Self-directed IRAs: Caveat Emptor

Oct 27, 2011
I've noticed an increase in pitches from folks promoting the financial benefits of self-directed IRAs. It's an IRA held by a trustee or custodian...

Con artists at work

Aug 24, 2011
The North American Securities Administrators Association has come out with its annual list of infamy: The favorite financial products and financial...

Wanna-be wizards beware

Aug 5, 2011
Harry Potter fans are getting scammed by cons offering early access to the Pottermore website. (For those of you not up on all things Harry Pott...

The vulnerable elderly and fraud

Jul 20, 2011
We know that scamsters target the elderly. If you have aging parents or grandparents and your concerned about their vulnerability to investment...

Washington Post jobs site hacked

Jul 8, 2011
The paper says that an "unauthorized third party" hacked into its jobs database and absconded with 1.27 million user ids and email addresses. No...

Beware the Google + scam hoax

Jul 5, 2011
If you see an invite to the still-exclusive service in your inbox, proceed with caution.

Warning: Beware fake check scams

Jun 14, 2011
Scamsters profit from hard times. A growing criminal enterprise is luring consumers into accepting genuine-looking but genuine-phony checks or...

For public good, not for profit.

Scamsters target the elderly

Jun 6, 2011
Question: Very recently we had a problem with my mother-in-law being hooked in with a scam where she wired a total of $6000 to Jamaica all for the...

Warning: The psychology of an investment scam

May 27, 2011
At a recent panel discussion on financial literacy at Boston University, John Gannon quickly grabbed our attention. He remarked that the personal...

Verizon cracks down on text message fraud

Mar 10, 2011
Verizon is suing individuals and small companies who have been running a scam on cell phone users. Works like this: user gets an offer to be sent...