Latest news with #JustinGray
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Criminals selling your personal information online; Here's how to protect your identity
One dollar. That's where the prices start in online marketplaces to buy a Social Security number. Consumer Investigator Justin Gray found out that may be all it takes to steal your identity. On Channel 11 Morning News at 6:45 a.m., how criminals are getting your information, and how to protect yourself. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
People's identities for sale; prices start at just $1
People's identities are up for sale. In some cases, prices start at just $1. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] We look at how this is happening and what you can do to protect yourself today on News Center 7 Daybreak from 4:25 a.m. until 7 a.m. TRENDING STORIES: Superload weighing almost 370K pounds could cause problems for Greene County drivers Dog dies after being found in basement of Ohio home Officer injured after police hit by vehicle, police say The prices start at $1 on online marketplaces to buy a Social Security number and more. Justin Gray, from our sister station WSB TV in Atlanta, reports he has even seen a spreadsheet of identities offered for free to a company for not paying a ransom in a data breach. 'You don't have to be very skilled. You just need to know where to look,' said Professor David Maimon. We will update this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
Sears warranty customers complain of no-show deliveries
People turned to Channel 2 Action News for help with their Sears Home Warranties, and the company promised to replace appliances for two customers who had spent months getting nowhere after Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray got involved earlier this year. But those customers are still waiting after several no-show deliveries. Cumming resident Amanda Pirkle said it has been four times now that Sears scheduled a delivery, and did not show up. 'They said they would deliver in two weeks, and they didn't show up. And so, we are now on round four of this. No showing up for delivery. No calling, no telling me they are not coming,' Pirkle said. She pays $60 a month for her Sears Home Warranty and had spent five months trying to get help for her broken fridge before all the no-show deliveries. TRENDING STORIES: Federal agents raid manufacturing plant in Bartow County in labor trafficking investigation Cooking accident leaves Paulding County mom, toddler severely burned 4 Georgia soldiers have died after being reported missing in Lithuania 'You're blocking the whole day to be home, and then they don't show up time after time,' Pirkle said. Mableton resident Susie Rome was interviewed for our February story and also was promised a new appliance by Sears at that time. She has had four separate no-shows by Sears for delivery of a replacement washing machine. 'They will call me the night before and tell me they are coming. But then they say they don't have it in the warehouse,' Rome said. It's the same thing other Channel 2 viewers have emailed about after our series of stories on Sears home warranty problems. 'After four cancellations, I am still without my dishwasher. The home warranty with Sears is ineffective,' one viewer wrote. 'Over five times it has been scheduled, then canceled and still no refrigerator,' another person said. 'It's not right what they're doing, and they are literally stealing money from people and just walking away with it,' Pirkle said. A company called Transformco now owns Sears. 'Our top priority is the satisfaction of our members,' a Transformco spokesperson said. 'Replacement product has been ordered. Due to inaccurate inventory availability, we missed a promise date. We will not close any order or case until our customers have reached satisfaction.' Transformco tells Channel 2 if the appliances are not delivered by next week, they will provide the option to cancel the order and issue them a check for the authorized amount.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Financial advisor, economist talk about what to know during stock market uncertainty
Fluctuating policies in Washington are sending parts of the U.S. economy into a state of uncertainty. As the winds shift and economic moods change, Channel 2 Consumer Investigative Reporter Justin Gray spoke to everyone, from financial advisors to university economists to get a better idea of what consumers should expect. They had the same message: things like unemployment and inflation rates are in a strong position, but it's not stopping the stock market drops. While that may be lowering consumer confidence, and there are big concerns, both of the drops are being caused by the same uncertainty. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Still, that doesn't mean you should cut and run. Retired and on a fixed income, Barbara McKeown told Channel 2 Action News that she's been worried about tariffs and the stock market's potential to drop, especially how that could affect her pension. 'I need to buy a new car. I'm nervous about the increase in the prices that it may cost me,' McKeown said. 'It makes a difference because I'm on a budget.' TRENDING STORIES: Man dies after shooting in southwest Atlanta neighborhood Potential for strong tornadoes, damaging winds this weekend DeKalb Police investigating shooting across street from DKFR station 13 Consumers like McKeown don't like the uncertainty during times like this and how they worry it affects them. Emory University Goizueta School of Business Economist Tom Smith said the stock market doesn't like uncertainty either and that the uncertainty around American tariff policies is what's driving the market drop. 'If you've got a policy that's switching every other day, it's almost impossible to forecast how that's going to impact you, because you don't even know if the policy is going to take effect,' Smith said. Most people with investments are retirement investors, with 401Ks and IRA accounts. Financial advisor Wes Moss was just writing to his clients when Channel 2 Action News came to talk to him at his Sandy Springs office. He told his investors the same thing he told Gray: long-term investors should stay put and stay calm. 'It's hard to ignore daily fluctuations, but the reality is that we're investing for 20, 30, 40 or 50 years and investors just need to keep their eye on the long-term horizon,' Moss said. 'Have a plan, know that retirement is way off into the future. The big t thing is to control what you and I can control.' Channel 2 Consumer Advisor Clark Howard recommends not rushing into making big purchases over tariff concerns and not making big changes to your investment portfolio. 'The problem is, if we really do go into a significant recession, a lot of us who think our jobs are safe, they're not going to be safe. So I'd rather instead of people making bug purchases, to stall on those and put your money in savings.' Howard says that there are a couple of positives right now. Mortgage rates are dropping and because of concerns that people might limit travel, travel could end up cheaper this summer. The one thing that's clear over decades of data is that the stock market recovers. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Tech support scam takes $280K from retirement account
A lifetime of savings wiped out by thieves posing as the U.S. Government. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Consumer Investigator Justin Gray with our sister station WSB-TV talked to a man who said his Vanguard accounts were emptied. The victim asked for his identity to be hidden, because he has not even told immediate family about the theft. 'I had right around $280,000 in Vanguard,' he said. >> RELATED: Victims across the country come forward after having money stolen from Fidelity retirement accounts Nearly all of that money in his Vanguard retirement and investment accounts was drained by thieves. 'It was like my heart sank and I felt like I was in a deep pit. I was bewildered,' he said. TRENDING STORIES: $10M reward offered for arrest of former Olympian wanted for allegedly ordering murders A South Carolina man is set to become the first executed by firing squad in 15 years State troopers ID 45-year-old woman killed in rollover crash in Shelby Co. The crooks started by emailing him claiming he had bought virus protection software and had not paid for it. 'He said, well, it shows that you owe this amount of money and you're going to have to go to your bank and get this money out and then I'll tell you where to go. So, I did what he said,' the man said. Realizing he had been scammed out of $6,000, he thought it was an answered prayer when the phone rang again. This time, someone on the phone said they were from U.S. cybercrime and were calling to help. 'He said, I can reverse that. That money that you put in,' the man said. Instead, the thieves remotely took over his computer, gaining access to his Vanguard passwords. Threat researcher Willis McDonald told WSB-TV how easy it is for a criminal to take over a computer. 'Someone could do this in a matter of seconds and can be working on gathering credentials, gathering personal information,' McDonald said. The cybersecurity firm Guardio found a 573% rise in tech support scams when comparing just the recent six months to the previous period. 'They really try and plant that sense of urgency into the situation because that keeps you on your toes. It raises your heart rate, and it really keeps you from thinking about why, am I doing this?' McDonald said. This man did get his original $6,000 back, but that convinced him to do as the imposter said and log into his Vanguard account and other websites while the criminal was watching on a mirrored device. 'So, I got on the phone and call Vanguard, and they told me about all these withdrawals, and I say I didn't do that,' he said. Georgia's Division of Aging Services sent Vanguard a letter saying the state is investigating this as potential elder exploitation. The victim has also filed complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other regulatory agencies. But a Vanguard employee told him in an email: 'due to the transactions having been requested online using your confidential login credentials, Vanguard is not able to assist further.' The best advice for anyone of any age is if someone calls you claiming to be with a bank, investment firm or the government, you should hang up. Just slow down and call back to the actual number for the company. WSB-TV reached out to Vanguard who said in a statement: 'The safety and security of our clients' assets and sensitive information is Vanguard's top priority. We continuously invest in state-of-the-art technologies, processes, and trainings to stay ahead of ever evolving and increasingly sophisticated threats. And we routinely share advice and education to help investors protect themselves and their loved ones from scams and financial exploitation.' [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
