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COVID-19 Scams: Texts, Emails Promise Updates On Latest Cases COVID-19 Scams: Texts, Emails Promise Updates On Latest Cases
Covid-19 Scams: Texts, Emails Promise Updates On Latest Cases The global outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to a rash of new scams from fear-mongering fraudsters, officials warned. Scams ranging from texts and emails from scammers posing as health officials and other professionals to others brewing up phony vaccines and cleaning cocktails have become more prevalent in the weeks since the COVID-19 outbreak, the United States Attorney General’s Office announced. According to the FTC, to help weed out scammers, the organization has issued a joint statement with the FDA to seven sellers of unapproved and misbranded products, cl…

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by Zak Failla
News
Recall Issued For Nearly 700,000 Toyota Vehicles Recall Issued For Nearly 700,000 Toyota Vehicles
Recall Issued For Nearly 700,000 Toyota Vehicles Hundreds of thousands of Toyota vehicles are being recalled due to fuel pumps that could potentially fail and cause engines to stall, increasing the risk of a crash. Toyota announced that it is recalling nearly 700,000 vehicles due to the faulty fuel pumps, impacting dozens of models. The recall covers certain 2018 and 2019 Lexus LS 500, LC 500, RC 350, RC 300, GS 350, IS 300, ES 350, LX 570, GX 460 and RX 350 models. It also includes some 2018 and 2019 models of Toyota 4Runner, Camry, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma, Tundra Avalon, and Corolla models. According to T…

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by Zak Failla
News
Scam Alert: Don't Fall For This Amazon Hoax Scam Alert: Don't Fall For This Amazon Hoax
Scam Alert: Don't Fall For This Amazon Hoax With the holiday seasons fast approaching, officials are warning of a “new phone scam that has been making the rounds targeting Amazon users. According to police, area residents have reported receiving an automated phone call from a fraudster claiming to be from Amazon in need of discussing a recent order. Officials said that the largest are instructed to press “1” to cancel the order or “2” to speak with a representative. No matter what button is pressed, the message states that the order is canceled and in order to fix it, the target must call an 800 number to speak with someone directly.…

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by Zak Failla
News
Warnings Issued For Text, TV 'Smishing' Scams Warnings Issued For Text, TV 'Smishing' Scams
Warnings Issued For Text, TV 'Smishing' Scams Officials are warning of new “smishing” scams that have been making the rounds. The Federal Trade Commission issued an alert cautioning consumers of new scams that have been using text messages, not the traditional emails. One such scam involves the fraudster offering to provide major savings on television services. The scams involve the victims sending back personal information, or infecting devices with malware. According to the Better Business Bureau, this new scheme is called “smishing” which stands for SMS fishing, as opposed to “phishing,” which involves email. “We’re kind of condit…

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by Zak Failla
News
Don't Fall For It: Costco Confirms Coupon On Facebook Is Scam Don't Fall For It: Costco Confirms Coupon On Facebook Is Scam
Don't Fall For It: Costco Confirms Coupon On Facebook Is Scam It’s a trap! A free $75 Costco coupon that has been making the rounds on social media turned out to be too good to be true, the wholesale giant announced. “Despite several posts out there, Costco is NOT giving away $75 coupons. While we love our fans and our members, this offer is a SCAM, and in no way affiliated with Costco,” the company said. “Thanks to our fans for letting us know about this recurring hoax!” The phony coupon first cropped up on Facebook earlier this year, causing some users to unwittingly click on a link unaffiliated with Costco to collect their coupon. To gain access,…

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by Zak Failla
News
Nestlé Recalls Cookie Dough Products Nestlé Recalls Cookie Dough Products
Nestlé Recalls Cookie Dough Products Nestlé has announced a recall of ready-to-bake Toll House cookie dough products that may contain “food-grade rubber pieces.” The recalled products include refrigerated Nestlé Toll House Cookie Dough bars, tubs and tube-shaped “chubs,” which were shipped nationwide. The recall is limited only to the ready-to-bake refrigerated products, with batch codes that begin with 9189 through batch codes that begin with 9295:  Simply Delicious Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (18oz); Simply Delicious Nestlé Toll House Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (18oz); Simply Delicious…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Scammers Spoofing Phone Numbers Of State Agencies To Get Personal Info Scammers Spoofing Phone Numbers Of State Agencies To Get Personal Info
Scammers Spoofing Phone Numbers Of State Agencies To Get Personal Info State agencies in New York are cautioning residents to be wary of the latest scam to hit the area, this one involving opportunistic fraudsters posing as state officials. There has been a rash of reports of scammers spoofing official state phone numbers that will show up on caller IDs. The fraudsters then attempt to ascertain personal information. There have been reports of scammers posing as the New York State Inspector General’s Office, New York State Police, and the Social Security Administration in recent weeks. Several individuals have received phone calls from what appears to be a pri…

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by Zak Failla
News
Police Agencies In Area Warn Of Phone, IRS Scams Making The Rounds Police Agencies In Area Warn Of Phone, IRS Scams Making The Rounds
Police Agencies In Area Warn Of Phone, IRS Scams Making The Rounds Police agencies in the area are warning area residents to be wary as a new phone scam has been making the rounds in the area. A Mount Kisco woman reported to Westchester County Police investigators that she had been scammed out of $4,000 by a person claiming to be from the IRS late last month. According to the woman, she received a call saying that she was in tax arrears and she proceeded to follow the fraudster’s instructions to purchase gift cards and call back with the numbers associated with them. “Westchester County Police remind residents that the IRS will not contact taxpayers by ph…

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by Zak Failla
News
Don't Fall For It: Alert Issued For 'Clever' Fake Check Scam Don't Fall For It: Alert Issued For 'Clever' Fake Check Scam
Don't Fall For It: Alert Issued For 'Clever' Fake Check Scam Residents in the area are being warned about a new phony check scam that has been making the rounds in the region. There are several variations to the scam, officials said, but the most common involves a resident receiving notice that they won a “sweepstakes” with a faux check or first installment. Other versions involve letters from allegedly foreign countries that require the deposit of cash into a bank account for safekeeping, while others offer “too good to be true” or “work at home” proposals. Authorities said that, “the checks look real, and might have the names of real companies on t…

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by Zak Failla
News
Westchester Reaches Deal With Starbucks To Provide Pricing On Several Missing Drink Offerings Westchester Reaches Deal With Starbucks To Provide Pricing On Several Missing Drink Offerings
Westchester Reaches Deal With Starbucks To Provide Pricing On Several Missing Drink Offerings It may not be a latte money for the retail giant, but Westchester County officials have reached a deal with Starbucks over its failure to provide prices on several drink offerings at multiple locations in the area. Starbucks agreed to pay a $4,500 settlement to Westchester County and to make a $4,500 donation to the Yonkers-based Greyston Foundation after the Department of Consumer Protection learned that the retailer didn’t list prices for every item it had on sale. According to the Department of Consumer Protection, Westchester County law requires a seller of consumer goods to provide the…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
State Cracks Down On Pharmacies Failing To Comply With Drug Pricing Law State Cracks Down On Pharmacies Failing To Comply With Drug Pricing Law
State Cracks Down On Pharmacies Failing To Comply With Drug Pricing Law At least 44 pharmacies failed to post drug prices as required by law, New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced on Thursday. As a result of the investigation, the Attorney General’s Office sent cease and desist letters to the pharmacies found to be in violation, mandating compliance with consumer protection laws that require that pharmacies maintain a list of their prices for the 150 most commonly prescribed drugs.  Pharmacies in violation of these laws were located in: Binghamton, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Nassau County, Northern Manhattan, Plattsburgh, Rochester, Suffolk Count…

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by Jon Craig
News
Police Issue New Social Security Scam Warning Police Issue New Social Security Scam Warning
Police Issue New Social Security Scam Warning Police in the area are cautioning local residents to be wary of a new phone scam that has been making the rounds. Last week, police officials found that they received multiple calls from area residents who received phone calls threatening to suspend their social security number if cash isn’t paid to the caller. Police noted that social security numbers “do not get suspended. This is just a scam that’s after your SSN, bank account number, or money.  Please hang up if anyone calls about your social security number.” In an effort to keep residents safe, police offered a series of tips: …

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by Zak Failla