Current Events in March 2023

Salt lovers might not like this news, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to give food producers the permission to use salt substitutes instead of the real thing. The agency is heralding this move as a way for us all to improve nutrition and reduce the possibility of disease.

The proposed rule – "Use of Salt Substitutes to Reduce the Sodium Content in Standardized Foods” – is part of the Biden administration's strategy on hunger, nutrition, and health designed to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases by 2030. The FDA is standing firmly behind its decision, too.

"Most people in the U.S. consume too much sodium. The majority of sodium consumed comes from processed, packaged and prepared foods, not from salt people add to their food when cooking or eating," said Susan Mayne, Ph.D., director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. 

How much is too much? If you consider yourself an “average” consumer, FDA statistics say that you consume an average of 3,400 mg of sodium per day — 47% more than the 2,300 mg currently recommended.

"This effort, combined with the FDA's voluntary sodium reduction targets, is part of the agency's overall nutrition strategy to create a healthier food supply, provide consumers with information to choose healthier foods and improve the health and wellness of our nation," Mayne said.

What changes consumers will see

To make things perfectly clear, this rule would not force manufacturers to reformulate items but merely gives them the flexibility to change the formula on products that have salt or brine listed in their standards of identity (SOI). 

If the FDA’s wish gets granted, the short-term target will apply to 160-plus categories of packaged and restaurant-prepared food. These short-term targets are based on a reduction of average sodium intake from current levels of 3,400 mg/day to 3,000 mg/day, and they serve as initial benchmarks for a broad and gradual reduction of sodium in the food supply.

Here’s a partial list of those products the FDA shared in its proposed rule:

• Acidified milk and cultured milk

• Acidified and regular sour cream 

• Bread, rolls, and buns

• Cane, table, maple, and sorghum syrup

• Canned products like applesauce, corn, figs, green beans, mushrooms, oysters, peas, Pacific salmon, tomatoes, tuna

• Eggnog 

• Frozen peas 

• Fruit butter like apple butter

• Ketchup

• Macaroni and noodle products 

• Margarine 

• Mayonnaise 

• Milk chocolate, sweet chocolate, white chocolate, and breakfast cocoa

• Salad dressing 

• Self-rising flour and white cornmeal

• Tomato concentrates and tomato juice

Warehouse membership clubs like Costco, BJ’s, and Sam’s Club typically offer consumers bulk items at a lower price than traditional grocery stores. 

Now, Sam’s Club is announcing its latest discount offer: gift cards. Sam’s Club members can get gift cards from some of the biggest brands at the store for lower prices. 

Save on flights, movies, and restaurants

The discounts on gift cards cover several major industries, including: restaurants, movie tickets, airlines, and video games. These deals are part of the store’s spring promotional sales, and the company says they will be offered for a limited time.

Some of the biggest discounts include:  

Restaurants: 

• $50 in Krispy Kreme gift cards for $37.50

• $50 in IHOP gift cards for $37.50

• $30 in Cold Stone gift cards for $21

• $50 in Bob Evans gift cards for $40

• $50 in White Castle gift cards for $40

• $50 DoorDash e-gift cards for $42.50

• $100 Panera e-gift cards for $85

• $50 in Chuck E. Cheese gift cards for $37.50

• $50 in Golden Corral gift cards for $40

Movie Tickets: 

• Two Regal movie tickets in Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington D.C. for $21

• Two AMC Black movie tickets in New Jersey, California, and New York for $22

• $50 gift card to Movietickets.com for $37.50

• Two Regal Cinema movie tickets for $19

Airlines: 

• $500 Southwest Airlines gift for $450

• This promotion has a limit of three gift cards per Sam’s Club membership. However, one member can save up to $150 on air travel. 

Video Games: 

• $100 in XBox gift cards for $90

• Savings on a $100 Steam gift card

• $100 in Nintendo eShop gift cards for $90

• $30 in Roblox gift cards (plus free virtual item) for $26 

Membership cost is cut in half 

For those considering becoming a Sam’s Club member, the company is also offering a discount on yearly memberships. Annual memberships currently cost $25 – half of what they usually cost. Members also get discounts on other store items, including groceries, appliances, and electronics, as well as regular savings on gas. 

A year of a Sam’s Club Plus membership is currently $70, and this tier usually costs $110. This membership level also comes with early access to sales, 20% off eyeglasses, free shipping on online orders, 2% cash back on purchases (up to $500 back each year), certain generic prescriptions for free, and free curbside pickup. 

The banking crisis set off by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has had an unexpected result. The value of Bitcoin, which had sunk below $20,000, is surging again.

That, in turn, has led to a revival of cryptocurrency scams. During two weeks in March Bitcoin’s value rose nearly 34%. Scam operators have stepped up their efforts to lure potential victims who hope to cash in.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that the criminals behind crypto scams usually promise you can “make lots of money” with “zero risk.” A sophisticated investor knows investments never fall into that category.

Lately, these scams have begun on dating apps. The scammer establishes a romantic relationship with his victim before offering to let them in on the “can’t miss” investments. The FTC says that in these scams, crypto is central in two ways: it can be both the investment and the payment.

Here’s how it plays out

According to the FTC, here are some of the way crypto scams can unfold:

• You get a call, out of the blue, from someone claiming to be an “investment adviser. They promise to grow your money — but only if you buy a cryptocurrency and transfer it into their online account. The investment website may appear legit but it’s fake. Your money is gone. 

• The scammer might pose as a celebrity who contacts you through social media with a “great opportunity.” But wait a minute – why would a celebrity contact you? If you click on an unexpected link they send or send cryptocurrency to a so-called celebrity’s QR code, that money will go straight to a scammer and it’ll be gone.
  

• Scammers might guarantee that you’ll make money or promise big payouts with guaranteed returns. Again, remember that no investments offer a no risk, guaranteed return. The closest thing there is to that is a Treasury bond or CD. And there’s nothing “low risk” about cryptocurrency investments. So if a company or person promises you’ll make a profit, that’s a scam. 

• Scammers promise free money. They’ll promise free cash or cryptocurrency, but free money promises are always fake, the FTC says. 

• Scammers make big claims without details or explanations. No matter what the investment, find out how it works and ask questions about where your money is going. Honest investment managers or advisors want to share that information and will back it up with details.

The FTC suggests that before you make any investment in crypto, search online for the name of the company or person and the cryptocurrency name, plus words like “review,” “scam,” or “complaint.” See what others are saying.

Scammers often lurk on social media platforms, especially ones consumers use to buy and sell things. While Facebook Marketplace may readily come to mind, you probably don’t think much about Etsy. But maybe you should.

You should especially be wary if you are in the market for a high-end camera. A member of the ConsumerAffairs team recently went looking for a Fujifilm x100V that retails for $1,399 that oddly, sells for a lot more on the secondary market – as much as $3,000.

So it was doubly odd when there was a used Fujifilm x100V listed for $664 on Etsy. However, the seller had no other products listed, no previous sales and tellingly – no reviews.

A search for the expensive camera model revealed about six similar ads, all with similar prices and no reviews. We Googled “Etsy camera scam” and found a number of consumers had encountered the same issue when they tried to purchase a Nikon SP.

Stay on the Etsy platform

“The seller had me run payment through PayPal as opposed to the Etsy checkout (first mistake, I’m admittedly an Etsy neophyte) and me being ok with still having Paypal protections, I bit,” the consumer wrote in a Reddit post. 

The buyer reported the transaction went through and they received confirmation from Etsy and Paypal, but the seller sent an independent confirmation from an odd email address that didn’t match their PayPal address. 

“They sent tracking info via Etsy that was for a legitimate shipment but was one that was listed as delivered two days later and the camera obviously hadn’t arrived,” the buyer wrote, noting that almost immediately the seller deleted their Etsy shop and disappeared.

It’s not just expensive cameras that scammers are using as bait on Etsy. Ian, of Glasgow, UK, told us he ordered a knife being offered on Etsy but received nothing after he sent a payment.

“If you do buy something and it is not delivered, report this to the FedEx e-crime team as this is a scam, Ian wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review. “You should also contact FedEx customer service, they will confirm the tracking number does not refer to your name or address, ask them to send an email confirming this. Just a note that Etsy allows this to happen, be warned.”

Etsy cautions consumers

Etsy has set up a special webpage to warn consumers about scammers who might try to exploit the platform. The guidance particularly warns against advance-fee fraud, also called the “419 scam.” 

Other scams Etsy identifies as common are the “overpayment scam,” in which a scammer sends a fake check for a purchase and asks the seller to return the change. Another big red flag is when either a buyer or seller insists all communication take place using personal email and off the Etsy site. You can find other examples here.

So how do you stay safe when buying and selling on Ebay? The best advice is to be able to identify the tell-tale signs of a scammer. 

If the price is too good to be true, it’s likely a scam. Look for reviews. If there are none or just a few 5-star reviews, it’s best to keep looking.

This tax season has been full of scams, and as the April 18 filing deadline is approaching in just a few weeks, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is rounding up 12 of the worst ones, known as the “Dirty Dozen.” 

One such scam that taxpayers should be aware of involves identity theft. The IRS is warning taxpayers to be mindful of any offers they receive to help them set up online accounts for the government website; these are almost always scammers trying to steal personal information. 

“Scammers are coming up with new ways all the time to try to steal information from taxpayers,” said Danny Werfel, IRS commissioner. “An online account at IRS.gov can help taxpayers view important details about their tax situation. But scammers are trying to convince people they need help setting up an account. 

“In reality, no help is needed. This is just a scam to obtain valuable and sensitive tax information that scammers will use to try stealing a refund,” he continued. “People should be wary and avoid sharing sensitive personal data over the phone, email, or social media to avoid getting caught up in these scams.” 

Following the same script

As Werfel explained, these scams typically follow the same kind of script. Taxpayers will often see third-party ads, or be contacted directly by a third party – online, over the phone, or through email -- with the goal of “helping” them create an online account on the IRS website. 

For anyone setting up one of these accounts, personal information is necessary: Social Security numbers, email addresses, photo IDs, etc. Once a taxpayer accepts “assistance” from the scammer, the scammer then gets access to all of this personal information. It’s not uncommon in these situations for scammers to sell taxpayers’ personal data to other scammers.  

This is a risk for a few reasons. The scammers can use your personal information to steal your tax refund or steal your identity to open credit cards or apply for loans. 

However, the IRS wants taxpayers to know that creating these online accounts doesn’t require any assistance. The website will automatically direct users to complete the process step-by-step, and taxpayers have all of their own personal data to complete the required fields. 

Report scams

While there has been no shortage of scams this tax season, the IRS is encouraging taxpayers to report any encounters they experience with scammers. 

Phishing activity can be reported to phishing@irs.gov, or to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4844. 

Taxpayers can also complete Form 14242 (Report Suspected Abusive Tax Promotions or Preparers) and mail it to the Internal Revenue Service Lead Distribution Center, Stop MS 5040, 24000 Avila Road, Laguna Niguel, California, 92677.

Remember March 2020? Cases of COVID-19 began to fill U.S. hospitals and there was more than a little fear of this new virus.

For more than two years, COVID-19 dominated Americans’ lives and brought massive changes to the U.S. economy. But with the quick development of vaccines and therapeutics, cases and deaths rapidly declined.

Months ago President Biden declared the pandemic is over and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reduced its safety guidance. Businesses – and even medical facilities – no longer required masking.

On March 10, Johns Hopkins University, which had maintained a COVID-19 dashboard for three years, tracking cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, announced it would no longer update the site.

What have we learned?

So, after three years what have we learned about COVID-19 and our health care system? Dr. Dung Trinh, chief medical officer at the Healthy Brain Clinic, says the threat has changed over time.

“The virus has mutated into different variants which can be more contagious and potentially cause more severe symptoms than the original strain,” Trinh told ConsumerAffairs. “The good news is that as more people are vaccinated, or have already been infected by COVID-19, herd immunity is increasing and the risk of new infections and severe infections is decreasing.”

According to the CDC, as of March 15, 2023, the current 7-day average of weekly new cases was 21,422, down 19.7% compared with the previous 7-day average. But the threat hasn’t completely disappeared. That’s why some people are still wearing masks in public while others don’t. 

Some feel more at risk

“Many different reasons abound why some people are still wearing masks and others are not,”  Dr. Soumi Eachempati, co-founder and CEO of CLEARED4, told us. “Many of these reasons stem from people’s perceptions of COVID and their own understanding of their personal vulnerabilities. Some individuals are masking because they feel themselves to be at risk for complications or death from COVID and will mask regularly in public. These individuals may be older or immunosuppressed due to concomitant illnesses such as cancer or lung diseases.”

Many researchers and health care professionals are now focusing on a condition known as “long COVID,” symptoms that linger for weeks, or even months. Jean-Jacques Schoch, general manager at The Heal Long COVID Project, says long COVID is one of the greater threats, even for people with only mild symptoms.

Dr. Nagesh Borse, deputy chief health officer at Project Hope, says there has been a lot of confusion surrounding that condition. At last, however, he says effective treatments have emerged.

“Most recently Metformin showed efficacy in trials, which offers a path to improvement,” Borse told ConsumerAffairs. “The challenge now, as with Paxlovid, is to ensure access to treatment to those who need it in an affordable and timely manner.”

Paxlovid is an oral drug developed by Pfizer that, when taken at the onset of symptoms, has been shown to be highly effective in preventing serious illness. It’s one reason that for many Americans, COVID-19 is a manageable risk.

In its last update to its dashboard, Johns Hopkins reported there had been 103.8 million U.S. cases of COVID-19 over the last three years with 1.1 million deaths attributed to the virus.

It's hard to go anywhere these days without being offered use of free Wi-Fi.

Hotels, coffee shops, malls, the airport -- just about everywhere and everyone can connect you to the internet. But are these public access points safe? Are hackers lurking, just waiting to attack your phone, computer or tablet?

The good news is that public Wi-Fi is a lot safer than it use to be. But that doesn't mean you don't have to be vigilant.

When you go online, everything you have -- financial information, email and social media -- is there to be picked through.

Back in the day, most websites didn’t use encryption to scramble the data and protect it. Now they do. But how can you tell?

It's quite simple, actually

In the address bar, look to the left of the website address for a lock symbol or https. If it's there, you're protected.

This also works on a mobile browser, and while it can be hard to tell if a mobile app uses encryption, the majority do.

Protecting your personal information online

Among the best ways to stay safe is to create and use strong passwords. Use at least 12 characters or, if you want to keep it short, mix uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.

Srini Kadiyala, CTO of OvalEdge, a data governance consultancy, says it's smart to avoid reusing the same passwords across many sites.

"Instead," he says, "get a password manager, use multi factor authentication to access it and randomly generate each password you need."

Make sure your security software, operating system, and internet browser are up to date. The phone’s operating system should be up-to-date, too. Automatic updates should be turned on to keep up with the latest protections.

And then there are scammers

Keep an eye out for scammers, those who pretend to be someone they’re not, like a representative from a well-known company or the government.

They also create fake websites and encrypt them to make you think they’re safe when they’re not.

Kadiyala notes that a simple way to limit vulnerabilities is to try and have devices that you only use for public access.

"Keeping one Wi-Fi network for computers and phones or tablets and a separate Wi-Fi network for smart devices," he says, " limits the extent of a possible attack."

With Easter just a few weeks away, BJ’s Wholesale Club is releasing its special seasonal deals for store members. 

Through the Easter holiday on April 9, BJ’s members can expect sales on just about everything they’ll need for their celebration – Easter basket essentials, decorations, paper goods, food, candy, and more. Walmart announced a similar promotion last month.

“Our members know they can shop with us for everything they need and want to make their Easter gatherings a quality, memorable time with family and friends,” said Rachel Vegas, BJ’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer. “Members can find their family favorites for Easter dinner and brunch, candy and toys to fill their Easter baskets, plus seasonal decor and dining essentials to make their celebrations festive.” 

What’s on sale?

BJ’s is offering sales in three primary areas: paper goods and decorations, Easter basket goodies, and meal essentials. 

The first category includes savings on everything from seasonal paper plates and napkins, to Easter and bunny wreaths, an inflatable Easter bunny, and Easter gnomes. All items are available in-store and online, and the sales run through April 9. 

For parents, grandparents, or other family members who may be filling Easter baskets, the selection of on-sale items is wide. BJ’s is discounting Easter baskets, PAAS egg decorating kits, Reese’s peanut butter eggs, American Kids character baskets, a set of toy race cars, Peep’s, and more. 

Lastly, cooking Easter dinner or brunch will come at a cheaper price. BJ’s members can expect savings on: trays of cupcakes, ciabatta rolls, half spiral hams, packs of bacon, gourmet carrots, and carrot cakes. Overall, these prices are expected to be discounted as much as 25%. All of the on-sale items are available to members in-store or with in-store pickup, curbside pickup, or same-day delivery. 

Even more savings

BJ’s seasonal sale items are available through Easter on April 9. For BJ’s members who shop between March 23 and April 9, even more savings are possible. When shoppers make purchases over $150, they’ll receive a $15 digital coupon that’s valid between April 13-23. 

Last month’s announcement from Hyundai-Kia that there is now a fix for the vehicle’s vulnerability to theft hasn’t lessened the pressure on the automaker. 

Twenty-three state attorneys general are calling on Hyundai-Kia to take “swift and comprehensive action to help remedy the crisis of car thefts that has occurred due to the companies’ failure to equip vehicles with anti-theft immobilizers.”

Thefts accelerated in the middle of last year when a TikTok video showing how easy it is to steal the cars went viral. Thefts surged because the particular models identified in the video lacked the anti-theft equipment.

Immobilizers prevent a car or truck from being started without a key that contains an embedded chip. The TikTok video showed how some Hyundai and Kia cars could be started using a USB cable.

In a letter to the automaker, the state officials pointed out that Kia and Hyundai chose not to include anti-theft immobilizers as standard equipment on several vehicle models sold in the U.S. during a period when every other car manufacturer was doing so.

“Kia and Hyundai failed to equip their vehicles with industry-standard anti-theft technology, and customers are now paying a steep price,” said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. “These cars are now disproportionately targeted by thieves at rates so high some insurers are refusing to cover them. Kia and Hyundai need to make this right—quickly, and without nickel and diming their customers.” 

The fix

Last month the automaker, which produces both brands, announced a software update that it said would solve the problem. It has begun installing the update on the models considered most vulnerable to theft.

While that’s a step in the right direction, the attorneys general say it isn’t enough and has come too late. The attorneys general urge the companies “to do everything in your power to accelerate the implementation of the software upgrade and to provide free alternative protective measures for all those owners whose cars cannot support the software upgrade.”

The attorneys' general request has not turned into legal action, at least not yet. In February, however, the company was named in a class-action lawsuit. Sebastian Cole of Milwaukee filed the complaint in Wisconsin’s Eastern District Court, seeking class-action status. The suit says Cole was a car theft victim in July 2021 when his 2018 Kia Forte was stolen.

More recently, the City of San Diego sued the automaker over the lack of immobilizers on older models. The San Diego City Attorney's Office alleges that 146 Hyundai and Kia cars were stolen in San Diego during the first six months of 2022, and 369 cars were taken in the last six months of the year.

“Hey, Grandma, it’s Sean and I’m in a real pickle…”

Imagine getting a call like that. Your grandson calls, says he’s in deep trouble because he wrecked his car and the cops threw him in jail.

“All I need is for you to send some bail money so I can get out and get this whole mess taken care of.”

You sigh and, then, a lightbulb goes off. You’ve heard about grandparent scams so this must be one, but the caller really did sound like Sean.

Welcome to voice cloning.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says that when artificial intelligence invaded our world, it also brought new tools for scammers to use such as voice cloning.

“A scammer could use AI to clone the voice of your loved one. All he needs is a short audio clip of your family member's voice — which he could get from content posted online — and a voice-cloning program. When the scammer calls you, he’ll sound just like your loved one,”  is how Alvaro Puig, an FTC Consumer Education Specialist explained it.

Separating truth from fiction and protecting your money

How can you tell if a family member is in trouble or if it’s a scammer using a cloned voice? For one thing, don’t trust the voice.

Puig says the first thing you should do is call the real person who supposedly contacted you and verify their story. But don’t use a phone number the “supposed” caller gave you, but one you’re absolutely sure is theirs. And if you can’t reach them, try to get in touch with them through another family member or their friends.

Money for bail or to pay for towing a car after an accident is not uncommon, but if it’s a scammer, they’ll likely ask you to pay or send money in ways that make it hard to get your money back. Gift cards, cryptocurrency, and wire transfers are examples.

If you use any of those methods, you might as well kiss your money goodbye. And if you're thinking that a wire transfer from one bank to another would be protected by the FDIC, the answer is an emphatic “no.” So, how about something like PayPal?

“If you buy something using PayPal and the transaction turns out to be bogus, PayPal will often return your money. Unfortunately, this only happens if certain conditions are met. Otherwise, paying with PayPal is similar to handing over cash,” says Elliot Nesbo of MakingUseOf.

What to do

Nesbo suggests in situations where you think you’re the victim of a scam, the first thing you should do is see if your PayPal payment is still pending. If it is, then luck is probably on your side and you can obtain a refund automatically by clicking "Cancel payment."

And Venmo? Sorry, pal. Unfortunately, Venmo doesn’t offer you any type of fraud protection if these transactions go wrong — and scammers know it, says consumer identity theft company Aura. 

"In these Venmo scams, fraudsters post in-demand products on platforms like Facebook Marketplace. When you reach out, they’ll insist that you use Venmo to make the purchase so they won’t have to pay a fee. But once you send them the money, the 'seller' disappears along with the product that you thought you’d purchased," Aura says.