Current Events in May 2023

Remember when eggs were $7 a dozen? Finally, that high-water mark is in the history books and out of our lives.

Now that the avian flu that took nearly 60 million chickens out of the egg-laying process is mostly in the rearview mirror, wholesale prices for eggs have dropped more than $6 – to 84 cents, according to USDA’s most recent egg market report. 

That was fast, huh? Yeah – so fast that industry analysts were caught off-guard.

“The recent rapid decline in egg prices has likely been a bit of a surprise when looking at how far and how fast egg prices have dropped for producers in the last several weeks,” Kevin Bergquist, Wells Fargo’s Agri-Food Institute sector manager, told Food Dive.

Now, consumers just have to wait until the grocery stores catch up with the price change so that their customer doesn’t feel like they’re overpaying when there’s no longer a reason to be.

This might take some time, though. The latest Consumer Price Index report had egg prices dropping 1.5% in April but still more than 20% higher compared to the same period a year ago. Bergquist told Food Dive that grocery prices should begin to reflect the decline in production costs over the next few weeks.

A bag of potato chips costs more than $6 now?

Eggs are just one example of how expensive food prices have gotten over the last year or so, but another OMG is happening without most of us even giving it a thought – the price of snacks.

Trying to save money, Americans have been pulling back on complete meals and counting on snacks to fill their stomachs as part of their eating pattern. FoodDive also reports that snacking now accounts for 27% of all food and beverage sales in the U.S., and more than half of consumers are snacking to treat themselves, according to SNAC International’s 2023 State of the Industry Report. 

So, the snacking industry has decided to make us pay for it. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that prices for snacks are 393.01% higher in 2023 versus 1977 (a $26.02 difference in value).

How does that shake out for a bag of chips? A lot. If you remember when a bag of chips was pocket change, close your eyes. The current national average price is $6.62 for "Potato chips, per 16 oz.". Ouch.

The Memorial Day weekend is behind us and the summer travel season has begun. The ConsumerAffairs-Trend Micro Threat Alert found travel scams continued to surge and will likely do so through most of the summer.

From April 1 to May 29, Trend Micro's research team detected 1,305 travel-related scam URLs, which increased by 11.6% compared to the past weeks.  Trend Micro's research team identified two fake Booking.com log-in pages and one fake Airbnb example. These scams are mostly showing up in Oregon, Virginia, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.

Here are some other scams that turned up last week:

 Father’s Day shopping scam  

• From May 15 to May 29, Trend Micro's research team detected 172,445 Father’s Day-related shopping scams globally and 30,721 Father’s Day-related shopping scams in the US, which doubled compared to the last seven days. Most of these scams use shopping discounts to attract users to purchase on fake shopping websites.  

• The top five states being targeted are Virginia, California, Oregon, Florida, and Illinois 

We probably have a couple more weeks of this threat, which is tied to the upcoming Father’s Day holiday. In addition to fake shopping websites, these scams include e-card scams and package delivery scams. 

Last year scammers impersonated WhatsApp and claimed you could win Heineken beer for your dad by simply providing some personal information. Keep an eye out for that one in case it makes a comeback.

Walmart survey scam

• Trend Micro's research team detected scammers inviting customers to participate in a satisfaction survey to receive a $500 gift card. The targets are prompted to fill in their personal identifying information (PII) and credit card info to claim the “prize.” This scam was identified two weeks in a row. 

• The top five states being targeted are California, Washington, Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina 

This scam has held a place on the Threat Alert for at least two weeks but has probably been around much longer. The hook is the promise of a $500 gift card for filling out a survey – something no company would offer.

“Cybercriminals are capitalizing on consumers' trust in well-known brands like Walmart through sophisticated survey scams,” Jon Clay, vice president of Threat Intelligence at Trend Micro, told ConsumerAffairs. “Trend Micro's research findings reveal a concerning trend where scammers lure victims with the promise of a $500 gift card, only to trick them into divulging their personal and financial information.” 

Costco survey scam

• Trend Micro's research team detected scammers impersonating Costco to invite customers to join a short survey to receive Airpods for free. Then the scammers collect the victims’ delivery information and credit card information. 

• The top five states being targeted are New York, Minnesota, Virginia, Texas, and Washington 

The Costco survey scam is another case of bad actors using a well-known and trusted brand to deceive consumers. Instead of the promise of a gift card, the scammers promise a set of Airpods.

Again, no company could give out thousands of expensive items in return for filling out a survey and continue to stay in business.

DocuSign Phishing  

• Trend Micro's research team detected scammers impersonating DocuSign to send customers an email saying that their ePayment has been made and provide them the online invoice document as long as their click the ‘Review Document’ button in the email body. If users click it, they will be redirected to a fake log-in page, and their personal information might be leaked.  

• Trend Micro detected 169 logs on May 28

The use of DocuSign services sharply increased during the pandemic and the platform continues to be widely used, bringing it to the attention of scammers. The company says it has been working to alert consumers to these schemes.

“Our customers are the first line of defense against cybersecurity threats,” DocuSign says on its website. “Detecting cyber security issues quickly reduces the possibility of negative consequences.”

The company lists many of the different scams using its name here.

Metamask Phishing 

• Trend Micro's research team identified Metamask phishing emails containing 11,846 instances on May 27th. These emails mimic legitimate Metamask notifications, falsely claiming that someone wishes to transfer 5.18915ETH (equivalent to USD 9482.27) to you. The email instructs recipients to claim the funds by clicking a button within the email body. Upon doing so, victims are presented with a seemingly deposited amount in their account. However, if they attempt to withdraw the funds, they will be prompted to provide the token, which the hackers intend to steal. Stay vigilant and avoid falling victim to this phishing scam. 

This scam is now on the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) radar screen. The agency recently warned consumers about these growing scams.

An email claiming to be from MetaMask says your cryptocurrency wallet is blocked and if you don’t act fast, click a link, and update your wallet, they say your crypto will be lost. 

“Most unexpected emails saying to act quickly, click a link, or call a number are phishing scams,” the FTC warns. They may look like they come from companies you know, but they’re from scammers who want you to think the message is real. That way, scammers think you’ll click into a fake website or call an actual scammer — all to solve a fake problem. If you click or call, the scammers will steal your financial or personal information, and that could lead to identity theft.”

Households contending with inflation may be considering a warehouse club membership for stocking up on essentials. Research in 2021 found they can save consumers money if they can afford to buy in bulk. 

While the cost of such memberships may seem daunting, Costco is offering new members a special deal if they sign up before June 11: $30 in digital cash to use at the store. 

While Costco offers two tiers of membership – Gold ($60 annually) and Executive ($120 annually) – the promotion will be applied to either option but is only valid through June 11. 

How to redeem the reward

Prospective Costco members who want to earn $30 toward their first shopping trip need to enroll in a membership online at costco.com and sign up for automatic membership renewal using a Visa credit card. 

From there, you’ll receive an email with a unique promo code that will be worth $30 to use at Costco. Once the promo code is entered, the price of the membership will reflect a $0.01 deduction, which is how consumers will know their digital cash is being processed. 

Costco says that new members should expect to see the $30 in their email inboxes within two weeks of signing up, and they’re free to use it on their next shopping trip. However, there are a few stipulations on how that money can be used.

The reward can’t be used for gas, food court purchases, car washes, Instacart orders, the Costco Photo Center, Costco Next or upgrading your membership. 

Though Costco allows multiple family members to be on the same membership, the $30 reward is limited to one per membership account. Additionally, “new members” are those who have never had Costco memberships before or those whose memberships have expired for at least 18 months. 

While Costco’s CFO announced late last year that members shouldn’t expect price increases on their membership fees anytime soon, the membership warehouse doesn’t typically offer discounts or perks for enrolling. 

With inflationary headwinds stubbornly persisting, Americans are increasingly adding to their credit card balances. A new report from the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank shows balances on credit cards and other revolving credit products are fast approaching $1 trillion.

That’s a reversal from three years ago when COVID-19 lockdowns resulted in a dramatic drop in credit card spending. Credit card balances actually declined to $750 billion in 2021. Consumers have added nearly $250 billion to their credit card accounts in just two years.

Making matters worse, the Federal Reserve’s campaign to raise interest rates to reduce inflation has boosted the average credit card interest rate to 24%, the highest since the 1980s. Personal finance experts concede the tasks can be challenging but say there are a few tools that can help an overburdened consumer reduce their debt.

“If you're struggling to pay down your balance, use a 0% balance transfer card to save on interest,” said Andrea Woroch, a personal finance author. “This will buy you more time to pay off your balance without interest piling up and could save you a lot of money and give you relief in your monthly budget to afford higher prices.”

While that can help, remember that many balance transfer cards charge a fee, based on a percentage of the transferred balance. Most fees are 3% but some may be as high as 5%. ConsumerAffairs has researched the best balance transfer cards here.

Personal loans

Taking out a personal loan to pay off a credit card balance is another option. In most cases, the interest rate on a personal loan is significantly less than a credit card. 

To pick the best lender for you, you’ll want to compare features, including annual percentage rate (APR), repayment terms, fees and loan amounts. Again, ConsumerAffairs researchers have reviewed lenders and picked the best eight offers.

Once you reduce interest charges, Markia Brown, certified financial education instructor at Money Plug, says you should avoid the mistake of sliding back into bad habits.

“This can manifest in several ways, such as overspending, accumulating high-interest debt, inadequate savings, and lack of investment for the future,” told us. “To avoid these pitfalls, it is crucial to establish clear financial goals, create and follow a budget, prioritize saving and investing, and be disciplined with spending habits.”

How much do you think you should spend for a trip to an amusement park or water park? No, let’s rephrase that – how much would you like to spend?

As like everything else, it almost requires a family to break into Fort Knox to fund something they’d like to do or buy these days.

Forbes Advisor recently conducted an analysis of 38 popular theme parks nationwide to find the most affordable admission, lodging, food, and parking costs and said that if you can make it to Phoenix, Florida, Ohio, or Hershey Pa., of all places, you’ll save some money. But whatever you do, stay away from Southern California unless you’re prepared to pay more than $1,000.

Affordable options

Overall, Florida has two of the top five water parks, while Ohio has two of the top five theme parks.

The most affordable water park award goes to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix. The one-day admission fee is only $34.99, and the median nightly lodging fee is $255.67 for a vacation rental that can accommodate four to eight guests. 

With a one-day admission price of just $56.99 and median nightly lodging of $189.67 near the park, Hershey Park is the most affordable theme park.

Water parks tend to be more affordable than theme parks, accounting for eight of Forbes's Top 10 most affordable parks. Its analysis found that one-day admission to water parks costs an average of $54, while theme parks cost $111. 

The pricier spreads

The research makes it clear that a single day, single person visit to some of the amusement parks is darn close to a mortgage payment. From top to bottom, here are Forbes’ most expensive theme parks and what they’ll cost you.

1. Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City, Calif.

Cost for a family of four: $1,135.67*

*Dining pass is not available, families will need to account for meal costs

2. Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, Calif.

Cost for a family of four: $1,084.17*

*Dining pass is not available, families will need to account for meal costs

3. Disney California Adventure Park At Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, Calif.

Cost for a family of four: $1,084.17*

*Dining pass is not available, families will need to account for meal costs

4. Seaworld San Diego, San Diego, Calif. 

Cost for a family of four: $1,088.92 (includes dining pass)

5. Six Flag's Magic Mountain, Valencia, Calif.

Cost for a family of four: $973.25 (includes dining pass)

6. Dollywood's Splash Country, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Cost for a family of four: $887.93 (includes dining pass)

7. Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Cost for a family of four: $887.93 (includes dining pass)

8. Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, Calif.

Cost for a family of four: $884.59 (includes dining pass)

9. Magic Kingdom Theme Park At Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Cost for a family of four: $912.00*

*Dining pass is not available, families will need to account for meal costs

There are ways to save dough, though

If there’s a “must” at a park that your kids will throw a hissy fit if they don’t get, all’s not lost. There are some angles that parents can work to save a few bucks to make the adventure more in line with what they can actually afford.

Stay at an off-site hotel. “Although it can be tempting to stay on-site at an amusement park, most of the time a room will cost way more than it would be to stay in a nearby hotel,” suggests WanderWisdom’s Janis Masyk-Jackson.

“Not only is there the cost of the hotel, but most likely, you'll also have to pay for parking which, depending on the hotel, can be very expensive in itself. Instead, consider staying at a hotel within walking distance or one that offers a shuttle service.”

Save money on parking. ConsumersCreditUnion suggests that amusement park visitors can avoid parking fees by doing one of three things: carpooling, taking a tour bus or staying off-property and getting an Uber or Lyft ride into the park or staying at a place where they offer a shuttle service to the park.

Give your kids a budget for shopping. Kids will be kids and they’ll want the first souvenir they see, but as every parent knows, there are lots more where those came from.

“Give your kids a budget for shopping, too,” Masyk-Jackson insists. “Don't let them buy the first thing they see as most likely they will find lots of things they like throughout the day. Instead, make a note of what the items are and where they found them, then at the end of the day, let them pick what they want the most,” adding that shops outside the park often have the exact same items for half the price.

Members of every generation are victims of scams and fraud but sometimes different generations are targeted with different cons.

The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) has studied this subject and identified the types of fraud that pick and choose their targets largely based on their age. For example, if you are a baby boomer you are most likely to be targeted by investment and other financial scams.

But because this group is most likely to own their home, they are also targets of contractor fraud, losing money to fraudulent roofers and remodelers, who demand upfront payment but then disappear.

Because they are more likely to receive regular health care, baby boomers are often the targets of medical fraud. Because this generation often makes their final arrangements in advance they are more likely to fall victim to scammers posing as funeral homes, collecting money but providing no service when the time comes.

Targeting Gen X

Members of Generation X, often the children of baby boomers, are approaching retirement and trying to make sure they have enough money to stop working someday. ACFE reports this group is most likely to fall victim to credit card and debt relief scams, as well as mortgage relief scams.

Millennials, now the largest generation, often fall victim to scams involving technology, such as online shopping scams and smishing scams, which send fraudulent texts that appear to be from a legitimate source, such as the user’s bank notifying them of suspicious charges.

Law Helie, general manager of the Consumer Banking product line at nCino, a firm providing cloud banking services, says millennials grew up with technology and might be a little too trusting.

“In the millennial space, what we see are people logging into an app, if I get an email that looks legitimate I’m just going to click on it, then I start plugging in my details,” Helie told ConsumerAffairs.

Millennials are more accessible to the bad guys

Jason Ioaniddes, an engineer at Alloy, an identity risk management firm, says trust may play a role. But he says other factors make the generation more vulnerable.

“There may also be a component of accessibility by a bad actor because you can just hit more people in that group through a digital channel because more of them are connected to these kinds of digital services,” he told us. “If you’re sending out spam texts millennials and the group behind it may be more likely to be touched by the scam than older generations.”

Generation Z is another demographic group that has grown up with technology. But a bigger factor, according to the ACFE report, may be education. The group is often targeted by federal student tax scams. And just like millennials, they are often targeted by social media and cybersecurity scams.

Some things never change. For the seventh year in a row auto sales and repair produced the most consumer complaints in 2022, according to an analysis by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA).

Some complaints are about the cost of repairs while others cite the quality of the work. Dwight, of Bayshore, N.Y. told us his car seems to be constantly in need of repair.

“I purchased a Ford Escape in 2017,” Dwight wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review. “For the past three years, I’ve been dealing with multiple manufacturing defects and repairs that have rendered my vehicle unusable for extended periods of time. This has had a deleterious effect on many aspects of life, as I have no alternate means of transportation and live in an area where a car is necessary for work.” 

CFA compiled the list of top consumer complaints by looking at the nearly 600,000 consumer complaints filed with various state and local consumer agencies. CFA says these agencies recovered around $743 million on behalf of these consumers.

“It is no surprise that auto sales and repair are the number one complaint category, now for the seventh year in a row,” said Erin Witte, CFA’s director of Consumer Protection. “Consumers rely on cars to get to work, school, doctor’s appointments and more, and these agencies serve a critical role to help consumers when they have suffered harm at the hands of dealers and repair shops.”

Home repair issues

Home repairs and contractors also drew a large number of complaints last year, moving that category into second place on the list. jumped to the number two category. The agencies also field a large number of reports of fraud and scams.

Here are the top 10 complaints in order: 

1. Auto Sales & Repair

2. Home Improvement Repairs and Contractors

3. Consumer Debt & Credit

4. Retail Purchase Issues

5. Landlord Tenant 

6. Frauds and Scams

7. Healthcare/Wellness

8. Home Furnishings & Appliances

9. Utilities

10. Travel & Moving

In addition to responding to consumer issues, CFA says many consumer agencies were able to provide help last year in other ways. For example, Los Angeles Department of Consumer & Business Affairs created a consumer protection education website hub for foster youth, helping them make good decisions and avoid scams. 

CFA also says the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office helped resolve a $300,000 cryptocurrency scam, and the Florida Department of Consumer & Agriculture Services resolved nearly $1 million in travel-related complaints alone. 

If you’re planning to rent an Airbnb residence anytime down the road and throw a party, you better look for someplace else. The company is rolling out measures across the country to help reduce the risk of disruptive and unauthorized parties – especially over major holidays like the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

By and large, most Airbnb renters are probably good guests and happy just to have a place to relax, but the company says it has been forced to act because lately, some guests have broken the rules. 

“Our anti-party system for the upcoming holiday weekends aims to help do this by taking steps to identify certain potentially higher-risk one-night and two-night booking attempts by guests of entire home listings, and preventing those bookings from being made,” the company wrote in a recent blog post.

“The system looks at factors relating to the guest’s account and their booking attempt that may indicate a higher risk for a disruptive or unauthorized party incident, like whether the guest has a history of positive reviews (or lack of positive reviews), the distance to the listing, whether the booking is last-minute, among other considerations.”

The filters guests have to get past

Depending on how you look at computer systems that analyze people and situations based on the information a person inputs when making a reservation, Airbnb’s anti-party filters don’t play around. The system will not only block home bookings that are identified as potentially higher-risk, but it tells guests right up front that if they break the rules, they may be subject to suspension or removal from the platform.  

Overall, Airbnb’s filters appear to be doing their job. The company says that since introducing its party ban in August 2020, it’s seen a global 55% year-over-two-year decrease in the rate of party reports. 

However, computers can be fallible.

Unfortunately, in situations where a system is constructed to “think” a certain way based on the information that’s imputed, the human on the other end who gets rejected has little immediate recourse.

There were a number of ConsumerAffairs reviewers who were stung by Airbnb’s anti-party filters in some rather befuddling ways.

“Traveling on business for the last 40 years, and with many more to go, I was thrilled to see Airbnb. My reviews are all 5-star excellent. This week, for no reason whatsoever, the Airbnb computer rudely informed me that I was booking for a party,” Joe of St. Albert Calif., wrote. 

“I'm an old guy who doesn't drink and is asleep by 9 pm nightly. I'm not sure how Airbnb thinks it's appropriate to offend people like that. Particularly as a regular business traveler, I can't deal with a flaky company whose computer algorithms override common sense.”

Another person who booked with Airbnb got rejected by the anti-party filter because they showed signs of a potential party. Alexis from Gainesville Fla., said she spent 40 minutes on the phone with Airbnb, only to be told that someone else would contact me in 24-48 hours. That time came and went, though, and so was the listing. 

“When I finally found somewhere else for us to go in a different city because the other was unavailable. I still got the same error message and nothing was resolved. They are still passing me around to other people. I will not use them in the future.”

Airbnb responsds

If an Airbnb guest would like to appeal this decision, they can do so by contacting the company. Here's more info.

If you’re having a cookout or picnic this weekend, don’t forget the sunscreen, but more importantly, watch what you eat. Research has shown that one out of every six Americans gets sick from some foodborne illness every year and what better time for bacteria to have some fun than in the heat with perishable food!

“USDA reminds summer travelers not to let your outdoor meal become a feast for bacteria,” said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Emilio Esteban. “Bacteria grow faster during the summer months because it’s warmer and more humid.”

Esteban’s agency advises party planners and cooks to keep their eye on four things:

The Danger Zone: Food temperatures between 40 F and 140 F are considered in the Danger Zone and only have a limited time before it becomes a food safety risk.

Perishable food? Chill: Remember to refrigerate perishable food within two hours, and within one hour if it’s a hot day (above 90 F). Also, keep cold foods at 40 F or below by keeping food nestled in ice on the picnic table or kept in a cooler until ready to serve.

Keep the heat on: The agency says that the flip side is to keep hot foods at 140 F or above by placing food in warming trays or on the grill.

Divide and conquer: Another way to conquer a bacteria invasion is to divide leftovers into smaller portions, place them inside small containers and keep them in a cooler below 40 F.

Taking food on your road trip?

If you’re driving somewhere and packing a cooler, the USDA says that’s a completely different game and the food should be treated differently.

• Keep perishable foods safe by keeping your cooler stocked with ice or frozen cold sources like an ice pack.

• Pack perishable food in one cooler and your beverages in another. The reason is that it’s possible for the beverage cooler to be opened frequently, which would cause the temperature inside the cooler to fluctuate, therefore making perishable foods unsafe.

• Place the cooler in the shade once you are outside.

• Half-full coolers will not keep your perishable foods cold and safe for as long as full coolers, so add more ice to the cooler in that situation. 

• Packing items when they are frozen is another lightbulb idea. The cold temperature of your foods can be maintained by packing them in that condition.

If you do get sick...

Diarrhea, cramps, fever, and vomiting? Something else? If someone in your family comes down with a bug that might be food-related, the best thing to do is try to isolate where it came from using the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) foodborne illness chart.

It covers everything-- undercooked beef (especially hamburger), unpasteurized milk and juice, raw fruits and vegetables, contaminated water, etc. 

The chart includes all foodborne disease-causing organisms that frequently cause illness, the symptoms ranging from relatively mild discomfort to very serious, and how long the illness might last. You can find it here.

With summer vacation right around the corner, it’s time for parents to start thinking about summer plans for their kids. While trips to amusement parks or days at the beach might be on your calendar, what happens when it rains? 

To help parents fill the summer days in ways that don’t involve TVs, tablets, or other avenues for screen time, the Toy Association has released its top 30 Summer Learning STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Toys. 

To make it on the list, toys were required to pass the Toy Association’s STEAM Assessment Framework, which has three key factors: 

• ‘Good Toy’ characteristics: fun and engaging, easy to use, supports skill development, and inclusive

• Prime STEAM Attributes: real-world relevance, active involvement, arts, logical thinking, free exploration, and supports step-by-step learning

• Specific STEM Categories: science, technology, engineering, and math 

“The new framework provides detailed, age-by-age criteria (2-3 years, 4-6 years, 7-9 years, 10-12 years, and 12+ years) for each STEM-specific category,” the Assessment Framework states. “It draws on child development milestones, a collection of U.S. learning standards, and an independent review of existing STEAM toys. 

“Working within the framework to be considered a STEAM toy, the toy must have: 

• All four characteristics of a ‘Good Toy’ 

• All six prime STEAM attributes

• Potential to support at least two of the specific STEM categories

Which toys made the list?

The Toy Associations’ official Summer Learning STEAM Toy List is as follows: 

• 92 Piece Ball Run Pack (Connetix)

• Ant Mountain (Insect Lore)

• Build-A-Bubble (South Beach Bubbles)

• Builder Motor Set (Brio)

• Carnival Plus Set (Magformers)

• Cookie Festival (Weplay)

• Cubendi (Fun in Motion Toys)

• Curious Kingdom (Playper)

• Deluxe Jumbo Cardboard Blocks (Melissa & Doug)

• Discovery #MINDBLOWN Action Circuitry Electronic Experiment Set (Discovery)

• Discovery #MINDBLOWN Dinosaur Construction Set (Discovery)

• DUPLO My First Puppy & Kitten with Sounds (LEGO)

• Freefall (ThinkFun)

• Geomag 75pcs (Geomagworld)

• Get Well Doctor’s Kit Play Set (Melissa & Doug)

• Giant Tumbling Timber (Giantville Games)

• Gravitrax Starter Set (Ravensburger)

• Jumbo Circus (Weplay)

• Marble Rush Tip and Swirl Set (VTech)

• Mini Diamond 120pc + Figures + Car Set (Picasso Tiles)

• National Geographic Dinosaur Terrarium (Blue Marble)

• National Geographic Mega Craft Kit (Blue Marble)

• National Geographic Mega Science Magic Kit (Blue Marble)

• Snap Circuits Green Energy (Elenco)

• Snap Circuits Junior (Elenco)

• Stanley Jr. DIY Pull Back Airplane Kit (Red Toolbox)

• STEM Master Builder 24pc Set (Magformers)

• STEM Master Builder 14pc Set (Magformers)

• Supercolor Panels 78pcs (Geomagworld)

• Trestle Tracks Deluxe Set (Fat Brain Toy Co.)

“Each of the carefully curated STEAM toys on the list can offer children hours of educational fun,” said Anna Yudina, senior director of marketing at The Toy Association. “Parents can feel confident in knowing these are quality toys that will invite kids to be actively and independently involved in their learning, while teaching them fundamental STEAM skills in creative and exciting ways.” 

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has opened an investigation into manufacturers of infant formula to determine if the various companies engaged in collusion on their bids for state contracts, in violation of antitrust laws.

Companies bid against one another to win contracts to supply food for the Women, Infants and Children program, which includes infant formula. The FTC says any collusion on bids would likely increase the cost of the product.

Abbott Labs, the maker of Similac infant formula, told the Wall Street Journal that it is cooperating with the investigation. Lawyers for the company have said they are unaware of any collusion and are in the dark about what triggered the probe.

The industry has drawn regulator’s attention since the COVID-19 pandemic, when a shutdown of Abbott’s main production facility, coupled with supply chain issues, created shortages in the infant formula market.

In February 2022, Abbott recalled powder formulas, including Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare, that were manufactured at its Sturgis, Mich., plant. The firm said it had received complaints related to Cronobacter sakazakii or Salmonella Newport in infants. Cronobacter sakazakii can cause fever, poor feeding, excessive crying, or low energy in infants.

In June, Abbott Labs reopened the Sturgis facility but it took several weeks to make it fully operational.

If you have a Netflix account and share it with anyone who doesn’t live in your household, be prepared to face the music and pay up. The company has begun sending out emails to members who share Netflix accounts with friends and family who don’t live at the same address.

“A Netflix account is for use by one household,” the company said in the emails it’s sending infringers. “Everyone living in that household can use Netflix wherever they are — at home, on the go, on holiday — and take advantage of new features like Transfer Profile and Manage Access and Devices.”

“We recognize that our members have many entertainment choices. It’s why we continue to invest heavily in a wide variety of new films and TV shows — so whatever your taste, mood or language and whoever you’re watching with, there’s always something satisfying to watch on Netflix.”

Going forward, these are the options

From here on, Netflix account holders have two choices if they want to share their account: “buy” an upgrade for the other person for $7.99/mo., or tell that account-sharer to transfer their profile to an account of their own.

If you don’t know who the freeloaders are on your account, you should check what devices are listed on the account, sign out of the ones that shouldn’t have access, then change your password. Here’s a video explaining how to remove the extra devices.

If you’re looking for a job, be careful where you look. Scammers have picked up on a new trick where they take outdated ads from real honest-to-goodness employers, change the text around, then post them on employment websites and career-oriented platforms like LinkedIn or Indeed. 

The modified ads seem to be real job offers with legitimate companies. But the scammer’s goal is to trick job seekers into sharing personal information like Social Security numbers, credit card information, etc.

So how do you know if you’re dealing with a scammer?

The first gotcha is that many of the hijacked job postings are angled toward people who want to work remotely and at their own speed, so the offers that are being fed are ones to work from home as a customer service representative or a personal assistant. 

Step two is to ask you for information so they can – ahem – deposit your salary. Social Security number? Bank account number? Don’t do it.

They’re so brazen that sometimes, they say you got the job and send you a check to buy equipment that you have to cash (and send money to them). Every single one of those moves has “scam” written all over it.

In its Top 10 Work-from-Home scams, Aura adds that when you contact one of the supposed employers, they ask to conduct a quick job interview over WhatsApp or another messaging service. Or, that you’ll quickly be "hired" and asked to perform illegal work. But, when you catch on to the scam, the fake “company” will cut off all contact.

Other things to watch out for

On top of those alarms, the Federal Trade Commission says there are three other ways to spot and avoid phony job postings:

Verify job openings before you apply. Go to the official website of the organization or company you’re applying to and look at the company’s “career opportunities” or “jobs” section. If the job you’re being pitched isn’t there, take a hard pass.

Check out what others are saying. Search the name of the company along with words like “scam,” “review,” or “complaint.” If there’s something fishy, the results might include the experiences of others who’ve lost money.

Never deposit a check from someone you don’t know. Let’s be real – a trustworthy employer will never send you a check and then tell you to send them part of the money.