams IRS Warns Of 'Aggressive,' 'Sophisticated' Phone Scams
IRS Warns Of 'Aggressive,' 'Sophisticated' Phone Scams With tax season here, the Internal Revenue Service is warning employers and employees to be on high alert for a “sophisticated phone scam” targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, that has been making the rounds in the tri-state area. During the last two tax seasons, taxpayers have been receiving aggressive calls from fraudsters claiming to be IRS employees, using fake names and phony ID badge numbers, officials said, warning that the scammers tend to know pertinent information about their targets and can alter caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. Officials said that …

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by Zak Failla
News
Manny, Moe & Jacked-Up: Pep Boys Paying $80,000 To Settle Overcharges Manny, Moe & Jacked-Up: Pep Boys Paying $80,000 To Settle Overcharges
Manny, Moe & Jacked-Up: Pep Boys Paying $80,000 To Settle Overcharges Pep Boys has agreed to revise its business practices and pay $80,000 to settle a state complaint that it overcharged at registers and didn't clearly mark prices, authorities said Friday. The automotive retail chain, which has more than 40 retail locations in the state – including in Hackensack, Hasbrouck Heights, Lodi and Paterson – agreed to several changes in its business practices, state Attorney General Christopher Porrino said. These include: implementing a program to monitor pricing accuracies in its stores; conducting regular audits of its pricing; keeping a log of the audits for…

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by Jerry DeMarco