Latest news with #TimMcNicholas
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Misleading ads repeatedly dupe Google users, CBS News New York Investigation finds
It's the most popular search engine, and one of the most profitable companies in the world. So why does Google sell advertisements to people purporting to be companies it is not? CBS News New York's Tim McNicholas, a regular Amtrak rider, recently Googled "Amtrak customer service," and the first three results showed websites and phone numbers that don't belong to Amtrak, even though the links stated "Amtrak" or "Amtrak Phone Number." Two of the sites, and even have self-described Amtrak booking pages, boasting of a "user-friendly platform" that "allows you to reserve your seats ... hassle-free." "I think that's pretty terrible," Laura Black said. Black said she called the number on another site, and paid $356 to upgrade her Amtrak trip from New Orleans to Charlottesville back in March. "It was a fraudulent ticket," Black said. "I was actually really shocked that you can Google something and the top hit, it's a scammer? Like, how does that happen? So I guess I felt betrayed by the process a bit." Amtrak and Google both describe the listings as "scams," so how do they rise to the top of the search results? Turns out, they are sponsored listings, or ads, and Google says it has now suspended the accounts of those advertisers. The listings linked to a phone number so you didn't even have to visit the website before calling. In 2020, McNicholas shared the warnings of a mom from the Chicago suburbs who sent $5,000 to a Google advertiser pretending to be Apple customer support. "My guard was completely down," Abbey Coffey said at the time. "I get those phishing emails, you don't click on the link it's a scam, but I called them. So me calling them, my guard was completely down." Google would not agree to an interview for this story, but said in an email it removed 146 million ads last year for misrepresentation. A spokesperson said that figure includes ads that were blocked before posting, and also ads that were already live on Google. "That makes me wonder what's going on in the process that they got to put those ads up in the first place? Is there not any sort of background check?" Black said. Google says all ads go through either automated or human reviews, but alleged fraudsters are constantly adapting and sometimes find ways to show Google different content than they later show users. McNicholas called the numbers he found during his Google search, and the people who answered claimed to offer tickets cheaper than what Amtrak was offering. When asked, a self-described employee with said that the company is not Amtrak but is authorized to sell Amtrak tickets. He denied any knowledge of the company's Google ad, which included a link titled "Amtrack [cq] Phone Number" above a phone number that does not belong to Amtrak. "Is there maybe a manager or owner who can give us a call?" McNicholas asked. He never heard back, so he moved on to the number Black called and whoever answered said they don't sell train tickets and know nothing about McNicholas discovered shortly after he reached out that the website had been taken down. "Now I have to fight with my credit card. It's gonna be two months 'til I see that money back, if I see it back. There's no guarantees, and it's unfortunate," Black said. Amtrak says customers should stick to booking through the Amtrak app, 1-800 USA RAIL, or in-person at a train station. The company also says it has an internal team dedicated to working with search engines to scrub what Amtrak considers scams.
CBS News
27-03-2025
- CBS News
Long Island man ticketed for truck he no longer owns. DMV says it's part of a larger issue in NYC
A New York state agency is calling out the city for not using up-to-date information when writing tickets after CBS News New York brought one man's case to their attention. The Long Island man says the process of fighting a ticket turned into a nightmare, and CBS News New York's Tim McNicholas found the chances of winning are already slim. Hector Colon told McNicholas he lives in Ronkonkoma and doesn't often venture into New York City. He's a maintenance supervisor for a gated community on Long Island, about 40 miles from the city limits. So imagine his surprise when he got a New York City parking ticket in the mail last spring -- and then, another and another. He ended up with a total of eight tickets and notices from the city saying he owes nearly $1,000. "I can't afford $1,000 that I could be using for my bills for something that I didn't even do," he said, adding he needs the money for his diabetes medicine. The tickets list the same make, model and VIN as a truck that Colon says he sold. The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles confirmed to CBS News New York he transferred the title months before the violations. He says he tried to fight the tickets with records showing he had canceled his insurance and surrendered his license plate, but an administrative judge for the city's finance department still found him guilty. "They, basically, said that it was insufficient evidence," Colon explained. The state DMV says the city's finance department has access to real-time DMV registration data, but the DMV says it has repeatedly brought ticket complaints to the city's attention that show the finance department is not always using that information. "We would defer to them as to why they are not using up-to-date records to issue citations to New Yorkers," a DMV spokesperson said. The city says it regularly uses DMV data but what it called "timing issues" can impact the quality of information, and it encourages motorists to promptly report any transfers to the state - which Colon says he did, but was still found guilty. "My wife paid about, I would say, about $600 worth of it," he said. "She was like, 'You know what, let me just pay some of them, so they don't garnish his check.' She was just scared it was going to be more of a hindrance for me." Data obtained by CBS News New York shows the finance department issued more than 16 million tickets last fiscal year for illegal parking and traffic camera violations. Most people don't fight the tickets, but of those who did, 457,000 got dismissed because of a not guilty decision. That's 3% of all tickets, and 30% of all tickets that had hearings. Larry Berezin is a retired attorney who helped New Yorkers fight tickets by attending City Council meetings and running an advice blog. "What is the mission of the Department of Finance? The mission is to raise money," Berezin said. He says the city should rethink its dispute process. "To have the Parking Violation Bureau under the Department of Finance creates a conflict," he said. "If you were charged with a crime, and you're looking up at the judge and the judge is a police officer, how would you feel?" The finance department insists the process is fair and says hearing officers and judges paid by the department are per diem employees, not staff. The city would not agree to an interview for this story, but it has been using videos and social media posts to spread the word about its Parking Summons Advocate, Anthony Tse. The city says Tse's office can "independently assist" with "...violation issues that cannot be resolved through normal Department of Finance channels." When McNicholas reached out to the department on Colon's behalf, they connected him with Tse. "He says he's going to submit all the tickets, even the ones that I paid, and they should, once it's dismissed, I should receive a refund," said Colon, adding, "I can't thank you enough, because I was actually, you know, losing it." It's still not exactly clear to Colon why his initial dispute didn't work, and the city won't comment on his case. He initially argued he likely got the tickets because one of his plates had been stolen when he still had the truck. Colon says the parking summons advocate said it may have actually been because he didn't remove his registration sticker. But, again, the DMV says he'd already transferred the title before the alleged violation dates.
CBS News
22-02-2025
- CBS News
As NYPD cracks down on illegal license plate covers, consumers say some don't even work
Some New Yorkers have turned to questionable methods to try to skirt tolls from speed cameras and congestion pricing, such as license plate blockers, which police say are illegal in New York and New Jersey, but some consumers who bought one such product say it was a waste of their money. A company called Alite claims the film they're selling creates a reflective glare and prevents traffic cameras from capturing license plates. They offer individual characters to stick over plate numbers or strips of film for stenciling. Their social media posts often feature New York or New Jersey plates, and claim the products are "100 percent legal." On its website, however, Alite admits, "In states like ... New York, any cover on your license plate, even if it's clear, can be deemed illegal." "Dude, it doesn't work" One Queens man told CBS News New York investigative reporter Tim McNicholas he paid $56 for two strips of film from Alite back in September, hoping to avoid speeding tickets. "We're trying to get away from the city's unfair practices," he said. "You really can't drive 25 anywhere in the city and expect to get anything done." The customer added, "The way I see it is I don't see myself doing something illegal, either. If you look at my plates, you can see all the numbers are visible any time of the day." Police never discovered the film on this man's plates, and he still got fined for a bus lane violation. He's one of three New Yorkers that CBS News New York tracked down who said they bought and applied products from Alite, but cameras still picked up their plate. "I know a bunch of people that asked me personally, 'Hey, should we get this, too?' Just off the top of my head, about four friends that asked me, and I said, 'Dude, it doesn't work. Just drive slow or don't drive at all,'" the customer said. "There are some people who are gonna see this, and they're gonna say, well, serves you right to get those tickets... why don't you just drive safe? What would your response be?" McNicholas asked. "My response to those people would be grow up, become an adult and gain some common sense and then drive a little bit on your own to see what 25 miles an hour does," the man said. "It'll increase the time that you need to get any tasks done ... and I understand it if they're doing it in school zones, right? I get that, that's safety. But they're doing it everywhere." Alite would not agree to an interview and instead emailed CBS News New York saying its stickers are effective but the features of "some modern traffic cameras ... may still pick up plate details." The email went on to say "in some cases, the strength of the infrared flash" from cameras "may not be sufficient to completely obscure the symbols" and nearby "headlights, streetlights, or sunlight ... could reduce the effectiveness of the reflection." Alite claims to be based in London, but that customer says his order was shipped from Ukraine. He says he tried to get his money back, but no one from the company responded to him, and now feels he was scammed. We also noticed the product name of a type of film made by another company printed on the back of those strips that Queens man bought. That company told us they never intended their product to be used for that, and they don't condone it. Drivers trying to block plates could face fines, NYPD says Contrary to what Alite says to its tens of thousands of social media followers, police say the kind of film they sell is 100% illegal in New York and New Jersey. "The biggest concern is the threat to public safety. If someone wanted to do harm to the city or the residence they're in, they're not gonna use a vehicle that is traceable to them, they're gonna use a ghost vehicle," NYPD Transportation Bureau Deputy Chief Thomas Alps said. "We're actually looking at a lot of new technology, and using a lot of machine learning and artificial intelligence to try and combat some of these things," MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Cathy Sheridan said. In other words, if you try to block your plate to avoid speeding tickets or congestion pricing tolls, you could face fines. Police say they're also on the lookout for electronic covers, including those that mask or unmask plates with the click of a button. During a recent enforcement operation, Sheridan told CBS News New York that officers might pull drivers over if nearby cameras or scanners don't capture their plates. "It can even make those alerts automatically, so the officer in the car is getting real-time information through the technology they have in the vehicle," she said.
