ANIMAL » SCAMS

Deal of the Day: Cornell’s Awesome Pre-Law Summer

Lauri Apple — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:21:49 +0000

Only $4,970 for four credits. That doesn’t include housing, meals, transportation, or anything else. Move over Canal Street sunglasses, there’s a new bargain in town!

The target demo includes maybe/wannabe lawyers, but also people who “simply want to know more about the law and how it affects our everyday lives.” As one former student says, “This program is a must for anyone considering law school.” If you can’t pay the fee, maybe your parents can mortgage the house–if you’re still lucky to have a house, that is! We hear things are a little tough out there for some people (aw, don’t be sad! Overcoming adversity will make you a better lawyer.).

Some lucky duckies will get to work at internships during part of their six-week jaunt. The rest of you will “enhance your academic record, resumé, and skills” in other ways, no doubt. (I hear there’s some fabulous bars in the Upper East Side.) Never wonder how “the careers of lawyers portrayed in Boston Legal and Law & Order compare to those of real-life lawyers” ever again!

And you wonder how rich assholes get to stay in control of the earth. Oh wait no, you probably don’t, because it’s pretty obvious. (Photo: Hobbes vs Boyle/flickr)

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9/11 Coin Crackdown

Marina Galperina — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:30:26 +0000

No sympathy for marks that buy these “patriotic” tchotchkes that supposedly contain silver “recovered from the vaults beneath the ashes of Ground Zero” and are legal tender… in Liberia! Yet, it’s great that finally someone’s cracking down on this “commemorative” 9/11 coin crapshow.

Democrats Sen. Charles Shumer and U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler are taking measures to make the Federal Trade Commission stop National Collector’s Mint from profiteering of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 that they’ve evidently rolled out the promo for already.

Nadler says:

With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaching, we should unfortunately expect more scams, as criminals and snake oil salesmen seek to profit from the deep emotional connection that millions of Americans have to that terrible tragedy.

Speaking of millions, the Freedom Tower Silver Dollar people were charged with fraud and paid out more than $2 million in refunds and cancellations in 2004.

The Daily News Gets Universal Subway Key

Bucky Turco — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:01:32 +0000

Transit reporter Pete Donohue got his hands on one of those magical $27 keys that basically unlocks NYC’s transit system and found that it has other uses to, like controlling elevators in “thousands of city buildings.” But not everyone was as lucky and one guy who got busted using the key says he paid $50 for it, totally getting ripped off. The nerve! Anyway, the fun is almost over as the agency considers changing every lock at a cost of about $1 million. |NYDN|

City’s Cabbies Continue To Find New Ways To Rip Off Riders

Bucky Turco — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:29:04 +0000

Driving a taxi around NYC really sucks and is probably frustrating as hell, but that doesn’t mean cabbies can go around ripping off riders with underhanded tactics like not using the E-ZPass lane at the city’s toll crossings. The Post says they caught a handful of hacks purposefully taking the slow-moving cash lane to help feed their meters. |NYP|

New Yorkers Less Likely To Be Scammed

Bucky Turco — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:11:05 +0000

New Yorkers are a lot harder to scam compared to the rest of the country according to some new stats.

MTA Suggests New Service Cuts May Be Needed

Will Sherman — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:35:52 +0000

If your plan for the seemingly inevitable MTA fare hikes involves the old bent MetroCard trick, you might think again. The fake fare scam, ruled forgery, could send you to prison. Besides that, skipping out on the fare doesn’t help the strapped for cash agency, not that it even put a ding in the 1.8 billion dollar budget gap, which could halt nighttime trains on top of already massive service cuts.

Craigslist Robbing iPhone Scam Uncovered

ANIMAL — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:25:36 +0000

A group of Brooklyn thugs has been posting ads on Craigslist offering deeply discounted iPhones for sale, but when people showed up to get the phones they were robbed at gunpoint in various locations: Flatbush, East Flatbush and Flatlands. Cops eventually set up a sting and busted four people. |NYP|

Bike Blogger Gets Bike Back With Help From Bikers

ANIMAL — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:32:35 +0000

A little over a month ago, BikeBlog author Mike Green wasn’t thinking clearly, falling for a scam that resulted in his track bike being stolen. He immediately posted information about his easily recognizable steed to his blog, getting the word out, even before filing an official police report. Well, amazingly, with the help of some fellow cyclists, he got his bike back and he wasn’t even in the country. Basically, while away in Canada, a few of his buddies noticed a guy riding the bike awkwardly—like he didn’t belong on a fixed—and followed him. After a few heated conversations, quickly formed bike posses, a little police help and $50, his bike was recovered. In a city that often doesn’t yield back stolen goods, it’s a pretty amazing story. Read the entire account over on Green’ website that includes a bonafide chase scene and vehicle stopping heroics by Brad Baker of fixed gear boutique Trackstar. |BikeBlog|
Photo of Mike Green victoriously holding up recovered bike at recent Critical Mass rally.

Prominent Bike Blogger Gets Bike Jacked

ANIMAL — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:00:56 +0000

Out of all the people that would get their track bikes stolen, Mike Green is the least likely. For all intents and purposes he’s what many would regard as a city cycling expert. Green, who pens BikeBlog, is street smart, rides through traffic without getting killed, and pretty much knows the game inside out. However, he let his guard down—maybe he was naturally high from Earth Day—falling for the ol’ ‘let me test drive your nice bike here’s my fake car keys routine’ and watched in agony as his bike was ridden away in plain sight. He describes the thief as Hispanic, “pale like he was on the methadone program,” and rocking one of those ghetto t-shirts with an airbrushed Scarface on it. To get the word out to fellow bikers, Green posted pics of the steed and a description of the perp on his site within an hour of the bike getting jacked. Here’s the scam:

He walked up to me and asked where he could get a bike like mine. Then he asked if he could feel how heavy it was. I knew he was going to want to try it out and I knew I would SAY NO! Then for some dumb ass reason, I gave in and let him ride it. Before this happened he gave me the keys to his car which he walked over to a car parked in the street and turned the lock. I didn’t pay to much attention to these details…YEAH I know…I should Have.

Head over to BikeBlog for the full rundown and higher res images of the sweet ass, white and green sticker covered orange KHS. Hey you never know, maybe he’ll have the same luck as Dave Ortiz aka DQM CITED CUZ MY BIKE GOT STOLEN AND I GOT IT BACK did.