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Year: 2015

Cybercrime / Privacy

New, dangerous computer virus uses an old trick you’ve probably forgotten about

January 9, 2015 Bob Sullivan 0

Everything old is new again…that applies to computer virus attacks, too. Remember the good old days when booby-trapped emails contacting macro-infected Word documents and spreadsheets were the biggest threat to computer users? Well, they are back. Microsoft issued a pretty specific warning this week at its Malware Protection Center, saying [Keep reading]

The Restless Project

NoMoPhobia, iPhone separation anxiety, and why your mobile might raise your blood pressure

January 9, 2015 Bob Sullivan 0

Losing your iPhone isn’t as bad as losing a limb, but it can feel that way, suggests new research from the University of Missouri published this week. In a paper titled “The Extended iSelf,” researchers built on the theory that people see their cell phones as part of themselves. Phone [Keep reading]

Debt Collection Files

Dealing with debt collectors: A simple Do’s and Don’ts list

January 7, 2015 Bob Sullivan 1

Are you getting collection calls and wish there was an easier way to handle the problem? Here’s a guide to dealing with a debt collector … using the least effort possible. DON’T ignore bills, letters and threats thinking that collectors will just forget about the money, or that the firm [Keep reading]

The Restless Project

Best 2015 resolution: Stop working more than 50 hours a week! It’s a waste of (everyone’s) time

January 6, 2015 Bob Sullivan 1

You probably have some idea that you’re wasting time when you sit at your office desk through the dinner hour.  Any boss worth his or her salt knows this, too. Now, there’s proof that even a formula-addicted economist could love.  So as you sift through all the resolutions you have already [Keep reading]

Gotchas / Consumer

As Comcast hikes lease fees 25 percent, Dish reveals new $20-per-month Net-only plan — with ESPN

January 5, 2015 Bob Sullivan 0

Here’s a great New Year’s resolution for you: Stop donating money to cable companies.  Because I promise you, their resolution is to take more money from you. Cable will keep downloading increased piles of money from lazy consumers this year, but there’s good news: its stranglehold is starting to slip [Keep reading]

Debt Collection Files

‘Debt laundering’ is the latest controversial debt collector tactic: Try, try, try again

January 5, 2015 Bob Sullivan 0

  It’s a tricky practice from inside an industry that often mystifies consumers. Consumer groups have called it “debt laundering.” Debt collectors call it “withdrawal.” The strategy is simple, but troubling: If at first you don’t succeed at collecting on a debt, try, try again – by sending it to [Keep reading]

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About me

BOB SULLIVAN is a veteran journalist and the author of four books, including the 2008 New York Times Best-Seller, Gotcha Capitalism, and the 2010 New York Times Best Seller, Stop Getting Ripped Off! His latest, The Plateau Effect, was published in 2013, and as a paperback, called Getting Unstuck in 2014. He has won the Society of Professional Journalists prestigious Public Service award, a Peabody award, and The Consumer Federation of America Betty Furness award, and been given Consumer Action’s Consumer Excellence Award.

Bob Sullivan