Have you been the target of an antivirus protection scam?
If you’ve received an invoice for antivirus protection that you never asked for, then you have something in common with Rita Coomler, Marc Harris — and me.
Everyone wants to know if these emailed bills are legit or if they’re a scam.
If your luggage goes missing on the way to your cruise, should you get a full refund? Pamela Shane thinks so. She says her pre-cruise hotel failed to deliver her suitcase to the dock in time for the ship’s departure. Now she wants $7,000 in compensation for the mistake that left her without her own clothes for the entire cruise.
But wait! There’s a twist. The hotel says it doesn’t even offer such a luggage delivery service.
Can the Elliott Advocacy team figure out what’s going on here? (Reprint)
Critics have called the Better Business Bureau (BBB) a scam and a ripoff — an aging nonprofit organization that extorts companies to the tune of hundreds or thousands of dollars a year to maintain a meaningless rating and accreditation. With all that controversy, you’d think the BBB would tread carefully around real consumer advocates, lest they end up in their crosshairs.
But you’d be wrong.
Last week, one of our readers pointed out that the BBB had given Elliott Advocacy an F rating! The circumstances around this failing grade are so bizarre and so infuriating that you will probably never believe another word the BBB says. (last updated on Aug 4, 2021)
Like so many other passengers last year, Bessie Walker canceled her scheduled cruise after the COVID-19 outbreak. She says Carnival offered her a full refund of her deposit or a future cruise credit. But now it won’t give her either. Can we help?
Could you fall for a fake job scam?
If you’re like Sam Erin, you probably answered “no!” She’s a college-educated young adult who was sure she knew how to spot a con game. That is until a phony employment crime ring preyed on her naivety and stole nearly $9,000 from her.
Now, after draining her bank account, the scammers have vanished, leaving Erin jobless and cashless. She’s hoping the Elliott Advocacy team can help. But how?
After decades of consumer advocacy, I think I finally understand the one emotion that all customers feel when a business falls short of its promises: betrayal.
Betrayal is a common theme on this site. Every day, greedy businesses betray their customers in one of at least three ways. But you can do something about it.
Maria Witbrod wanted to add a new puppy to her family during the pandemic. But instead, a well-organized criminal operation led her into a costly and increasingly common pet scam.
Now $4,000 later and with no dog to show for it, she’s asking if the Elliott Advocacy team can help her.
But how?
If you receive an unsolicited job offer from Walmart that involves shopping and getting paid big bucks to do it, it’s certainly a scam. But when Michele Turner received such an invitation, she was sure she had found the perfect way to make some extra cash. Unfortunately for her, there was a thief on the other end of that email who was about to reel Turner into an expensive mystery shopper scam. And the only person about to make some extra cash was that predator.
Now Turner is hoping that the Elliott Advocacy team can help retrieve the over $1,100 she lost during this fiasco. But how? (Reprint)
Warning: Car rental smoking fees are on the rise. If you rent a vehicle this summer, you could be next — whether you smoke or not.
The Public House in Fort Washington, Md., is known for its generous eight-ounce Angus burgers and spicy jambalaya. But it also serves patrons who don’t pay attention a bill that includes a surprise 15 percent tip.
