jikReport: Stolen Credit Card Information Used By Fraudsters To Make Purchases With Apple Payde

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(Adam Fagen)

A rash in data breaches at national retailers may have led fraudsters to use Apple Pay to make big-ticket purchases with credit card information stolen during national data breaches.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the mobile payment system has recently been hit by a wave of fraudulent transactions involving credit card data stolen from retailers including Target and Home Depot.

While the Apply Pay system hasn’t been breached, the scamsters have input stolen card data into the payment system and then used the information to make purchases without a physical card being present.

According to sources close to the matter, nearly 80% of the unauthorized purchases have been made at Apple’s own store for items with high resale value.

A spokesperson for Apple tells the WSJ that the payment system is “designed to be extremely secure and protect a user’s personal information.”

To use Apple Pay, consumers simply take a photo of their credit card or manually enter their card information. At that point it is up to consumers’ banks to include additional verification steps such as requiring consumers to authorize the service through their online account or call a customer-service representative to complete the set-up.

However, our colleagues at Consumer Reports found back in October, that not all banks use verification processes. In this case a man was able to input his wife’s credit card information and use it with out further verification by the bank.

According to the WSJ, the most recent rash of fraud through Apple Pay has included relatively low-tech means to find vulnerabilities in the verification systems.

As a result banks are tightening their verification processes.

“Our member banks are reacting as quickly as possible to ensure their verification processes are adequate to thwart this new kind of fraud,” David Pommerehn, an executive with the Consumer Bankers Association, which represents lenders that issue credit and debit cards, tells the WSJ.

A spokesperson for PNC Financial Services Group says the company has seen 35 cases of fraud related to use of Apple Pay.

“We have looked at our processes and we believe we have very strong know-your-customer processes in place to prevent any additional cases,” the rep said.

To combat potential fraud some banks have implemented additional authentication methods – including sending a text message to the consumer – when making a purchased through Apple Pay.

“Apple Pay is formidable, but it still sits on a loose foundation,” Richard Crone, an executive for payments-advisory firm Crone Consulting, tells the WSJ.

Apple Pay Stung by Low-Tech Fraudsters [The Wall Street Journal]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

jikAmerican Apparel Employees File Complaints Against Company For Alleged Intimidation, Silencing Tacticsde

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(afagen)

It has not been an easy road for American Apparel after firing founder and former CEO Dov Charney last year: Charney announced in December that he’s trying to plan a comeback, and now two complaints filed by workers allege that the company is intimidating its workers and trying to keep them from talking to the media about the company’s troubles.

Employees have filed two complaints against the company with the National Labor Relations Board in the last two days, reports BuzzFeed News.

The first complaint was filed on Wednesday, and claims that American Apparel sent security to intimidate workers who’d gathered for an off-site meeting to discuss recent cuts in hours. In that complaint, an employee says she was “accosted and interrogated” by company security after the meeting and told to turn over informational flyers. She claims her employee ID badge was seized and photographed.

These workers have formed a coalition at Charney’s urging, BuzzFeed reports, with its third meeting scheduled for Saturday.

In the second complaint, which was filed yesterday, employees claim that a new broad media policy instituted by the management is “silencing” workers and making it tough for them to act against unsatisfactory working conditions.

The complaint outlines what it alleges is American Apparel’s media policy, which it says was introduced on Jan. 25. According to the complaint, the policy “prohibits American Apparel employees and other personnel from making statements to, or otherwise having contact with, journalists and the media, insofar as it relates to American Apparel (including among other topics as to current and former employees and as to our business and operations.)”

In addition, the complaint claims the policy says that “The response to all media inquiries should be ‘no comment.”

That complaint points to a 2012 NLRB case about employee social media postings, where a court ruled against certain broad speech provisions that banned employees from saying things on social media “that object to their working conditions and seek the support of others in improving them.”

While many companies make workers sign nondisclosure and confidentiality policies so that employees won’t blab a company’s financial secrets or other private information, American Apparel employees claim in the complaint that the broadness of this particular rule infringes on their right to “protected concerted activity.

In response to this week’s complaints, an American Apparel spokesperson stressed the company’s commitment to “free speech and social commentary” and said it will “investigate these allegations to determine the actual facts.”

“Core principles of American Apparel are workers’ rights and respect for our employees,” a spokesperson told BuzzFeed news. “This is clear from our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which reflects our efforts to ensure that American Apparel’s workplaces are free from harassment, bullying and intimidation and which promotes fair treatment of employees and compliance with labor and employment laws.”

Previously in social media/NLRB: Can You Get Away With Complaining About Your Job Online? Maybe, Says NLRB

American Apparel Is Intimidating Workers, Complaint Alleges [BuzzFeed News]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

jikCould Comcast Try To Buy Netflix Or T-Mobile If Time Warner Cable Deal Fails?de

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(Mike Mozart)

After more than a year of stop-start-stop regulatory review, the FCC and Justice Dept. are currently in the final stretch of deciding whether to approve, block, or put conditions on the mega-merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable. With even some formerly optimistic industry analysts now having their doubts about the deal’s success, it’s time to consider what Kabletown might do if the acquisition falls through.

Of course, if Comcast is blocked from acquiring TWC, it could just take that $45 billion and invest it in improving service and providing new options for its 22 million subscribers.

But in a blog post [registration required], Richard Greenfield at BTIG Research contends that Comcast’s wealth and “insatiable appetite for acquisitions” indicate that the company would not simply sit idle when there are other merger options available that might not raise the same regulatory red flags as the bid to buy TWC.

Comcast, which acquired the expansive NBC Universal broadcast/cable/theatrical production and distribution network in 2011, could try to go even further into the world of content by acquiring other media companies.

A more intriguing idea would be the acquisition of the company that has been one of Comcast’s most outspoken critics in recent years — Netflix.

While Greenfield acknowledges that “acquiring Netflix would be massively dilutive to Comcast shareholders,” he points out that Netflix has been able to do what many traditional media companies have failed to do — create a streaming product that works well across the wide array of platforms and devices.

Acquiring the Netflix team and technology would be a boost to Comcast’s pay-TV and broadband services, while also undoubtedly building Netflix into all possible set-top boxes for the nation’s largest cable provider.

And though Greenfield doesn’t mention it, we’d be shocked if a regulatory condition on a Comcast/Netflix merger didn’t include a condition that Comcast make Netflix available for other pay-TV providers’ set-top boxes.

But that brings up the question of whether or not the FCC/DOJ reviewers would sign off on such a deal. We’d expect there to be a vocal grassroots effort, similar to the one currently opposing the TWC acquisition, speaking out against a Comcast/Netflix deal. And if the TWC deal falls through, Comcast’s opponents would only be emboldened for another fight.

And unlike the pending mega-deal, in which Comcast and TWC claim to not compete, there is no doubt that Netflix is competing directly with Comcast. So it’s hard to imagine the nation’s largest pay-TV provider being allowed to absorb a service that many view as the poster-child for cord-cutting.

So while Greenfield believes that Comcast could possibly woo Netflix’s board into agreeing to a deal if the offer were “truly compelling,” we have serious doubts that the company would jump right into another acquisition that isn’t a sure thing with regulators.

A more likely option presented by Greenfield is for Comcast to go the wireless route and try to acquire either T-Mobile or Sprint.

Since Sprint is now controlled by Japanese telecom giant Softbank, which has been more interested in acquiring businesses than selling off the company, T-Mobile is the more likely partner. After all, its German parent company is still trying to sell it off.

And it could be a wise move for Comcast, not only acquiring T-Mo’s approximately 50 million accounts but allowing it to offer a fixed wireless broadband service much like the one planned by AT&T.

The whole purpose of Comcast acquiring TWC is to get into the NYC and L.A. markets and provide geographic continuity for its services in the nation’s most populated corridors.

While a T-Mobile merger wouldn’t give Comcast immediate pay-TV access to those regions, it could exploit T-Mo’s existing cell towers and LTE network to offer more affordable wireless broadband and sell standalone streaming services like the ones that NBC is reportedly mulling over.

Whether or not Comcast pursued such a deal will almost certainly depend on the outcome of the pending merger of AT&T and DirecTV. If regulators sign off on that acquisition with minimal concessions, T-Mobile may be seen as a merger target for some complementary company. And if Comcast and TWC are broken up at the altar, it could be Kabletown calling for T-Mo’s hand in marriage.

[via Investors.com]

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

jikReport: Injuries Related To Bounce Houses, Other Inflatable Attractions, On The Risede

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(World of Oddy)

Is it every kid’s dream to go flying through the air, light as a bird, only to land safely on a soft surface? Perhaps. But that doesn’t mean that all of those inflatable bounce houses, castles, slides and other amusements are necessarily safe for children, and a federal agency is pointing to a rise in injuries on such attractions to make sure parents are aware of the risks.

In a new report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the group says data from 2003 to 2013 shows there were an estimated 100,000 injuries related to the air-filled structures during that time, the kind with flexible fabric that stay inflated through continuous air flow from at least one blower.

The injuries kept climbing through that time period, from about 5,000 in 2003 to more than 17,000 in 2013, the CPSC’s report says.

“Parents and caregivers need to be aware that there can be serious incidents in backyard and community events with inflatables,” Patty Davis, a spokeswoman for the CPSC told USA Today. As the numbers go higher, the trend should be seen as a “wake up call for parents,” she added.

The kids getting injured the most are those between 4 and 15 (a rather large range) at 61% of the overall injuries from 2011 to 2013.

Adults aren’t totally safe, either — there were 12 deaths from 2003 to 2013 and half of those fatalities were adults.

While the CPSC continues to work on ways to “beef up” safety standards for these kinds of inflatables, the CPSC just wants parents to know what they’re dealing with. Some tips:

• Children should always be supervised, first and foremost.

• Follow manufacturer’s instructions for set-up carefully.

• Make sure it’s properly staked and anchored.

• If it’s super windy outside, don’t use ’em — maximum wind speed should be 15 to 25pmh.

• Keep kids away from gas generators and air pumps.

• Young children shouldn’t be inside the inflatable moon bounces with older kids.

• If it’s a public event, ask the company running the ride if they are licensed and experienced.

Moon bounce injuries on the rise, report finds [USA Today]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

jik“Sustainability Leader” Badges On Walmart Products Don’t Mean Items Are Good For Environmentde

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The “made by Sustainability Leaders” badge on this 150′ roll of bubble tape is not necessarily an indicator of the product’s environmental impact.

If you see a product tagged with a “sustainability leaders” badge on the Walmart website, you might think this is an indication that this item is more environmentally friendly than others. And you might be correct; but you might also be mistaken. Because the truth is that this badge has virtually nothing to do with the product being advertised.

In a piece for Grist.org, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance Stacy Mitchell cites the example of this 150′ roll of bubble wrap that is tagged with the sustainability badge.

Given the availability of more sustainable and eco-friendly packaging options, it seems odd that this particular product, which doesn’t appear to be substantially different from other bubble wraps, would be singled out for this label.

But the key to that answer lies in the full wording of the badge: “made by Sustainability Leaders.” (That’s not a typo. The actual design of the badge has “made by” in lower case.) It’s not about the product, but about the company that makes the product.

And though there’s no indication on the product page of what the badge means, clicking on the “Global Responsibility” link at the bottom of the page, and then clicking on “Environmental Sustainability” and then clicking “Sustainability Leaders” will lead you to this page, where you will eventually get to this disclaimer:

“The Sustainability Leaders badge does not make representations about the environmental or social impact of an individual product, only that the manufacturer has scored well enough to earn a badge across all of the products they make in that category. For example, a television identified with a Sustainability Leaders badge indicates that the manufacturer has been identified as a Sustainability Leader among its peers in the television category for its sustainability management practices.”

So this doesn’t even mean that this unnamed TV manufacturer is making sustainable products. Just that it’s “sustainable practices” are among the best in the category of TV makers.

Companies earn the badge — which can be placed on all of their products — by periodically responding to a survey of questions regarding their practices. But the actual questions are not a matter of public record, so it’s impossible to say what factors are being considered to determine a manufacturer’s relative sustainability.

Walmart also doesn’t reveal the survey scores, so consumers don’t know whether that TV manufacturer is indeed running a sustainable business or is just the least environmentally unfriendly among its particular peer group.

There’s nothing wrong with cheerleading companies with sustainable business practices, but we question the decision to place these badges on all products from these companies without a clear disclosure that the particular item may not be any more sustainable than products from competitors, especially given the lack of transparency in the process for earning these badges.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

jikThis Year’s Special Arizona Diamondbacks Hot Dog Is A Churro Wrapped In A Doughnutde

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(@Dbacks on Twitter)

Last year, the Arizona Diamondbacks introduced the world to the D-Bat Dog, a $25, 18-inch corn dog stuffed with cheese and bacon. This year the baseball team has decided to go a more sugary route, introducing the Churro Dog, which is essentially, a churro wrapped in a doughnut.

Gone is the tube of pork parts, and in its place is the fried dough dessert covered in cinnamon and sugar, nestled in a “long john chocolate glazed donut, which is then topped with frozen yogurt, caramel and chocolate sauces,” ESPN’s Darren Rovell reports.

“We’ve found that desserts work really well in the heat we have here,” D-backs president Derrick Hall said.

Rovell says the offering is the team’s attempt to go above and beyond last year’s D-Bat Dog, as teams like them and others are realizing that fans will splash out more cash on food if it’s unique.

Would you pay $25 for a regular corn dog? Nope. Boring. But if it’s 18 inches and stuffed with all kinds of things and is only available for one season, why not?

This year the price of novelty won’t be quite as dear: the Churro Dog is a bit cheaper than last year’s specialty dog, selling for just $8.50 at two stands on the main concourse at Chase Field.

Diamondbacks offer Churro Dog [ESPN]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

jikHome Depot Employees Build Custom Wagon For Cancer-Stricken Dogde

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(KABC-TV)

The owner of an elderly cancer-stricken canine says she was just hoping for some wagon-building advice from Home Depot employees but she ended up with something much more — a custom-built cart for her ill furry friend.

The woman tells KABC-TV that she wanted to build a cart to help tote around her 15-year-old dog Ike, who has cancer in his leg. She went to the Home Depot in Hawthorne, CA, where she asked for some input from an employee.

“I showed him the cart that I was trying to use and I asked him, ‘What can I do to change this cart and build it so that it’s longer or his size?’ He just shook his head and said, ‘Let me give it some thought and I’ll call you later,'” she recalls.

But rather than just sketch up something for the customer to assemble, the Home Depot worker and another employee went ahead and built a new wagon, complete with built-on ramp, for the pooch.

“I offered to build this for her and let her know that it’s something that Home Depot offers – giving back to our customers,” explains the employee, who is also building a ramp to help get Ike in and out of the car.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist