This love will rock your world – but not in a good way
As dating websites and apps become more popular, so do the number of online romance scams. In Australia, $28 million last year was lost in romance schemes. These figures are only the tip of the iceberg as many victims are reluctant to admit to friends, family or authorities that they fell for a scam.
We've spoken to many people who have fallen victim to romance scams and what's important to know is that these aren't silly people handing over cash within the first five minutes of meeting someone. They are regular folk looking for friendship or love.
So how likely is it that your new internet love interest will go after your bank account? And what are the signs to look out for?
We've compiled the Top 5 strategies used by love scammers.
Why recalls aren’t working
Is it a case of a horror movies come to life - are our everyday items out to get us? Last year, there were 670 product safety recalls – up 12.4 per cent from the previous year. We better get accustomed to more recalls. Brands are worried about what happens to their reputation if they don’t do a recall, so you better start paying attention.
In an episode from Tales from the Darkside, a babysitter entertains a bunch of kids by inventing a creature that eats sounds. Things turn nasty when the vacuum starts eating everything and everyone in the house.
In real life, we’ve had:
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- chocolate laced with plastic,
- washing machines catching fire,
- furniture falling on kids, and
- cars rolling away when left in 'park'.
This year, we’ve had more cars recalled than ever before. There are plenty of disgruntled car owners, some even taking to youtube or kickstarter to raise awareness to what they perceive as a ‘lemon’ car.