reunion.com

As long as I'm posting about scams today, in the hope that someone will find these posts with a web search and not be duped: reunion.com is the latest of the rogue "social networking" sites that asks users to give them their webmail passwords, and then of course spams everyone in their address book. The spam impersonates the owner of the account and tries to get the victim to sign up.

Any web site that asks for a third-party password is up to no good. Terminate any relationship you have with them. (I haven't followed this advice myself for LibraryThing, which started soliciting third-party passwords after I bought a lifetime membership; maybe I should. I've never heard of their spamming anyone, but it's inexplicable that they'd adopt such a practice.)

Some of the links I've found claim that reunion.com also bills people's credit cards without telling them in advance that they are incurring a charge.

Update: Lots of information here, especially in the comments. Reunion.com may be using some sneaky dodge to steal people's address books, possibly involving OpenID spoofing.

Links:

• Reunion.com Will Scrape Your Address Book, Then Spam Your Contacts
• Classic Spam: Reunite This!
• ReUnion.com complaints
• Reunion.com scam

Car warranty scam

Yesterday I received yet another automobile warranty scam postcard:

FINAL WARRANTY NOTICE
Call 1-888-963-6723
This is to inform you that this is your FINAL NOTICE to extend the warranty coverage on your vehicle. Call us immediately with your exact miles and VIN# to take advantage of this final offer. You have been pre-selected for this exclusive program.
 
Additional 20% discount off the already low price if you call within 48 hrs and use promotion code PC-327
 
Be advised your 20% discount expires in 48 ours so Call 1-888-963-6723 now.

The return address on the other side of the card is:

Dealers Warranty
745 Friedens Rd., Ste. 201
St. Charles MO 63303

Several points flag this as a scam:

• There is no information identifying my vehicle. The manufacturer that issued your warranty already has your VIN, yet the postcard wants you to supply it. (Some extended-warranty scammers do get this information, which is on public record, so its presence is no guarantee of legitimacy.)
• Nothing in the card mentions the manufacturer of my car. The sender in fact has no affiliation with the issuer of the warranty, and no power to extend it.
• Any piece of mail which claims that an offer expires in "x hours" or "y" days" is trying to rush you into a hasty response. The sender has no way to start a timer when you pick up your mail.
• The return address is in St. Charles, which is right next to St. Louis. The large majority of extended-warranty scams are based in St. Louis or its immediate vicinity.

Here's a little more information on the scammer. Dealers Warranty has reportedly been making auto-dialer hangup calls to cell phones, which is illegal several times over.