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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
Police & Fire
Contractors From Westchester Charged With Scamming Customers Contractors From Westchester Charged With Scamming Customers
Contractors From Westchester Charged With Scamming Customers Two contractors from Westchester and one from Dutchess have been charged after police say they scammed numerous customers in Greenwich. Greenwich Police say they arrested Weber Marin, 34, of White Plains, Ilir Cubi, 41, of Yonkers and Joseph Monserrate, 31, of Poughkeepsie on Sunday, June 9 after receiving complaints made by customers about being scammed. The three men had advertised plumbing repair services under an assumed business name and obtained work at three different Greenwich residences, according to police. Each of the men then conducted a requested repair and demanded on-the-spo…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Westchester Store Must Pay Civil Penalty For Deceptive Advertising, State AG Says Westchester Store Must Pay Civil Penalty For Deceptive Advertising, State AG Says
Westchester Store Must Pay Civil Penalty For Deceptive Advertising, State AG Says A retail store in Westchester will have to pay a civil penalty for lying to its customers, New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced. The state reached the settlement with the Hartsdale pet store after it falsely advertised and claimed that it specialized in the sale of high quality, responsibly-bred animals, when, in reality, the store sold animals that were bred at large-scale commercial mills, James said on Friday, May 3. Deborah Koehler, owner of Westchester Puppies & Kittens, is also prohibited from making false representations about the quality of the breeders a…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
'Sneaky' Surcharges Reported After Court Gives NY Merchants Right To Charge For Credit Card Use 'Sneaky' Surcharges Reported After Court Gives NY Merchants Right To Charge For Credit Card Use
'Sneaky' Surcharges Reported After Court Gives NY Merchants Right To Charge For Credit Card Use Merchants in New York State, after a years-long court battle, now have the right to charge extra for credit card purchases as long as customers are notified, but some are crying foul, saying businesses are not playing fair. But some people are saying they didn’t find out they were paying more for using their credit cards at all, or, in other cases, until after seeing a "Credit Card Process Fee" on their receipts. The fees generally are in the range of about two to four percent of the bill. Merchants called for the surcharges, saying they pay a processing fee of around two percent for …

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Puppy Mill Ban Measure Introduced By NY Lawmakers Puppy Mill Ban Measure Introduced By NY Lawmakers
Puppy Mill Ban Measure Introduced By NY Lawmakers Puppy mills may soon be a thing of the past in New York. New York lawmakers are taking steps to introduce a new bill that would ban the sale of animals at puppy mills. The legislation would include dogs, cats and bunnies from an unregulated breeding facility. The sale of those animals would then be banned at pet stores. Officials have said that puppy mills produce approximately 2 million puppies annually throughout the country. They often spend their lives trapped in cages as they await a pet-owner to purchase them. Under federal law, it is legal for mills to confine dogs in wire, stacked …

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by Zak Failla
News
State Attorney General Issues Alert On Scams As Tax Day Nears State Attorney General Issues Alert On Scams As Tax Day Nears
State Attorney General Issues Alert On Scams As Tax Day Nears As April 15 approaches, the State Attorney General has issued an alert regarding tax scams. “Tax season is ripe with opportunity for scammers to prey on hardworking New Yorkers,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “These bad actors use a wide range of tactics to illegally cheat residents out of their money, including individuals who impersonate the IRS and businesses that bait-and-switch their tax preparation services." Tax scams come in many different forms, but some of the most common types include: Scammers impersonating the U.S. Treasury Department, the IRS, the Taxpa…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Measure To Ban Robocalls Gains Momentum Among State Lawmakers Measure To Ban Robocalls Gains Momentum Among State Lawmakers
Measure To Ban Robocalls Gains Momentum Among State Lawmakers State lawmakers in New York are taking a stand against robocalls, proposing a bill that would stop automated phone calls from being placed without prior consent. New York Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, and consumer advocates announced the Robocall Prevention Act in Albany on Tuesday, following a record number of unwanted calls that were made in 2018. According to Hoylman, more than 47.8 billion robocalls were placed nationwide in 2018. “Our bill will stop robocalls from being made to any telephone number owned by a person in New York, unless for emergency purposes or wi…

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by Zak Failla
News
Don't Be A Victim Of Credit Card Fraud: Here Are Steps To Take From FBI Don't Be A Victim Of Credit Card Fraud: Here Are Steps To Take From FBI
Don't Be A Victim Of Credit Card Fraud: Here Are Steps To Take From FBI The FBI is warning consumers in the area to be wary of falling victim to scammers involved in credit card fraud schemes. The Bureau issued an alert this week, offering a series of tips to avoid becoming the latest victim of credit card fraud. According to the FBI, "credit card fraud is the unauthorized use of a credit or debit card, or similar payment tool (ACH, EFT, recurring charge, etc.), to fraudulently obtain money or property. Credit and debit card numbers can be stolen from unsecured websites or can be obtained in an identity theft scheme." Tips provided by the FBI include: Don’t …

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by Zak Failla
Business
FTC/FDA Issue An Alert For Misleading Medical Ads, Claims FTC/FDA Issue An Alert For Misleading Medical Ads, Claims
FTC/FDA Issue An Alert For Misleading Medical Ads, Claims Health officials are warning consumers of misleading advertisements for products that claim to treat or prevent serious health conditions. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that they issued warning letters to certain companies. The FTC and FDA said that those companies make unfounded claims that their products can treat or cure Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions. Letters were sent to  Gold Crown Natural Products, TEK Naturals, and Pure Nootropics, LLC. They were sent out Tuesday, Feb. 5. “Unfortunately, these products o…

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by Zak Failla
News
Beware Of Phantom Debt Collectors, FTC Warns Beware Of Phantom Debt Collectors, FTC Warns
Beware Of Phantom Debt Collectors, FTC Warns The Federal Trade Commission is warning area residents to be wary of phantom debt collectors after taking down an elaborate group of schemers that stole millions. The FTC announced that they have filed a lawsuit against Global Asset Financial Services Group (GAFS) and 15 other related companies that allegedly operated a fake debt collection scheme. The complaint alleges that employees claimed to be lawyers or affiliated with a law firm in an attempt to collect non-existent debts. The scheme involved GAFS employees in New York and North Carolina calling to collect the faux debt, posing as a …

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by Zak Failla
News
State Launches Investigation Into Apple’s Face Time Breach State Launches Investigation Into Apple’s Face Time Breach
State Launches Investigation Into Apple’s Face Time Breach New York lawmakers have set their sights on Apple after a bug allowing an eavesdropping flaw earlier this month was discovered. A significant bug has been discovered in FaceTime and is currently spreading virally over social media. The bug lets you call anyone with FaceTime, and immediately hear the audio coming from their phone — before the person on the other end has accepted or rejected the incoming call, according to reports. In response, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office would be “launching an investigation into Apple’s failure to warn consumers about t…

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by Zak Failla