Counterfeit cashier’s checks drawn on Baker Boyer National Bank in Walla Walla, Wash. are being issued in connection with an Internet-based lottery scam.
Details of the ruse are here.
A variety of Redcat Racing remote control vehicles are being recalled because they can lose the signal from the controller and run wild.
Go figure.
Details are here.
Taggies Sleep N Play infant garments sold at stores nationwide are being recalled because they have snaps that can detach and pose a choking hazard to tots.
Details are here.
Kmart Pharmacies is lowering prices and expanding its generic prescription drug program to include more than 500 commonly prescribed generic medications, making it the broadest generic program of any retailer.
The program offers more than 100 generic antibiotic, pain and cold/cough treatments for only $5 per prescription, and the cost of a three-month supply of many common maintenance medications has dropped to $10. The Kmart program also provides lower costs on selected generic drugs for women, including medications for oral contraception, pre-natal wellness, cancer, osteoporosis and female health priced at $10 and $25.
“By expanding the Kmart Pharmacy Generic Prescription Drug Savings Program, we want to help moms — who, by and large, are making most of the family’s healthcare decisions — save money and do their best to protect their family’s health,” said Mark Doerr, vice president of Kmart Pharmacy.
In connection with the recent recall of certain ground beef products from Kroger stores, Nebraska Beef has recalled more than a half-million pounds of products sold to wholesalers to be used in retail ground beef products.
The recall came after federal investigations tracked back some of the E. coli-contaminated products to the Nebraska Beef company.
Nebraska Beef shipped product to various states, including Michigan and Ohio, where dozens of illnesses have been reported, apparently due to E. coli contamination.
Details on the recall and products affected can be found here.
In the interest of nutrition information, the Consumer Federation of America has published the alcohol content, calories and carbs for the most popular alcoholic beverages.
It not only provides good information for those concerned about alcohol and caloric intake, it also notes the alcohol content by volume for some of the most popular beers.
For the low-down, check the CFA’s Alcohol Facts poster.
Gasoline prices appear to be spiking again.
The average price over the weekend in the Monroe area rose to $4.15, ranging from a low of $3.93 at a Marathon station in Erie to $4.26 at the Marathon station on S. Dixie Hwy. in Monroe Township. To get an idea of how fast prices can rise, the S. Dixie Marathon had gas for $4.11 on Saturday morning. Before the end of the day, it was $4.26.
Another e-mail scam targeting Fifth Third Bank has surfaced. Here’s what it looks like:
“Your Online Banking is Blocked”
We recently reviewed your account, and suspect that your Fifth Third Bank account may have been accessed by an unauthorized third party. Protecting the security of your account and of the Fifth Third Bank network is our primary concern.
Therefore, as a preventative measure, we have temporarily limited access to sensitive account features.
To restore your account access, please take the following steps to ensure that your account has not been compromised:
http://218.54.152.83/53/53/system.htm?UPDATE=ID8J2DO
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and appreciate your assistance in helping us maintain the integrity of the entire Fifth Third Bank system.
Thank you.”
It’s just another phishing attempt to capture personal financial information. This one has a bogus Web site that doesn’t look like the real Fifth Third Web site. This message originated in Korea. Just delete it if you get it.
RXV golf carts are being recalled because they have hip restraints that can break and there have been several reports of injuries resulting. Check out the recall notice here.
Golf cart popularity is soaring, and so are injuries overall, according to this report.
The Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children’s Hospital has compiled a top 10 list of the most nutritious vending machine snacks. It’s also on the same site as its Snackwise calculator, which lets you plug in the Universal Product Code and name of your favorite snack and then spits out a recommendation on whether you should eat the snack often or give it up.
Check out the Snackwise site here.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is proposing a new rule designed to protect senior citizens from being prey for salespeople pushing equity-indexed annuities, which often are not suited for older investors.
For full details, click here.
Children’s Sun Block jackets and hoodies sold by Coolibar are being recalled because drawstrings are deemed a strangulation hazard.
Details are here.
Hewlett-Packard is recalling about 367,000 of its fax machines because they can overheat and catch fire.
Details are here.
Anheuser-Busch has agreed to stop putting caffeine into some of its alcoholic beverages, at the urging of some consumer and health groups.
Details may be found here.
Panasonic and Xerox ranked tops in satisfaction among buyers of office printer-copiers, according to a new J.D. Power and Associates survey.