Feds Protect Us From Fake Flintstone Bank
from the phew dept
The latest scam to be taken offline by federal authorities is the so called First National Bank of Bedrock, which is leading to all sorts of Flintstones related jokes. The website claimed it was based in the town of Bedrock, Colorado, which has a population of about 10, and most certainly does not include a S. Granite Ave. (or, I believe, a N. Granite Ave.), let alone one that goes to number 7729. The article notes that regulators weren't sure if the site was a scam or just a joke, but either way, feel safe, we're protected against giving away our money to a bank's website that looks so fake you'd have to be completely clueless to fall for it (Google cache, likely to disappear). Seriously. The site was hosted at a free webhosting site. Are there really people who would trust it to be a real bank? Apparently, they weren't looking to appeal to the anti-offshoring crowds, because while officially based in Bedrock, Colorado, the bank is run "entirely offshore." Just which shore? That's too much to ask. But, for you skeptics, the little note about how they're a "supporter" (not a sponsor, of course) of the 2004 Olympics should put you at ease.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Because if you can't be an athlete...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]