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Sonos has confirmed that customers who received extra, unordered devices as a result of a recent software glitch dont need to return the speakers. Sonos does not require the return of extra equipment and respects the decision of each impacted customer, said spokesperson Madeline Krebs. We have and will continue to be in full compliance with FTC requirements.

A summary of the Federal Trade Commissions (FTC) requirements are outlined on the US agencys website. You never have to pay for things you get but didnt order, the website reads. You also dont have to return unordered merchandise. Youre legally entitled to keep it as a free gift.

The software glitch came to light after Sonoss customers started receiving anywhere from two to five extra devices after placing an order for just one. In some cases, they have even been charged for these unwanted extras. One particularly extreme example saw a customer receive around 30 shipments from Sonos containing roughly $15,000 worth of audio gear. Sonos has been approaching affected customers to offer them refunds where necessary and supplying them with shipping labels to return the extra devices that were sent in error.

But in customer support emails seen by The Verge, support agents havent been forthcoming about the fact that customers are technically allowed to keep these additional devices. One customer tried to cite the FTCs website as evidence that they didnt need to return the three additional Sonos Roam speakers they received after ordering just one. But the companys support agent seemingly ignored these comments, and sent returns labels anyway.

Although the freebies will likely be welcomed by some customers, others might just want to get the bulky packages out of their homes. The customer who received roughly 30 Sonos shipments said that the situation was impacting their relationship with their property manager, after the sheer quantity of deliveries meant they were having to leave the packages in their buildings lobby. The customer said their property managers were being patient about the situation, but were ultimately not happy about the boxes in the lobby.

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Sonos says customers that got extra speakers don't have to send them back - The Verge

There's no such thing as free beer for Father's Day at least not from Heineken. The brewing giant confirmed that a contest circulating on WhatsApp, which promises a chance to win one of 5,000 coolers full of green-bottled lager, is a frothy fraud.

"This is a scam. Thank you for highlighting it to us. Please don't click on links or forward any messages. Many thanks," the beermaker said in a tweet.

The phony WhatsApp giveaway includes an image of a cooler of 18 Heinekens and a link to a website purporting to run the giveaway. That page asks visitors vying to bag free booze for their personal information, such as names, email addresses, and phone numbers, which is all collected by miscreants.

A similar scam circulating in 2020 offered something a little less plausible a cooler full of "1,000 beers" and the brewer responded by referring netizens to the company's official statement on scams tied to the its name.

"We strongly recommend that you do not open any documents attached to those communications, and that you do not respond in any way to such communications received, hence do not give any personal information or bank details," it said.

These and other types of cyber-scams cost victims around the globe at least $6.9 billion last year, according to the FBI's latest annual Internet Crime Report. As with earlier years, phishing attacks were by far the most commonly reported crimes in 2021, with 323,972 cases last year.

It's an easy way for fraudsters to make a quick buck because people like free stuff, said Ian McShane, VP of strategy at Arctic Wolf.

"The Father's Day scam doing the rounds on WhatsApp purporting to be from Heineken is a not-so-subtle illustration of how cybercriminals prey on consumer greed and love for a freebie," he told The Register.

"Scammers and cybercriminals are experts at using social media to tap into our likes and desires and will use urgency as a way to hasten someone's response and lower their guard," McShane added. "Often people will respond to the "only the first XX people will win" before considering that this might not actually be legit.

In general, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, McShane said.

"The trouble is that often there is no such thing as a free beer and although by now we should all be wary enough about giving our personal details to strangers online, with people hoping for a quick buck and freebies, it's all too easy to be sucked into a scam."

Father's Day is this Sunday in the US and UK.

Read more here:
Heineken says theres no free beer, warns of phishing scam - The Register

Elon Musk still hopes to quash a 2018 settlement agreement with the SEC requiring Tesla-related tweets to be approved by a lawyer before he can post them: on Wednesday, he took his case to the US Court of Appeals after a lower court denied this request.

The Tesla CEO landed himself in hot water with the watchdog when he tweeted he was thinking of taking the company private at $420 a share, and claimed to have already secured the necessary funding (sound familiar?) In reality, however, Musk did not have the funding or approval to do so. Investors, however, took him seriously and they started buying more shares, bumping up the stock price over 10 per cent.

The SEC accused Musk of fraud, saying his tweets were false and misled the public and caused disruption in the market. Musk was sued by the US regulator; he later settled the lawsuit by agreeing to pay $40 million in penalties, step down as chairman of the automaker's board, and accepted that any tweets discussing Tesla would have to be screened from now on.

But now he wants to terminate that last part of the agreement. Musk's legal team argued the SEC lacks the legal authority to control his free speech, and that it's unfair for the watchdog to permit "roving and unbounded investigations" into Musk's activities whilst he is restrained from tweeting freely.

This was put to a federal judge in New York, who in April denied his request. "Musk was not forced to enter into the consent decree; rather, 'for [his] own strategic purposes, [Musk], with the advice and assistance of counsel, entered into these agreements voluntarily, in order to secure the benefits thereof, including finality,'" district court judge Lewis Liman declared [PDF].

"Musk cannot now seek to retract the agreement he knowingly and willingly entered by simply bemoaning that he felt like he had to agree to it at the time but nowonce the specter of the litigation is a distant memory and his company has become, in his estimation, all but invincible wishes that he had not," the judge added.

Now, Musk's lawyers are attempting to overturn that decision by taking the case to the Court of Appeals, filing their intention to do so today. It's unclear how the case will move forward.

We're reminded that Musk, who is reportedly going to take questions from Twitter workers on Thursday, loves to talk about free speech, or rather his definition of it, on and regarding the social network. He would like nothing more than to free himself of the commitment he made to the SEC on tweeting.

The Register has asked the SEC for comment.

Originally posted here:
Musk can't tweet about Tesla without lawyer approval and he's still fighting to end that - The Register

After introducing an all-in-one software with 15+ industry-leading features for 100% free in May 2022, Yottled received an overwhelming welcome from the fitness and wellness community. The option of waiving credit card fees is one of the hot-selling features that contributed to its rapid success.

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States June 16, 2022 Yottled has successfully acquired 1,000+ service-based businesses in less than one month of launching a powerful all-in-one software for free. It includes 15+ industry-leading features built with advanced technological standards and an optional credit card fee waiver facility.

After realizing how the service businesses are looking to reduce costs, we came up with a you grow, we grow pricing model. We want to make sure small businesses in any service industry have access to the easiest technology without burning the budget, said Trevor Hough, CEO of Yottled.

Yottled is for small businesses that sell services, generally needing an online storefront, appointment booking, registration, scheduling, digital calendar for employees, gift card generator, payment processor, coupon code generator, CRM, email marketing tools, invoicing, and memberships, packages, and more.

Most of our clients are in the fitness, wellness, and beauty industry. Now, we are gaining popularity among landscapers, janitorial service providers, and more. Recently, we invited realtors to accept rent payments with our free online PoS and they are delighted with the experience. We can support 30+ different service businesses for that matter, added Mr. Hough enthusiastically.

Some big brands like Functional Aging Institute, Mindset Fitness & Yoga, and Balance Composure and Spa are using Yottled.

The unique pricing model

Yottled lets businesses use the entire software free, forever. In return, they charge a small $0.99 convenience fee to end-users i.e., customers that make a monetary transaction using Yottled. No cost to the business. Its a you grow, we grow pricing model.

A credit card fee waiver

Any business accepting online payments or using PoS is forced to pay processing fees of 2.9% + $0.3 per transaction from their own pockets. With Yottled, businesses have an option to transfer credit card fees onto customers final bills. While customers bills will see a tiny surge, businesses see a large increase in their revenue. For a business making $500k in revenue, they can expect to see $17,000 to $20,000 in revenue increase after switching to Yottled.

Media ContactCompany Name: YottledContact Person: Trevor Hough, CEOEmail: Send EmailPhone: 734.562.6002Address:847 Sumpter Rd City: 5020 Van Buren TwpState: MI 48111 Country: United StatesWebsite: http://www.yottled.com

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Yottled received a massive rush of 1000+ fitness and wellness businesses just a month after launching a free all-in-one software - Digital Journal

DraftKings has collaborated with UK-based BetBlocker to bring more awareness to responsible gambling.

BetBlocker is a free software that enables users to set restrictions on their gaming activity. It also restricts access to thousands of both regulated and unregulated gaming sites.

As detailed by the news release:

BetBlocker technology allows users to download the software anonymously without having any of their personal data stored. Consumers are empowered to use BetBlocker to manage how long or in what capacity they choose to play, including choosing a range of restriction lengths (1-5 days, 1-3 weeks, 1-6 months, 1-5 years) or using the calendar blocking functionality (e.g. blocking Saturdays, Sundays every week).

We think this partnership is a tremendous step forward in providing players with access to a wide variety of responsible gambling tools, Keith Whyte, executive director for the National Council on Problem Gambling, told PlayNY via email.

Blocking software is one important line of defense, particularly for people who are in recovery from a gambling problem. We know that preventing and treating gambling addiction requires a multi-layered approach and that tools like BetBlocker are most effective when combined with the use of limit setting and self-exclusion features on a gambling site, community-based prevention and education, therapy from a certified counselor and of course participation in self help groups to promote behavior change and sustain recovery.

Chrissy Thurmond, senior director of responsible gaming at DraftKings, praised BetBlockers contributions to safer play for customers. All while advancing responsible gaming in a comprehensive and consumer friendly way, according to the news release.

We share BetBlockers vision that technology and innovation are critical to promoting safer play, and we extend a warm welcome to BetBlocker as they build their footprint in North America, following widespread success across the pond.

There has been an increase in calls to the HOPEline since the Jan. 8 launch of legal online sports betting in New York. But state agencies like the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), New York Council on Problem Gambling(NYCPG) and the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) continue to promote responsible gaming.

Signage featuring thefirst-ever Quick Response (QR) coderecently debuted at Resorts World Catskills, MGM Empire City and several other gaming facilities. The QR code enables problem gamblers to connect with locally trained professionals in real time. You simply need to point your phone camera at the code. The phone will ask if you would like to open a link to the website NYProblemGamblingHelp.org.

On May 16,Sen. Joe AddabboandAssemb. Gary Pretlowhad a roundtable discussion with OASAS and NYCPG to discuss how to properly allocate the additional$6 million in addiction fundingfrom online sports betting. That $6 million representsless than 1% ofstate tax revenuefrom NY online sports betting. NYCPG had called for 3% or about $20 million to provide proper resources for problem gamblers.

AsNYCPG Executive Director Jim Maneypreviously toldPlayNY: Were going to have to deliver services 24/7 now.

Addabbo agreed, tellingPlayNY that New York needs to reach a point where were offering 24/7 services for problem gambling.

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DraftKings Partners With BetBlocker To Support Responsible Gambling - Play NY