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Uncommon Economic Indicators

The Brian Lehrer Show's online and on air collaborative project on the economy

Scammers and Swindlers

Ms...

Story submitted by: Ellen Moskowitz

Friday, October 16 2009

2000 purchase street purchase, ny 10577

Oct 16th--11:15 am... a nervous caller to my unlisted work phone stumbles with my name, claims he's working with others in my company, and asks me if I am interested in corporate stock options..."Boiler Room Revisited?"- --or a sign of recovery since the DOW jones avg topped 10,000 this week!

Lunch Savings

Story submitted by: Adam Watson

Tuesday, September 1 2009

130 W57th Street

I thought I was biggest cheap skate yesterday when, with great restraint, I split my $8 Thai food lunch into two $4 portions. Leaving the the leftovers in the office fridge. But the coworker who stole it takes the prize!

Out of State Plates

Story submitted by: Ron

Tuesday, September 1 2009

44th Street, Sunset Park

Walk around my block and you will find 40-50% of the cars are registered outside of New York. A recent survey - Texas, Nebraska, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Rhode island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Mexico, Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, tons from Pennsylvania (that is a recent pehnomena), Maryland - What gives?

My Junk Mail Has Changed

Story submitted by: Ruth Olsen

Tuesday, September 1 2009

7004 Boulevard East (26F) Guttenberg, NJ

Every morning I have my first cup of coffee and check my email, spending a few minutes deleting the spam that seeps in, no matter what preventive steps I take.

This mornig, I realized that since the tanking of the economy, my junk mail has changed drastically. When times were good, the common thread was porn: from great ways to meet 'swingin' singles' to exciting offers for viagra and other medical or physical ways to enhance me.

Now, I get almost none of these; instead I am deluged with offers to refinance my mortgage, pay down my credit cards, make bundles of money online in practically no time -- and something brand new in the last few weeks: offers for amazing savings in health care!

I guess as goes the country, so goes the spam!

Car on Blocks

Story submitted by: Andrew

Monday, July 20 2009

Sterling Street Prospect Heights

Today on the way to the gym at 6:30 AM, I saw my first car on blocks...the two left wheels stolen. Nothing left but the axels. I had certainly heard of this phenomenon, but until today the closest I have gotten was Chevy Chase in Vacation. But in fact it actually happens.

So beware. Wheels can be removed. Dust off "The Club" and secure your ride.

A random act of kindness.

Story submitted by: David

Thursday, April 30 2009

32 avenue of americas, new york, ny 10013

I've transitioned to riding my bike to work everyday to save money on the rising cost of a metrocard and to enjoy the nice weather.

Yesterday as I was leaving work, I came down from my office to see that my bike wheels were taken off my bike and locked together. A note written on a menu and attached to the lock read "Someone was stealing your wheels, I locked them together, call xxx-xxx-xxxx."

Suffice to say a bike messenger was riding by and noticed someone stealing my bike and stopped him by locking my wheels together. This would have really put another dent in my pocket book as I would have needed to resume taking the subway and buy a new bike! Thanks to this kind act of civic duty, I learned a valuable lesson. Tribeca bikers, beware of bike wheel theft!

Salvation Army Baby

Story submitted by: Eugenia Renskoff

Wednesday, April 22 2009

3660 Peachtree Road, J8, Atlanta, GA 30019

Hello, My financial life took a bad turn in 2002 when I bought a condo in Atlanta. Up to then my credit score had been high (754) and I had no debts. I found out that I was a victim of mortgage fraud, then my condo foreclosed. From shopping at A list stores, I went to scrounging around the Salvation Army and Goodwill. While I have bought good things at these thrift shops, I miss my old life. I miss being able to do what I want where I want. It has been nearly 7 years since this financial Katrina hit me and I hate it. Eugenia Renskoff

What Would Shirley Booth Think?

Story submitted by: Anselmo

Thursday, April 16 2009

721 Ninth Avenue Hell's Kitchen, NYC

Duane Reade at 49th & 9th in Hell's Kitchen is selling a 16-oz bottle of Dickinson's witch hazel for $8.49. Same item two weeks ago was selling there at a non-sale price of $5.89. That's a 44% increase!!! Store brand for same item selling for $5.69. Is there something in the vital worldwide witch hazel market (joking....it's such a basic, "nothing special" type of product) causing such a scary run-up in price? Don't think so as price for store brand 16-oz bottle at Target in Brooklyn is selling for $1.72. Shame on you, Duane Reade. Anyone else noticing price gouging at any of the 50,000 DR's in our town?

Bogus Parking Tickets

Story submitted by: Mitchel Chalek

Tuesday, March 31 2009

West Soho in Manhattan

I live in Manhattan but drive the reverse commute to work in NJ everyday. In spite of less tunnel traffic it is harder to find a space on the street. I could never afford a garage space and apparently there are more people now who are dropping to my economic status. In addition to this, I have noticed an increase in bogus parking tickets. I have challenged three parking tickets in the past 6 months that were clearly wrong and I won all three cases (one I had to appeal to win after first having to pay the fine -- the city returned my money). I suspect that the city is pushing parking agents to write more tickets even if they're unjustified. It seems that instead of raising taxes on the rich they are trying to squeeze a few more dollars out of those who can't afford a garage space.

Splenda, If You Dare...

Story submitted by: Dana

Tuesday, March 17 2009

Recently I decided that purchasing Splenda for my at home use is a bit ridiculous. Why do I need to do so when I spend $4 everyday at Starbucks and they give it out for free. Therefore, I have begun to palm a few extra Splendas as I'm dressing my coffee. My friend who works in food industry tells me the price of my loot is built into the coffee and urges me to stop self-flagellating.

Strangely enough, I happened into a Sushi bar yesterday. I ordered an iced tea and received some complimentary sweeteners. All of the sweeteners were branded with Dunkin Donuts on the back of each little pack.

I guess I'm not alone...

Senator Charles Schumer

Story submitted by: Robert Kolins

Monday, March 16 2009

I went to Senator Charles Schumer’s web site to contact him. Even though he is a ranking member of the Banking and Finance Committees of the Senate and is in part responsible for the lax oversight that allowed the melt down of the world financial system that now requires everyday people to bail out the super wealthy he omits from the topics to contact him on banking and finance. Where is the outcry from the general public that those responsible for the accountability of accounting firms and regulating the regulating agencies allowed the country to be endangered? After Enron what did they do to right the system to protect the public? Where is Schumer’s program and plan to correct the system now? Where is Obama’s plan other than saying trust me and giving the wealthy vast amounts of money? Why are those who swindled the public at AIG being given more millions and billions in reward for putting their country at risk?

Your Car is Smoking

Story submitted by: Susan

Friday, March 13 2009

17th street 3rd avenue

Scam in the 14th St area, south side. Just as you finish parking your car, a guy comes up to you and says it's smoking. He offers to take a look, opens the hood, the radiator, steam comes out. Says he'll take a look underneath the car. Goes under, lots of banging. Comes back up, says it's fixed. If you offer him a few dollars for being a good samaritan, he says he's a mechanic and he just did a job that would be $180 in the shop. Demands more $. Tell him all you have is $20, get his name, address -- and scam him back. He neither fixes nor breaks the car. Nothing was wrong with it in the first place.

Public School Student

Story submitted by: Lily Shoulberg

Wednesday, March 4 2009

333 West 17th street New York, NY 10011

I am an 8th grader (going in to high school next year) and I have been in public school for practically my whole life. I can vouch for the fact that NYC public schools provide a wonderful education, not at all inferior to private schools. I do have friends in private school (one is at Horace Mann) and many friends at Hunter, which is highly selective and a great opportunity. I was offered the option to take the exam but decided against it because I was so satisfied at the public middle school I was currently attending. I just completed the high school admissions process a few days ago, and am next year attending the second best school in the city (also the #29 in the COUNTRY). Public school (at least in NYC) is a great option. I would advise your friends from-not-Horace-Mann to choose Hunter.

Empire Rates

Story submitted by: Lauren

Wednesday, February 25 2009

29 Broadway New York, NY 10006

I work for a small internet company in NYC. We have employees all across the country - this month we have to renew our plan with Empire BCBS. They raised our rates 40%. The company I work for contributes an annual sum to each employee for health care - they raised their sum as much as possible - 20%. It will impossible for them to function and contribute if this increase continues, let alone hire more employees. I was told by Empire and our payroll company that all small companies in downstate new york with our plan had this increase. Is New York the only state that doesn't have a cap on insurance increases? We've been bullied into a corner. And I'm mad as hell. Congress (at least) needs to do something.

Pre-indicator

Story submitted by: Adam

Thursday, February 12 2009

Two years ago I said to my wife : "This can not be good if our mortgage can be SOLD to another bank without asking us, it is like banks treating people as slaves ". Something like this should be a warning sign for regulators.

Beware the gym

Story submitted by: Amina

Tuesday, February 10 2009

A friend of mine was at her Equinox gym (this is an expensive gym!) and didn't lock her locker in the changing room. Upon returning from working out, she found that someone had gone through her things. Her wallet and credit cards were still there, but the thief took her cash, starbucks card, metro card and stamps. Her stamps! This is a sign of desperate times...

doctor takes long to give back money

Story submitted by: Michal

Friday, February 6 2009

2nd ave east 33rd st

A doctor (who will remain nameless) owed me over a thousand for several months recently, after getting money both from me and from my insurance.

So, I was basically providing an interest free loan. I did eventually get everything back, but it left me with a sour feeling.

Fare beaters are back, but now they're middleaged

Story submitted by: Eveline

Thursday, February 5 2009

Second Avenue bet. 34th & 14th

Back when I moved to NYC in 1983 there were farebeaters, but they were all young. Turnstile jumpers mostly. But it's largely become a thing you don't see so frequently. Until yesterday afternoon: on the M15 down 2nd Ave, 3 separate farebeaters got on the bus through the rear doors of the flexible bus. They ranged in age from about 35 to 55.

I'm presuming that they were fare beaters back then who were laid low by the Giuliani regime, who are being pushed by economic necessity into cheating. I don't view this as "beating the MTA/system", either, but swindling their fellow New Yorkers who have to make up for the lost fares with higher fares for the people who do pay.

The bus driver's sarcasm was also pre-Disneyfied NYC. "And what do you want me to do about it? Take the bus out of service?" was what the driver said when I told him.

Monster.com goes to Nigeria!

Story submitted by: Kim W.

Wednesday, February 4 2009

I was laid off on January 30th, and as such I have my resume on Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com. And of course, I have my resume available to anyone who wants to see it -- and my email is on my resume. Well -- you know those Nigerian Scam emails, which offer you a share of a particular sum of money, provided you send them a deposit so they can handle the currency exchange fee or whatever have you? I'm more than used to them through regular spam channels -- but was surprised to see one of these scammers contact me THROUGH Monster.com.

Fortunately I recently learned someone I went to high school with works for Monster.com, and will be forwarding this to him for handling.

When a your lawyer asks you to join a pyramid scheme

Story submitted by: Cita Carnival

Friday, January 30 2009

Chinatown, Manhatten

Chinatown, NY- My father recently married a woman from mainland China. He has an attorney to do the paperwork. Due to all the reasons you can think of, his business is in trouble. He is having trouble paying all the expenses. So, his attorney kept him in the office for 7 hours explaining this pyramid scheme to him. When he said he did not have enough money to go to Florida to listen to the pitch, she offered to pay for his trip. Please be ware of all get rich quick schemes!