uA Legitimate Car Seller Will Not Ask For Payment In Amazon Gift Cardsr

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  (Ben Schumin)
  

  As gift cards go, Amazon gift cards are pretty flexible: they’re available in any amount and can be used for a wide variety of merchandise. You can even use them to buy imaginary cars. At least, that’s what happened to a Michigan man who thought that he was buying a car that was in Montana, but was in fact sending four thousand bucks into a scamtastic void.

  Experienced consumer lawyer wrote about the case on Jalopnik’s blog about car-buying, aiming to save the people of the Internet from similar automotive heartbreak. “I have some very specific advice on how to make sure the story above never happens to you,” he advised the site’s readers. “DON’T DO ANY OF THIS.”

  Let’s break down the details of what happened, according to the Detroit Free Press:

  1. The buyer saw a car advertised on Craigslist that was purportedly in Montana. He corresponded with the seller and agreed to buy the vehicle for $2,500 plus $1,500 in shipping and insurance costs. While you can safely buy a used vehicle without seeing it in person first, you should know what you’re doing first, and very carefully vet the seller. Talking to them on the phone and seeing that their “dealership” has a web site do not count.

  2. He visited several local stores, purchasing enough Amazon gift cards to cover the transaction. We’re not sure how well the DMV would react to a stack of empty Amazon gift cards as the sales documentation, but it probably wouldn’t go over well.

  3. He transferred the gift card numbers to the seller using a URL that the seller sent, a site that purported to be Amazon. It’s not clear exactly what this site was, but this step was helpful from the scammer’s point of view, since it meant that the seller could drain the physical gift cards in a way that meant the buyer couldn’t reverse the transaction when he realized that it was a scam. Had he bought a gift card directly from Amazon and sent it by e-mail, that wouldn’t be the case.

  4. The seller took down the ad and decided not to go through with the sale. That’s when the buyer realized that he wasn’t getting his money back, and went to police…who were unable to help him due to the unorthodox method of payment.

  We agree with Steve Lehto’s advice: unless you’re an experienced buyer of used automobiles, do not do any of these things.

  How To Avoid Craigslist’s Rampant ‘Sight Unseen’ Purchase Scams [Jalopnik]
  Livonia resident out $4,000 from Craigslist scam [Detroit Free Press]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uTerrible People Have Stolen 25 Chickens From Nonprofit’s Coop In Series Of Heistsr

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  (stirwise)

  We’ve heard about no good, very bad and otherwise terrible people pilfering produce from nonprofit organizations in the past (tangerines, pumpkins, corn, onions), and now it appears poultry is also on the list of things thieves are willing to swipe from their rightful owners.

  Thieves in Northern California have been targeting a chicken coop owned by a nonprofit farming group that works with disabled adults, reports CBS Sacramento, stealing chickens three times in one month. A total of 25 chickens have gone missing — with the last heist this weekend completely clearing out the coop.

  The chickens are raised from hatchlings by 27 disabled adults who take care of them every day.

  “It’s really taught them a sense of accomplishment, and it’s really broadened their horizons of learning how to take care of something, because many of them don’t have the opportunity to care for another being, let alone an animal,” said one of the nonprofit’s workers in charge.

  The coop break-ins have been tough on the group, she adds.

  “It’s sad to explain that somebody bad out there just keeps doing this to them and it’s not right.”

  The group has now turned to the community for help, with a sign out front offering a $100 reward for every hen that’s returned. It’s also installed new barbed wire fencing around the coop in an effort to keep thieves at bay.

  Thieves Steal Chickens From Marysville Nonprofit For Disabled Adults [CBS Sacramento]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uExecutives For The World’s Largest Diploma Mill Arrestedr

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  (bluwmongoose)

  Less than two weeks after an investigative report detailed how a Pakistan-based IT company allegedly raked in millions of dollars a month by selling bogus diplomas, degrees and certifications through a series of fake websites and forceful sales calls, authorities in the country say they’ve arrested the chief executive of Axact.

  The New York Times reports that Pakistani investigators arrested Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh and four other Axact executives after discovering a storage room full of blank fake degrees.

  The executives have been charged with fraud, forgery and illegal electronic money transfers, as well as money laundering and violating the country’s electronic crimes act, according to authorities.

  The charges stem from the Time’s May 18 report that Axact’s picture-perfect image of a bustling Silicon Valley-like corporation was in reality an enormous scheme selling fake academic degrees on a global scale.

  Former employees of the company told the Times that the Axact brings in several millions of dollars each month through its fake diploma business where a high school diploma costs around $350 and a doctoral degree can run $4,000 or more.

  In some cases, former employees said agents cold-called customers impersonating American government officials, intimidating people into paying thousands of dollars for authentication certificates allegedly signed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

  Following the Time’s exposé, federal Pakistani investigators began looking into company’s dealings, sealing the company’s offices in Karachi and Islamabad. Because many of the universities allegedly run by Axact are supposedly located in the U.S., investigators in Pakistan have enlisted the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

  Shaikh attempted to squash the quick-moving probe by asking courts to halt the investigation, but those attempts proved futile.

  Investigators tell the Times that on Tuesday, the executive led them to a building across the street from the Axact headquarters where they found a room of blank certificates with the letterheads of dozens of fake universities and high schools operated by the company.

  Since the arrests were made, Axact’s online business and that of many of the universities it allegedly operated have reportedly shut down. A Times reporter’s attempt to contact sales agents with the company went unanswered.

  The NYT reports that Shaikh has denied any wrongdoing but did acknowledge in interviews that Axact had some involvement in the online degree business, saying the company provided telephone support and “document management services.”

  Axact Chief Executive Arrested in Pakistan Over Fake Diplomas Scandal [The New York Times]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uDelta Air Lines Pilot Gets Pizza Delivered To The Plane For Passengers On Delayed Flightr

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• Following on the heels of Delta Air Lines’ decision to serve free pizza to make up for a smoke-filled cabin — because feeling mad/sad/annoyed while eating hot cheese is a near impossibility — a Delta pilot ordered pies delivered to a plane full of passengers delayed by bad weather. And apparently, this is all part of a new pizza policy at the airline.

  A Delta flight from Philadelphia bound for Atlanta was diverted to Knoxville, TN because of storms in Atlanta, reports CNNMoney.

  While the plane sat on the ground waiting for the weather to clear in Atlanta, pizza was delivered on baggage carts and the crew served up hot slices to soothe frayed nerves.

  Passengers Tweeted evidence of the on-board pizza party before the flight eventually took off for Atlanta, arriving three hours late:

  We are sitting on a runway stuck on a @Delta flight because of weather. So they're throwing us a pizza party! http://pic.twitter.com/QO0ntZvs4I

  — Riley Vasquez (@RileyVasquez) May 26, 2015

  Delta continues with class. Stuck due to weather and the crew ordered everyone pizza. #deltaairlines http://pic.twitter.com/yMeBCFF0qL

  — Bill Wittenmyer (@BillyTheKidWitt) May 26, 2015

  The pizza fairy could visit your flight, if you’re unlucky/lucky — a Delta spokesman says the pizza tactic is part of a broader food movement in customer service.

  “It’s part of an effort company-wide when weather disrupts our operation to get food and beverages to delayed customers,” the spokesman told CNNMoney.

  Delta pilot orders pizza for delayed flight [CNNMoney]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uWalmart Leak Reveals Name, Details Of Upcoming Amazon Prime Competitorr

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• Earlier this month it was revealed that Walmart, whose online business has been hugely overshadowed by its bricks-and-mortar operations, was finally going to take a real stab at Amazon with the introduction of an annual subscription service that offered free shipping and other benefits, but at a lower yearly cost than Amazon Prime. Yesterday, the retailer goofed and tipped its hand to reveal some details on the upcoming service.

  TechCrunch reports that the actual site for the service, which appears to be named “ShippingPass,” went live briefly on Tuesday. It was supposed to only be available for early testers and has since been taken down.

  Adding confusion at the time was the fact that the leaked site listed the annual subscription rate at only $1, which would be… $98 less than the price of Amazon Prime. Alas, this is not the actual rate. Rather, it will be $50/year when ShippingPass launches later this year.

  The handful of shoppers who were able to register at the $1 rate later received an apology e-mail from Walmart, a refund of their dollar, and the promise of a $50 gift card.

  In addition to the name and the yearly rate, the leak revealed some other details about ShippingPass:

  • No minimum order — Walmart.com currently requires a minimum of $50 for free shipping. ShippingPass will launch with a “no minimum” requirement.

  • Auto-renewed subscriptions — The current default for ShippingPass is to automatically renew subscribers every year. This can be turned off within your account settings, but it’s good to know going in that you’ll have to turn this option off if you don’t want the subscription to keep renewing.

  • The early bird gets their package in three days — In order to get the three-day delivery guarantee from ShippingPass, customers will need to place orders by noon local time.

  • Limited geographic availability at launch — The site didn’t say which parts of the country would or wouldn’t get the new service when it launched (aside from exclusions for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, other U.S. territories, and customers with P.O. boxes), but it did indicate there would be limited availability during the pilot phase.

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uNYC Hotel Bar: Dress Code Should Not Have Been Enforced Against Navy Officer In Uniformr

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  Beyond the velvet rope? (lolololori)

  It’s understandable that some establishments use a dress code to maintain a certain atmosphere, but one New York City hotel is now apologizing after an employee enforced a strict set of clothing rules for the hotel’s popular rooftop bar, reportedly refusing to allow a Navy officer in because she was in uniform.

  According to a member of the group, three of them were in cocktail attire while the sailor was in her white uniform during a Fleet Week visit to the Manhattan hotspot on Saturday, reports the New York Daily News.

  That’s when a bouncer blocked them at the elevator to get to the hotel’s rooftop bar and lounge, the husband of the sailor’s cousin told the paper.

  “We walked in, went to the elevator and were stopped by a doorman who said, ‘Hey man, there’s a dress code,’ ” he recalled. “I said, ‘Wait, are you rejecting us because someone is in a service uniform?’ He kind of rolled his eyes and wouldn’t budge.”

  He says he asked someone at the front desk for help and was told the decision was up to the “lounge’s discretion.”

  “We were all shocked and upset,” he said, noting that it was Memorial Day Weekend.

  Though the sailor wants to remain anonymous, her family emailed the hotel’s management about the situation. A general manager responded by Sunday and asked the sailor to come back.

  “We most certainly do appreciate and take a lot of pride [in] all the young people giving their lives to defend our nation,” the manager wrote in an email to the family, noting that “as per regular protocol, our team” at bar “is instructed to enforce a dress code — which obviously should not apply to military uniforms.”

  “Once again, our sincere apologies for the miscommunication at our end, the issue has been brought to all of our team’s attention and it will certainly not repeat itself,” she added.

  One of the members of the group says the apology is a good effort, but now it’s up to the hotel to follow through and “really examine its policies.”

  “The fact that her uniform wasn’t labeled Versace shouldn’t have prevented her from going in,” he said. “They need to have a greater sense of the bigger picture.”

  Hotel apologizes after Navy officer turned away from lounge during Fleet Week [New York Daily News]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uSpirit Flight Attendant Probably Shouldn’t Have Posed For Photos In Jet’s Engine Wellr

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  WLS-TV in Chicago reports that a Spirit Airlines flight attendant posed for photos inside the plane’s engine while passengers were boarding the aircraft.

  When going through the boarding process for an upcoming flight, one might expect to see the crew members readying the cabin, welcoming travelers or just generally inside the aircraft. That’s why it was a bit unsettling for several passengers to see a flight attendant posing for photos inside the plane’s engine well before a recent Spirit Airlines flight.

  WLS-TV in Chicago reports that shortly after passengers boarded the Spirit flight at O’Hare International Airport, several noticed through their windows that a flight attendant was taking photos while standing on the tarmac in front of one of the plane’s jet engines and then sitting in front of the turbine blades.

  When the woman ended up being a member of the flight’s crew, a passenger took down her name and asked what she was doing in the engine. The woman reportedly told the traveler that she was simply taking a picture.

  Following the flight, the passenger found out the crew member had posted the photos on Facebook.

  While posing with a jet engine is undoubtedly a unique photo, many people on the flight tell WLS they were concerned about the incident, questioning whether or not the photos were proper, or even legal.

  Spirit Airlines says that the “activity portrayed in the photo absolutely goes against Spirit policy” and the company is investigating the issue.

  When contacted by WLS, the flight attendant said she couldn’t discuss the issue. Shortly after the call, the photos were removed from Facebook.

  A representative for the Chicago Department of Aviation tells WLS that in order for someone to access the tarmac and then a plane’s engine well, they would have to be properly badged and/or under escort. It wasn’t immediately clear if the flight attendant or the person taking the photos had that authority.

  Tarmac Photos Land Flight Attendant In Stew [WLS-TV]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist