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Reputable internet business Groupon has been banned from ever again advertising snake oil, an activity Groupon not only engaged in, but defended, back when it was trying to assure everyone of its steady growth. More »
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Celebrity self-justification platform The Huffington Post is launching a spinoff in France called "Le Huffington Post," French for "Another Fucking Huffington Post." Welcome to Arianna's global cocktail party, French people. You only think you're invited. More »
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Philadelphia meteorologist John Bolaris—a bar-trawling man-about-town who has been described as a "media self-promoter," "weatherhunk," "publicity hound," and "poonhound"—has lost his job in the wake of a "real-life The Hangover," with a side of Anchorman bluster. More »
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In the U.S., Nigeria is well-known for419 scams, where fake princes scam dumb Americans out of millions of dollars in cash. Now even the website for the country's top tech authority has been hacked and turned into a phishing scam. More »
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Considering that Newt Gingrich's typical campaign stop is a book signing or a movie premiere, and that he's Newt Gingrich, one of our nation's more shameless specimens, many have wondered whether, perhaps, this odd 2012 presidential run was merely a promotional stunt for the Gingriches to sell more of their dime-store wingnut porn. This latest outside-group ad that's running in Iowa goes a long way towards confirming that. More »
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There was a 30 percent increase in complaints about "romance scams" last month, according to Western Union. A "romance scam" is where someone spends months and months having in-depth email conversations with you, and then gets you to send them money. Except for the lack of a proper couch, formal credentials, and some honesty, these scams sound a lot like psychological counseling. So why not reverse the scam? More »
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The thing that some people don't understand about crime is that you have to put some thought into it. You can't just run around willy-nilly doing stupid idiot crimes and expect to get rich and famous and live a life of leisure outside the walls of a prison. You have to plan shit. You can't just, you know, steal $285,000 and hope that nobody notices. More »
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Imagine scanning the obituary section of your local paper, only to be shocked and saddened to see the name of a friend, relative or neighbor listed there — someone who seemed in perfect health the last time you spoke to them. Now imagine calling the grieving family to offer your condolences, only to have the recently departed answer the phone with a cheery, "Hello!...Whaaat? No, of course I'm not dead, Shirl. Whatever would have given you that idea?" More »
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Lots of people enjoy traveling from their far-flung American hometowns here, to the "Big Apple," the "City That Never Sleeps," a place "Where Stars Are Born," and "You Will Probably Get Robbed." Please, gentle tourists, heed this Public Service Announcement: Do not let anyone "borrow" your credit card, here in "Gotham." More »
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Another alleged victim of Oneal Ron Morris—the Floridian fake doctor accused of injecting "cement, 'Fix a Flat,' mineral oil, and superglue" into her patients—has come forward. Rajee Narinesingh tells Miami's CBS affiliate that she heard about Morris by "'word of mouth' in the transsexual community," and underwent the procedures out of desperation: More »
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Turns out that the trio of rich asset managers might not actually be the winners of the $254 million Powerball. A different and richer anonymous client of the bankers is the real winner here. And it makes sense: those pinched and constipated faces are not the faces of lottery winners. More »
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As part of their ongoing investigation into Oneal Ron Morris—the Floridian fake doctor accused of injecting "cement, 'Fix a Flat,' mineral oil and super glue" into people's butts—police have arrested Corey Alexander Eubank, Morris's alleged assistant. Now both are unemployed. More »
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America's War on Fake Butts continues! Here are some police photos of 30-year-old Oneal Ron Morris, a not-doctor arrested by Miami Gardens, Florida police for allegedly giving women—and herself?—butt injections using a mixture of "cement, 'Fix a Flat,' mineral oil and super glue." More »
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How many American butts had to develop "hard lumps, ripples, skin discolorations, and infections" before alleged, unauthorized butt enhancer Kimberly Smedley was arrested by federal agents last month? Perhaps we'll never know. But we'll definitely sleep more soundly knowing that America's butts are being protected from her silicone-stuffed syringes. More »
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Seeking out additional sources of income is always a tempting option for today's financially strapped college student. That said, you might want to double- and triple-check the credentials of the sexologist for whose study you have just signed up, as he might just be some random dude trying to have sex with you in a motel room. More »
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Have you used a Chase ATM near Union Square in Manhattan this year? If you live in or have traveled to Manhattan any time this year, I bet that you have! So, you should know that your ATM card information has been... not definitely stolen. But possibly! I'm sure you're just fine. More »
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A group of conservative investors in Tennessee is suing a California businessman for allegedly conning them into investing in Tea Party HD, a TV channel aimed at tea partiers, that they say turned out to be a scam. More »
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The Secret Service is raising alarms about a so-called "black money" scam operating in the Northeast that's already relieved three idiots of $170,000. So if someone approaches you with a huge amount of cash that looks like it's been blacked-out with magic marker, don't trust them. Here's how the scam works. More »
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Now Sun Trust and and Regions Financial have joined Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. in deciding that charging customers debit card fees on purchases is a stupid idea, the Wall Street Journal reports. This makes Bank of America the only loser bank among America's largest loser banks to keep its $5 fee plan. Way to stay strong, guys! More »
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How, big, grand, and downright awesome is the November issue of Rachel "Rachael" Ray's magazine, Every Day With Rachel "Rachael" Ray? So god damn awesome that they decided to charge subscribers double for it! From the NYT: More »
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Not so long ago, Bank of America decided that a good way to refill its slightly-less-bulging-than-usual pockets would be to charge people a monthly fee for their debit cards. "This won't cause a massive public backlash at all, probably," they thought to themselves, while setting a box of puppies aflame. More »
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One basic characteristic of journalism is this: its content is not bought and paid for and directed by an advertiser. It might be vapid. It might be poorly written. It might be damn near worthless. But it's not an advertisement. More »
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As the dying middle class sees its children swallowed by the student debt bubble as they desperately take out loans to afford college degrees from their likely substandard schools, it's worth remembering the fact that the vast majority of college students in this country are part-timers who will never graduate. You'll never guess how much money we're wasting on remedial English classes! From the LA Times: More »
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Look, times are tough, babies are dying all over the place, and those of us able to help really want to help. But before making your next roadside, dead-baby donation, we ask that you please be as discriminating as possible. Scrutinize those certificates, people! More »
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Romance-defiling reality hag Patti Stanger has been shilling hard for Sensa — "the weight-loss system" you "sprinkle on your food" (active ingredient: 100% horseshit) — on commercials that run during her Bravo reality show, Millionaire Matchmaker. Well, a reader who gave Sensa a shot wrote in to share her experiences with the miracle product, and we thought we would in turn share them with you. More »
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In China, authorities don't fall for all those Wal-Mart okey doke bait-and-switch now-you-see-it-now-you-don't sleight of hand shell games, so to speak. They know your pork is cheap ass pork, Wal-Mart. More »
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British website Veggiedates makes it clear right in its tagline: "Find your veggie dates." Sounds hot! Until you find out that the site was actually full of grease-hungry meat-scarfing savages. Sounds not! More »
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The wheels seem to be coming off Jerry Guo's wagon. Yesterday the internet entrepreneur admitted to misleading people during his time at Newsweek and just after. Today comes word he was fired from an AOL site over dishonesty. And it's not clear how much technology is actually behind his tech startup. More »
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For a while now Reebok has been selling its dumb fake "EasyTone" shoes that allegedly tone your butt (ladies), using magic. If you believed that Reebok EasyTone shoes would tone your butt, you are dumb. Well, now Reebok has to pay $25 million, for fooling you. More »
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Jerry Guo's startup "Grouper" sets people up on dates with posses of strangers. That's the kind of company you need to be able to trust. Which is why it's especially relevant that Guo's history of conning people—and apparently the nation of Thailand!—has just been revealed. More »
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You like your precious "free checking?" I bet you do. More like freeloader checking. Sadly, your "free checking" is hurting the needy banking industry, which is why it is going to disappear. More »
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Are you a pretty savvy and health conscious person who maintains a slim and attractive physique along with the body of a much younger human by dining solely on "all natural" foodstuffs? Congrats, good for you. You are dumb. More »
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It sure seems unlikely that David Petraeus, the married director of the C.I.A., would be seducing Taiwanese engineers on Skype in order to cash his, uh, paychecks from the NATO operation in Libya, doesn't it? But try telling that to Liu Shuzhen, who is pretty insistent that she and Petraeus are getting married, any day now. More »
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In your finally Friday media column: the internet hordes claim another victim, The National steals stories, a foolproof new plan for online media success, an unappealing headline, and CNET's editor heads to Yahoo. More »
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The spectacularly stupid Ashley McDowell was approached by two men in a McDonald's parking lot where they offered to sell her an iPad for $300. She only had $180, but they gave it to her anyway. When she got home, she found out it was really just a block of wood with an Apple logo painted on the back. More »
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The classic corporate law firm business model involved hiring top law school grads and charging clients for their "work" these kids did, which involved learning how to be a lawyer, because of course recent law school grads are completely incompetent. More »
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Americans are smartening up and staying the hell away from school. We recently came to our senses and started avoiding law school. And now, we're avoiding fake colleges, as well. We'll make something of ourselves yet, fellow Americans! More »
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True story! I used to work for James "The Amazing" Randi, the famed magician-turned-arch-skeptic, at his foundation in Fort Lauderdale, where we combated psychics and faith-healers and exorcists and all kinds of predatory bullshit slingers. The reaction Mr. Randi most frequently elicited from angry believers: "What's the harm? So what if I want to believe in [magic/psychics/prayer/reincarnation/heaven/ghosts/angels]? Believing gives people hope!" More »
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Investors showered a socialite's husband with more than $500,000 to build an online mall, where customers maneuvered their avatars into virtual Chanel and H&M shops. They claim the money was blown on living expenses. But did they honestly think this terrible idea would ever make them a dime? Really? More »
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The SEC has charged a 26 year-old named Toby Scammell (HEH) with insider trading, after he made nearly $200K on stock deals after learning from his Disney-employed girlfriend that Disney was going to buy Marvel. How many objectionable things do we know about Toby? More »
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