Tracy Davidson

The global gemstone market is being flooded by a wave of altered rubies. Untold numbers of consumers who spent thousands of dollars on what they thought were the real thing are unwittingly flaunting almost worthless stones, some of which bought at major retailers Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, gem experts told Consumer Ally.

See full article from WalletPop: [...]

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted this week to develop rules that would ban drop-side cribs.
Between November 2007 and April of this year, 36 children died due to structural problems with drop-side cribs, reports the commission. Thirty-five of those fatalities occurred when crib components detached, disengaged, or broke.
The commission proposed new rules that would [...]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) _ Kellogg says that higher-than-normal
amounts of certain chemicals in its package liners caused the
unusual smell and flavor that prompted a recall of 28 million boxes
of its cereal in late June.
The food maker recalled Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and
Honey Smacks after about 20 people complained. Five reported nausea
and vomiting.
The company [...]

Nestlé, the largest food company in the world, was slammed by the Federal Trade Commission for making health claims that could not be substantiated about its Boost Kid Essentials drinks.
“Nestlé’s claims that its probiotic product would prevent kids from getting sick or missing school just didn’t stand up to scrutiny,” David Vladeck, director of the [...]

Children’s jewelry made in China and sold at Justice and Limited Too stores between November 2008 and February 2010 is being recalled because of high levels of a toxic metal.
About 137,000 of the metal necklaces, bracelets and earrings were sold for between $7 and $16 at Justice and Limited Too stores and online.
The jewelry contains [...]

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is expanding a recall of over-the-counter drugs including Tylenol and Motrin IB because of a musty or moldy smell.
The McNeil Consumer Healthcare business said it is recalling 21 lots of over-the-counter drugs sold in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Fiji, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica.
The drugs that are [...]

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has presented a whole new array of possible scams for those looking to cash in on the situation. Among them – schemes designed to steal money from people looking for a job — especially work involving helping to clean up the BP mess.
Bogus ads for oil spill [...]

A suspicious application circulating on Facebook has attracted nearly 300,000 fans whose profiles could be used as launching pads for spam, according to a security analyst.
The application, called “I will NEVER text again,” lures Facebook users by offering a video, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for security vendor Sophos. When someone clicks on a [...]

Early Sunday, suspicious activity in the Apple App Store prompted customer complaints and technology sleuths to discover an inexplicable rise in sales of Vietnamese-language books, seemingly pirated, in both the App and Apple iTunes stores. The hackers, burned customers reported, were hijacking their accounts and purchasing a large number of these apps, resulting in charges [...]

USA TODAY-
Thieves are using high-tech skimmers to steal account information at automatic teller machines — and victims don’t know they have a problem until they see their statements.
Cyber security expert Brian Krebs tracks ATM scams on his blog and he says new technology is helping scammers steal even more of your [...]