Category: Commentary

Robinhood froze my $2,400! How do I get this money back?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman

Robinhood, the online millennial-focused brokerage site, brags that “Investing is simple here.” That sounded great to Bryan Santer when he was looking for an easy way to invest some cash. So, he followed the onscreen prompts, transferred $2,400 into his Robinhood account and prepared to make his first transaction.

Of course, as is true with any investment, Santer knew there would be some risk involved. But what actually happened, he never saw coming. That simple investment he hoped to make turned into an instant nightmare. Robinhood accepted his money, immediately froze his account, and refused to explain why.

That was four months ago.

Since then, Santer has been in an ongoing, highly emotionally charged battle with Robinhood to retrieve his $2,400. But now he’s reached his limit. Santer is hoping the Elliott Advocacy team will join this fight and convince Robinhood to give him back his money.

Can we do it?

Zelle scammers want to steal your cash. Here are 5 ways they’re doing it

By Michelle Couch-Friedman Updated on:

Zelle users beware: Scammers have their sights aimed straight at you. That’s right – the money transfer service has quickly become the preferred method of thieves everywhere looking for instant gratification. In fact, our team receives daily pleas for help from shell-shocked victims of new Zelle scams.

Here are five of the latest ways Zelle scammers are doing business and how you can avoid falling victim.

Yes, that invoice for antivirus protection is a scam

By Christopher Elliott

Have you been the target of an antivirus protection scam?

If you’ve received an invoice for antivirus protection that you never asked for, then you have something in common with Rita Coomler, Marc Harris — and me.

Everyone wants to know if these emailed bills are legit or if they’re a scam.

My luggage went missing on the way to the cruise. I’m owed a full refund, right?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman Updated on:

If your luggage goes missing on the way to your cruise, should you get a full refund? Pamela Shane thinks so. She says her pre-cruise hotel failed to deliver her suitcase to the dock in time for the ship’s departure. Now she wants $7,000 in compensation for the mistake that left her without her own clothes for the entire cruise.

But wait! There’s a twist. The hotel says it doesn’t even offer such a luggage delivery service.

Can the Elliott Advocacy team figure out what’s going on here? (Reprint)

How a company could easily get a false F rating from the BBB

By Christopher Elliott Updated on:

Critics have called the Better Business Bureau (BBB) a scam and a ripoff — an aging nonprofit organization that extorts companies to the tune of hundreds or thousands of dollars a year to maintain a meaningless rating and accreditation. With all that controversy, you’d think the BBB would tread carefully around real consumer advocates, lest they end up in their crosshairs.

But you’d be wrong.

Last week, one of our readers pointed out that the BBB had given Elliott Advocacy an F rating! The circumstances around this failing grade are so bizarre and so infuriating that you will probably never believe another word the BBB says. (last updated on Aug 4, 2021)

A fake job scam could quickly drain your bank account. This is how

By Michelle Couch-Friedman Updated on:

Could you fall for a fake job scam?

If you’re like Sam Erin, you probably answered “no!” She’s a college-educated young adult who was sure she knew how to spot a con game. That is until a phony employment crime ring preyed on her naivety and stole nearly $9,000 from her.

Now, after draining her bank account, the scammers have vanished, leaving Erin jobless and cashless. She’s hoping the Elliott Advocacy team can help. But how?

Companies have betrayed you. Here’s how to deal with it

By Christopher Elliott

After decades of consumer advocacy, I think I finally understand the one emotion that all customers feel when a business falls short of its promises: betrayal.

Betrayal is a common theme on this site. Every day, greedy businesses betray their customers in one of at least three ways. But you can do something about it.

How to quickly lose $1,100 in a Walmart shopping scam

By Michelle Couch-Friedman Updated on:

If you receive an unsolicited job offer from Walmart that involves shopping and getting paid big bucks to do it, it’s certainly a scam. But when Michele Turner received such an invitation, she was sure she had found the perfect way to make some extra cash. Unfortunately for her, there was a thief on the other end of that email who was about to reel Turner into an expensive mystery shopper scam. And the only person about to make some extra cash was that predator.

Now Turner is hoping that the Elliott Advocacy team can help retrieve the over $1,100 she lost during this fiasco. But how? (Reprint)

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