Current Events in September 2023

It's been a summer of wild weather, from a major hurricane in Florida to floods in Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee. Lots of cars ended up under water and used car buyers better watch out – many will probably end up for sale.

With used cars already in short supply, the temptation to buy a vehicle with a questionable history may be stronger than usual. But selling a car that has been in a flood without disclosing it is illegal in most states and buying one is nothing but trouble.

According to Carfax, there are more than 450,000 flood-damaged vehicles still on the road. Carfax says these vehicles usually have mechanical defects, such as corroding metal and engine issues.

A flooded vehicle is also likely to have electrical short circuits and computer malfunctions. It can also have rusted brakes and rotors and an airbag system failure.

Red flags

Buying a car that has been in a flood for even a short time is something to avoid, but how can you tell? There are a number of red flags.

Start with the vehicle’s history by looking closely at the title. Was it recently transferred from a state that has experienced flooding? Does the title say “salvage?” If it does, it means the insurance company has written it off.

Check the interior fabrics for signs of fading or mildew. If there is a musty odor that’s a good sign of water damage. Look in the trunk and under the seats for signs of mud, rust, or water damage.

Finally, make sure all systems are in working order. Start the engine and and check all instrument panel lights to make sure they illuminate. Test the interior and exterior lights, air conditioning, windshield wipers, radio, turn signals, and heater repeatedly.

A history report could help

You can view the full Carfax Vehicle History Report to check for reported flood damage or signs of salvage title fraud. The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s (NICB) free database lists flood damage and other information, but only for vehicles that have been covered by insurance.

Thousands of consumers buy flood-damaged cars each year without knowing it. Most states have laws requiring that flood-damaged vehicles be “branded,” meaning that the damage must be disclosed to the buyer in a signed statement which must be attached to the title.  

The new title to the vehicle is then “branded” with this information.  However, there are some states that do not have brands on titles, and many totaled vehicles may be temporarily titled in states without this requirement to “wash” the titles.

If the title shows a number of recent registrations in different states, that is usually another big red flag.

Hillshire Brands of St. Joseph, Mo., is recalling approximately 15,876 pounds of blended meat and poultry smoked sausage.

The product may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically bone fragments.

One oral injury has been reported.

The following item, produced on June 14, 2023, is being recalled:

• 14-oz. cryovac package containing one rope of "HILLSHIRE FARM SMOKED SAUSAGE MADE WITH PORK, TURKEY, BEEF" with lot codes in the form of the establishment number, line number and time of production in hours:minutes:seconds, "EST. 756A 20 19:00:00 through 21:59:59 and EST. 756A 21 19:00:00 through 21:59:59" and use by date of "Nov 11 23" printed on the front of the package.

The recalled product, bearing establishment number "EST. 756A" printed on the front of the package, was sold at retail stores in California, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product should not consume it, but discard or return it to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions may contact the firm at (855) 382-3101.

How much do you trust the Meta family of fine apps? The company certainly has had a rough few years, starting with the Cambridge Analytica faux pax, but now there may be a new verse in the book of "Instagram" in its privacy bible: “We giveth and we taketh away.” 

Lia Habereman, who teaches Social and Influencer Marketing at UCLA, picked up the scent of that addition and posted it on X (formerly known as Twitter), saying that the addition of a “Close Friends'' option could be coming to Instagram. 

“This would be one way to get people off Stories and out of DMs — create a Close Friends feed experience,”  she wrote. One that would likely allow Instagram’ers to only show certain posts to those a person deems close and trustworthy as opposed to posting to their “regular/normal” profile for the world to see.

Andrew Hutchinson, content and social media manager, at SocialMediaToday, likes where this is going. He thinks this new option is a smart move that matches up with how many people are using Instagram these days. 

“Sharing posts with close friends only is another step along this path, which could help users feel more comfortable about sharing more often if they know that only a few trusted people will see that update,” Hutchinson said.

“It’s not a major change, and functionally, it’s not a big shift either. But it would provide another option to facilitate more enclosed group discussion, which could help IG lean into the latest behavioral trends.”

The whole family is in on the dance, it appears

One might think that if Meta’s new Twitter (er, X) killer “Threads” is an official part of Instagram, there would be some privacy-forward movement there, too. But no such luck according to a new study by HomeSecurityHeroes – one that claims Threads is the “worst social media platform for protecting user privacy,” collecting 50% more personal data than X.

In fact, Meta’s entire family – Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and Messenger – is extremely notorious for collecting the most user data for advertising and marketing purposes. As a unit, they track an astonishing 86% of personal information.

So, should you move to X?

If you want a social media app that’s part of the elite, then your best bet was X. The survey said X only collects 50% of available data, but that was then and this is now and “now” means X’s new sheriff – Elon Musk – is changing things up in regards to privacy.

Mashable’s research team recently went over the company’s new Privacy Policy word by word and their takeaway was this: “There are some interesting bits, and some slightly worrying bits, though deciphering what exactly they mean is not entirely straightforward.”

Compared to Twitter’s old privacy policy, X is now collecting some new types of data, including employment history, educational history, and biometric data. “The company also plans to use that data in new ways, most importantly to train AI,” said Mashable’s Caitlin Welsh and Stan Schroeder. “Have this in mind before you hand over your data to X.”

This week’s ConsumerAffairs-Trend Micro Threat Alert found shopping and shipping scams are still plentiful across the internet. But a growing threat is a new trend among scammers.

Because scams have become so plentiful and so many people have been victimized, scammers are contacting people with the promise to help them avoid scams. What could go wrong?

Email Fraud 

• Trend Micro's research team identified a scammer in the act of conducting email fraud. The scammer said he is a chairman of an anti-fraud unit in the Nigerian government and The United Nations Organization, helping fraud victims settle the lost amount. The scammer asked victims to reply to an email with their personal information. Trend Micro detected 1,243 logs on September 4th. 

• Trend Micro’s research team identified an email sender claiming they were from the office of the United Nations and the World Bank, to help with the anti-fraud issue. The scammers said someone stated that he got the victim’s authorization to receive the 10.4 million funds, asking the victim to reply to the email in case a wrong payment occurred. Trend Micro found 197 logs on September 2. 

“In a twist on preying upon consumers' concerns over scams and fraud, scammers are using emails purportedly from known organizations discussing anti-fraud and how they can help a victim,” said Jon Clay, vice president of Threat Intelligence at Trend Micro. “Once again, consumers should beware of messages claiming money owed to them or asking for their personal information.”

Back to School Shopping Scam 

• Between July 1-August 27, Trend Micro found 179,646 back-to-school shopping-related scam URLs in the US. The number of scams URLS identified increased by 31.3% compared to the past 7 days, which also doubled compared to last week.  

• Trend Micro detected a 72.08% increase year over year. 

• The top five states being targeted the most in 2023 (in order): Oregon, Virginia, California, Texas and New York. 

The kids are back in school just about everywhere but scammers are continuing to target parents with phony deals on phony shopping websites. Some offer free products like iPhones in exchange for your personal information.

USPS Shipping scam 

• Trend Micro's research team identified scammers impersonating USPS to inform users they parcel delivery failed due to incomplete address information and asked victims to fill out personal and credit card information on fake USPS websites. 

• The top five states being targeted are Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, California and Wisconsin. 

Victims of this scam report receiving a text message with an unfamiliar or strange web link that indicates a USPS delivery requires a response. “If you never signed up for a USPS tracking request for a specific package, then don’t click the link!” USPS advises. “This type of text message is a scam called smishing.”

Walmart Scam 

• Trend Micro's research team identified scammers pretending to be Walmart’s online support and informing victims they won a television, iPad, or iPhone in a competition in the past. To claim the prize, victims were promoted to provide their personal and credit card information to the ‘online support.’ 

• The top five states being targeted are Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Texas and Virginia.

Scammers don’t seem to want to let go of this scheme, either. It’s been a regular item on the Threat Alert for months.

But now, instead of offering a gift card for filling out a bogus survey, scammers are posing as Walmart customer service reps, telling victims they won a big prize. It claim it – you guessed it – people have to provide personal information like Social Security numbers.    

Spotify Phishing 

• Trend Micro identified scammers impersonating Sportify, notifying customers that their account will be suspended due to payment failure unless they make the payment via the fake Spotify website. This fake website was made by scammers to steal personal financial information from victims. Trend Micro found 183 logs on September 3. 

Scammers have long used this ploy to steal credit card and personal information. In the past they have posed as Netflix or Amazon. The Spotify impersonation is relatively new, but growing. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is pushing an airbag manufacturer to recall 52 million inflators because the agency says they could explode. The manufacturer, ARC, has so far refused to issue a recall.

NHTSA said it has received reports of seven injuries from exploding airbag inflators and two deaths, one in the U.S. and the other in Canada.

The safety regulator analyzes thousands of consumer complaints before it requests a recall, and a ConsumerAffairs analysis of NHTSA’s complaint database shows there were numerous airbag complaints in August.

Owners of several models, including the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, and Volkswagen Atlas have reported airbag issues. The common problem is the unavailability of parts needed for recall repairs, leading to safety concerns.

Kia drew the most complaints last month – 51 – compared to 36 for Nissan, which was second in the complaint department. Some of the complaints centered on engine and cooling system defects in the 2017 Kia Sorento.

Outright engine failure

The complaints ranged from overheating to outright engine failure. But other brands drew similar complaints, including the 2017 Dodge Charger, 2020 Toyota RAV4, and 2014-2018 Ram 1500.

The most common safety defect reported by Kia owners was excessive oil consumption in various Kia models from 2016 to 2023. The defect has been reported in multiple models including the Kia Sedona, Forte, Soul, Sorento, and Optima.

There were steering and brake problems reported for the 2014 Ford Focus, 2017 Hyundai Elantra, and 2022 Honda Civic. Owners of those vehicles reported issues with power steering failure, making the steering wheel difficult to turn and posing a significant safety risk. 

At the same time, owners of the 2010 Lincoln MKZ and 2019 and 2020 Nissan Sentra models reported brake-related issues, affecting the vehicle's ability to stop or slow down.

Electrical issues

 Another common theme in the August complaints related to various vehicles’ electrical systems, including problems with the vehicle's battery, alternator, and electrical wiring. A common theme across multiple car brands including Chevrolet, GMC, Volkswagen, Buick, and Ram is the unavailability of parts for recall repairs.

The top five makes and models drawing complaints last month are:

Chrysler is recalling 181,999 model year 2022-2023 Jeep Compass SUVs.

The brightness level of the instrument panel cluster (IPC) may not be adjustable due to incorrect software in the body control module (BCM).

An IPC display that is not bright enough may not clearly show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Dealers will update the BCM software, free of charge.

Owners will received notification letters around October 3, 2023.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at (800) 853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 88A.

Over the summer, did you price a trip to Europe and decide it was too expensive? Well, it was, but now that rush is over, and travelers with pent-up wanderlust have gotten their fill. Prices to fly across the pond are good again. Like really good, according to Going.com and other sources.

One of those data sources – Cirium Diio Mi – says that there are 14% more seats available for U.S. to Europe trips than there were last summer. And if you’re a United or Delta loyalist, there’s even more. United has 18% more seats available and Delta has 19% more.

A thank you to budget airlines

Going.com’s Scott Keyes told ConsumerAffairs that the single driver of cheap flights is the competition between airlines. “Even if you never fly a budget airline, we owe them a debt of gratitude for forcing cheaper fares on your preferred airlines,” he said, pointing out that there are several new budget fare kids on the block. 

One of Keyes’ picks is Norse Atlantic which has eight U.S. cities on the schedule: Boston, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Orlando, San Francisco, and Washington DC.

Whether it’s Bangkok or Berlin, London or Paris, Norse has you covered. When ConsumerAffairs gave it a run for its money, we found $352 roundtrip fares between Boston and London and $291 from New York City to Paris round trip. 

Points deals are good now, too, Keyes said. For example, he’s seen round trips to Barcelona for 22,000 points.

“We’re even seeing some stellar fares now for travel next summer,” he said. “The bottom line: If sticker shock kept travelers from going to Europe this summer, they should get their passports ready because prices are falling, and we expect to see a whole lot of cheap fares to Europe in the next few months.”

Yes, getting a passport is slow, but…

The U.S. State Department’s passport office is hamstrung trying to meet the demand it’s been seeing for the past few months. However, there’s a way around that.

Travel expert Wendy Perrin says that the State Department allows expediting services (called “courier services”) to submit passport applications and renewals for expedited processing. 

“Essentially, they get the equivalent of an Emergency or Urgent Travel appointment and drop your application off directly at a passport office,” is how she couched it.

It’ll cost you, though. And it’s not cheap, either – like as much as $1,000. But, David Alwadish, the Passport & Visa Services' CEO at one of those services – ItsEasy.com – told ConsumerAffairs that it provides a money-back guarantee.

In Perrin’s homework on expedited passports, she found Passport Plus Visas, based in New York, which purportedly can get someone a new passport in four to six business days for $550 (plus shipping, on top of State Department fees) or more depending on how fast the traveler needs one.

“But no matter which service you need or which company you choose, there’s an important caveat.: The Passport Services agency limits the number of daily applications couriers can submit (and that goes for all offices across the country),” Perrin said. “So, think ahead because you’ll likely have to make a reservation with an expediting service, and they may not have a lot of slots.”

Finally, there may be some good news for people who want to buy a home. Even though the national median home price has started going up again, there are markets where the list prices are falling.

Austin, Phoenix and San Jose have seen home prices fall since the beginning of the year, but those markets were already among the most expensive in the nation. But now price declines are beginning to show up in cities whose median home price was already below the national average.

“Generally, there are two things that can drive an increase in price reductions,” said Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale. “One is if you have more homes on the market. Two is if there is a mismatch between what sellers are expecting and what buyers are willing and able to afford.”

In this case, it’s the latter. Inventory levels remain near historic lows but with mortgage rates now well above 7%, there is a limit to what buyers are willing and able to pay, especially in job markets where the prevailing salary is significantly below those in more expensive cities.

According to Realtor.com, 29 of the 150 largest metropolitan areas saw a year-over-year increase in the number of homes where the list price had gone down. Across the country, only about 15.5% of all homes listed on Realtor.com underwent a price cut that month. That was down from 19.1% the previous July.

Cities with the most price cuts in July

The data show cities with the most price declines tend to be in the South and Midwest, where the number of homes for sale has been growing along with prices. With a recent study showing remote workers would be willing to move in order to find an affordable home, these markets may be worth a look:

1. Huntsville, Ala.

2. Lafayette, La.

3. McAllen. Texas

4. Jackson, Miss.

5. Augusta, Ga.

6. Memphis, Tenn.

7. Fort Collins, Colo.

8. Cape Coral, Fla.

9. Greenville, S.C.

10. Fort Wayne, Ind.

Huntsville had, by far the largest median home price – $407,000 – so it also experienced the most price cuts. The number of price cuts increased by 69% over July 2022.

But even McAllen, Texas, with a median home price of $289,000, experienced a 50% increase in price cuts year-over-year.

Realtors say sellers who set a realistic price from the start usually don’t have to cut the price to sell. In Fort Wayne competition remains fierce for homes priced below $250,000, with these properties often receiving multiple offers.

It's a common annoyance. You search for a specific product or company and click on the first thing that pops up. Only it's a completely different company or product.

Google is kicking off September by hog-tying sneaky advertisers that run ads hoping to fool consumers into taking action that could lead them down the wrong road.

If how a brand that is mentioned in an ad is unclear, references another brand’s name or likeness in response to a user’s search for that brand, or any other brand masquerading, that's kind of fakery will get a company sent to the bench until it adheres to the new policy.

The company is also going all-out to protect users from being hounded by ads that chase them around after they've searched for a particular topic.

Imagine if you will, you’re trying to book a flight to New York City on Delta Air Lines. Before, ads might pop up that were trying to get you to believe that they were Delta.

Now, however, the “vast majority” of the ads you see in a search result like that are supposed to be related to things that naturally relate to that search: either Delta itself, or its competitors, hotels in the area, and other advertisers that a history of policy compliance and transparency. 

​If an advertiser tries to pull off that hustle or doesn't have a record of good behavior, it might find its ad impressions are limited until it builds a trustworthy track record on Google’s ad platform.

“While we want to allow users the opportunity to interact with relevant and helpful ads, this policy will reduce the chance that they'll see a misleading or confusing ad from an advertiser with an unproven track record,” Google’s Alejandro Borgia, Director, Product Management, Ads Safety, wrote.

Keeping sensitive topics and ads to a low roar

As you know, when you click on an ad, there are “trackers” that ride along and gather information about who you are, what your interests are, etc., so an advertiser can send you what they think you’d also like to see.

Now, with the updated Google Ad Center, you can customize your ad experience to see more ads about things you like and fewer ads about things you don't.

You can: 

• Tell Google which topics and brands you would like to see more or fewer ads.
• You can keep Google from showing you ads about certain sensitive topics, such as alcohol, dating, pregnancy and parenting, weight loss, or gambling.

Here’s how you can limit ads about sensitive topics:

1. Go to My Ad Center.

2. Select Customize Ads > Sensitive.

3. Select the toggle next to each topic you’d like to limit.

4. Confirm your selection.

To allow ads about the sensitive topics you’ve limited again, repeat the steps above. 

And, if you’re tired of an ad or brand chasing you around after you’ve searched for, say “weight loss,” you can ask to see fewer ads about that topic or from a brand trying to sell you on how it can take care of that situation. 

However, the company says that when you flip that switch, it’s not a death sentence for that particular topic or that advertiser, but its ad engine will try its best to push out more relevant ads about that topic and from that advertiser as well as different brands or topics.

Here’s how to accomplish that in "My Ad Center:

1. Go to My Ad Center

2. Select Customize > Ads Topics or Brands.

3. Select See more, or See fewer, on the topics or brands you want to see, or don't want to see.

But does it work?

ConsumerAffairs gave Google's My Ad Center a chance to show its stuff and we have to admit it handed us the keys to do everything it promises.

Block repetitive ads, block topics that we had no interest in, tell Google that we don't want anyone to see our birthday, not let what we watched on YouTube be used to personalize ads, etc.

One important note, though: If you have more than one Google account (and most people to), you'll need to change the My Ad Center settings for each account. 

For the last three years, car dealers have been in the driver’s seat when it comes to negotiating price. Shortages of cars for sale led to record high prices for both new and used cars.

Some new car dealers still charge buyers thousands of dollars over the sticker price on the most popular models. But consumers who aren’t wedded to a particular brand or model now have new negotiating power.

A study by automotive marketplace iSeeCars.com has identified the makes and models of both used and new cars that take a relatively long time to sell. Dealers may be more eager to move them and therefore, may be more flexible on the sale price.

For example, the Tesla Model S sits on the lot for an average of 88 days before it sells. When it does sell, the average price is still pretty high, a little over $65,000. The 2023 Tesla Model S starts at $78,490.

If that stretches your budget, you might consider the Buick Envision. It sits on a dealer’s lot for an average of 82 days and sells for an average price of $29,057.

Other vehicles on the slow-selling list are more expensive, at least for now. The Ford Mustang Mach-E takes about 75 days to sell while the Cadillac XT4 sells in about 72 days.

Most used cars sell a lot faster

In comparison, the average used vehicle sells in 49 days. After that, dealers start to get a little anxious and buyers may find they have a little more leverage.

“Used car prices were initially driven up by a lack of new car inventory,” said iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. “Now there are plenty of new cars on dealer lots, but consumers aren’t rushing out to buy them. The new car average time-to-sale is down by more than 25 percent even as used cars are selling 6.1 percent faster. This shows buyers are continuing to seek value in the used car market – despite a wide range of new car options.”

If an electric vehicle (EV) is on your shopping list it appears to be an ideal time to buy. Brauer says EV sales have slowed to a crawl, with new EVs moving from 25.2 days to sell to 50 days over the past year. 

Used EVs are selling even slower, shifting from an average of 26.4 days a year ago to 57.8 days now, a 120 percent increase. These EVs are selling slower despite major price drops over the past year.

The slowest-selling new car is the Jeep Cherokee, which sits on the lot for an average of 128 days and sells for an average price of $39,238.

The federal government has a number of financial incentives to reward you for driving an electric vehicle (EV). But most states now charge residents an extra fee if they drive an EV, hybrid or even a high-mileage gasoline-powered car.

At last count,  at least 31 states imposed these extra fees on high-mileage vehicles, ranging from $50 in Colorado, South Dakota and Hawaii to up to $200 in Texas.

Why, you might ask? Because states depend on the tax on gasoline to pay for road construction and maintenance. 

The more people who drive EVs, hybrids and high-mileage vehicles, the less gasoline is sold and the smaller the tax collection. States figure they need to make the money up somewhere so most have targeted motorists who use little to no gasoline.

It creates an interesting paradox. While the U.S. government wants you to drive an electric car, most states want you to keep buying gasoline.

The states that charge EV drivers

Some states levy the additional tax only on EVs but others include hybrids, which often get 50 miles per gallon or more. Here is the list of states that charge residents for driving vehicles that use less gasoline.

Proponents of the fee on EVs point out that owners of these vehicles qualify for federal tax incentives of up to $7,500 and therefore can afford to pay extra to register their vehicles. However, not all do.

The Inflation Reduction Act extends the tax credit only to vehicles produced in the U.S. Owners of the 2023 Audi Q5 e Quattro Plug-in Hybrid, the 2021–23 BMW 330e Plug-in Hybrid, the 2021–23 BMW X5 xDrive45e Plug-in Hybrid, the 2023–24 Genesis GV70, the 2021–23 Nissan Leaf, the 2022–23 Rivian R1S, the 2022–23 Rivian R1T and the 2023 Volkswagen ID.A are excluded.