The recall was initiated after an FDA lab analysis confirmed the presence of the drugs and was extended to those products bought on or before Oct. 25, 2011.

The products, which were originally recalled on Feb. 2 of last year, are Mince Belle, Everlax, Ever Slim, Ever Slim Shake Mix (strawberry and chocolate), Acai-Man Mangosteen Herbal Drink, and Perfect Men dietary supplements.

Sibutramine and Tadalafil are FDA-approved drugs but not for marketplace consumption. Sibutramine is an appetite suppressant for the treatment of obesity and is considered a Schedule IV controlled substance and should only be taken under the direct supervision of a health professional. Tadalafil is used for the treatment of Erectile Dysfunction and may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs.

No illnesses or adverse effects from these products have been reported.

-Dustin Bass, @dbass_cmn

In addition to offering fraudulent debt services, Sam Tarad Sky, Allrepco LLC, Credit Restoration Brokers LLC, and Debt Negotiations Associates LLC, allegedly told consumers that almost anyone can legally qualify for the federal food stamp program.

Only low-income households can qualify for the federal food stamp program, but the defendants allegedly encouraged consumers to mislead the government about their finances to receive food stamp benefits, putting consumers at risk of legal action from the government.

This scam brought in more than $32,000 since the last time the defendants were caught and slapped with a court order in March 2010. The defendants were ordered to repay consumers. The court also modified the previous settlement that:

• Bans the defendants from promoting, marketing, or selling credit repair, debt relief, and government benefit goods or services;
• Prohibits them from making a range of misrepresentations to consumers regarding these services;
• Stops them from collecting any money that consumers may still owe;
• Requires them to destroy all of their existing customer information;
• Requires them to submit reports to the FTC to prove they are in compliance with the terms of the order.

-Elise Rambaud Marrion @emarrion_cmn

In the eight year span there were 15,106 deaths caused by HCV in comparison to 12,734 deaths caused by HIV.

The study, published by the Annals of Internal Medicine on Feb. 21, showed that baby-boomers, those born between 1945 and 1964, made up nearly 75% of the HCV deaths. The report said that many are unaware of their infection of HCV.

Also, the study said most deaths from those infected with either HCV or Hepatitis B (HBV) happened during their middle aged years and possibly were infected due to drug experimentation during their youth. One of the primary causes of death for those infected with HCV is chronic liver disease.

As HCV deaths increased over the surveyed years, HIV deaths decreased and Hepatitis B (HBV) deaths remained constant.

According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, there was no cure for HCV before 1990 with only a 10% cure rate with early interferon monotherapy; but over the years, there have been major steps taken toward the cure for HCV. In 2011, the sustained virologic response has reached 70%. More recent studies, in small clinical trials, the SVR rate has reached 90%, which the publication considers to be “dramatic cure rates” that have exceeded prior expectations.

The CDC recommends HCV screenings for people who may be at risk of infection and is exploring the potential benefits of birth cohort HCV screenings.

-Dustin Bass, @dbass_cmn

As part of the inquiry, the CFPB is seeking public input on a prototype “penalty fee box” – a disclosure on a consumer’s checking account statement that would highlight the amount overdrawn and total overdraft fees charged.

“With today’s technologies, consumers have more opportunities to access their checking accounts and cause overdrafts,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray in a press release. “But overdraft practices have the capacity to inflict serious economic harm on the people who can least afford it. We want to learn how consumers are affected, and how well they are able to anticipate and avoid paying penalty fees.”

According to various industry sources, the average overdraft fee ranged from $30-$35 in 2011 and has increased by 17 percent over the past five years. A study by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation published in 2008 found that consumers who overdrew 20 or more times per year paid an average of $1,610 in overdraft fees annually.

The inquiry the CFPB is launching  — through a data request that is being sent to a number of banks and a Notice and Request for Information from the public — will provide insight into overdraft practices. The inquiry is focused on four main areas:

Transaction Re-ordering that Increases Consumer Costs: The CFPB is concerned that overdraft practices employed by some financial institutions increase consumer costs. One such practice is commingling of all checks, bill payments, debit card transactions, and ATM withdrawals each day and processing the largest transactions first. This maximizes the number of transactions that will trigger an overdraft fee. The CFPB will examine how prevalent this practice is and how it impacts consumers.

Missing or Confusing Information: The CFPB is exploring whether consumers can anticipate and avoid overdraft fees. The CFPB will examine how clearly overdraft terms are disclosed and the extent to which consumers are made aware of, qualify for, and take advantage of, alternative means of covering overdraft transactions.

Misleading Marketing Materials: The Bureau is looking into reports that consumers are receiving misleading marketing materials about overdrafts. Initial data suggests that opt-in rates differ widely among institutions. The CFPB seeks to understand how differences in the way institutions explain and promote overdraft programs may affect opt-in rates.

Disproportionate Impact on Low-Income and Young Consumers: The Bureau is revisiting the 2008 FDIC study that found that 9 percent of checking account customers bear about 84 percent of overdraft fees. Evidence suggests that overdraft programs disproportionately impact low-income and young consumers. According to this study, 46.4 percent of young adult accountholders incurred overdraft fees, and of those, 15 percent recorded more than ten overdrafts in one year.

– CMN Staff Writer

Ranging in price from free to upwards of $200 based on the complexity of your tax needs, tax software is readily available and particularly attractive to the nearly two-thirds of Americans who don’t itemize and file relatively simple tax returns.

Most programs offer a free version for simple federal tax returns and almost all of them charge extra for the state filing option. Regardless of your level of income or tax experience, consumers should look for software that offers audit support should questions arise with the IRS. Consumer Reports examined four of the most popular DIY tax software options – Complete Tax, H&R Block at Home, TaxAct, and TurboTax – to compare some of the finer points of each program.

Complete Tax:

Basic : Free
• Commonly used tax forms and schedule
• Single, married filing jointly and married filing separately
• Earned income tax credit (EITC)
• Technical support chat and advanced help features

Deluxe: $29.95

• Handles itemized deductions, dependents, investments, and retirement income
• Import last year’s complete tax return
• Handles any filing status
• Handles itemized deductions
• Supports capital gains and losses and dividend income

Premium: $39.95

• For self-employed and business owners
• Calculates first-time homebuyer credit
• Handles self-employment and profit or loss from sole proprietor business

H&R Block at Home: (Additional fees for state income tax filing)

Free Edition:

• Free to prepare, print and e-file
• Simple tax returns
• Step-by-step instructions
• Offers free audit support
• Guarantee accurate calculations or will reimburse resulting IRS penalties

Basic: $19.95 Includes everything in the Free option plus:

• Simple Tax situations
• Import last year’s return
• Step-by-step instructions
• Accuracy review
• 1 federal e-file included

Deluxe: $29.95 Includes everything in the Basic option plus:

• Import your W-2, 1099 and last year’s return
• Searches for hundreds of deductibles
• Gives personalized tax guidance
• Offers mortgage interest and charitable tax deduction calculations
• Sale of stocks, bonds and mutual funds

Premium : $49.95 Self-Employed

• Includes everything in Deluxe option plus:
• Free live tax advice
• Schedule C guidance
• Advanced tax calculators
• Rental income assistance

TaxAct: Free Federal Edition, Free Federal + State = $14.95

• Prepare, print and e-file simple and complex returns
• Get maximum refund guaranteed
• Free e-mail and audit support
• Deluxe Federal Edition: $9.95
• Import prior year data
• Maximize value of non-cash donations
• Extra calculators and reports
• Free phone, e-mail and audit support

Ultimate Bundle: Deluxe Federal + State= $17.95

• Everything from TaxAct Online Deluxe
• TaxAct Online State 1040
• One free federal e-file
• One free state e-file
• Free phone, e-mail and audit support

TurboTax Free Federal State: $27.95

• Choose the right tax form for your needs
• Step-by-step guidance
• Year-round free audit guidance from tax expert
• Save your progress, do your taxes at your own pace, save and return to finish later
• Handles different type of wages and incomes
• Free technical support
• Smart check scan for mistakes
• Federal e-file included

Basic: $19.95 Federal, $36.95 State:

• Ideal for returning TurboTax users
• Step-by-step guidance
• Year-round free audit guidance from tax experts
• Searches for credits
• Imports last year’s taxes
• Automatically fill in W-2 and 1099 info
• Import your financial data
• Smart checks for mistakes
• Free technical support

Deluxe Online: $29.95 Federal, $36.95 State:

• Ideal for homeowners, charity donations, significant education or medical expenses
• Ideal for numerous deductions
• Step-by-step guidance
• Year-round free audit guidance from tax experts
• Searches for credits
• Imports last year’s taxes
• Automatically fill in W-2 and 1099 info
• Import your financial data
• Smart checks for mistakes
• Free, live technical support

Premier Online: Federal $49.95, State $36.95:

• Ideal for taxpayers who sold stocks, bonds , mutual funds, options for employee stock plan
• If you own rental property
• If you are the beneficiary of an estate or trust
• Year-round free audit guidance from tax experts
• Report investment sales
• Maximize refinancing deductions, IRA Savings
• Step-by-step guidance
• Searches for credits
• Imports last year’s taxes
• Automatically fill in W-2 and 1099 info
• Import your financial data
• Smart checks for mistakes
• Free, live technical support

Home& Business: Federal $74.95, $36.95 State

• Ideal for: sole-proprietor consultants, 1099 contractors, single-member LLC
• If you receive income from a side job or self-employment
• If uou prepare W-2 and 1099-MISC forms for employees or contractors
• If you file your personal and business taxes together

Business: Federal: $129.95:

• Ideal for Multi-Member LLCs (Form 1065), Partnerships (Form 1065), S Corporations (Form 1120S), C Corporations (Form 1120). Estate and Trusts (Form 1041)
• Best if your business has revenue of less than $250,000 and has fewer than 5 employees
• Imports your data
• Creates Unlimited W-2, 1099-MISC, 1099-INT and 1099-DIV Forms
• Simplifies entering income and expenses
• Handles multiple businesses
• Includes guidance for new businesses
• Covers real estate rental property
• Maximizes business deductions such as vehicle expenses, supplies, assets, promotion and advertising, and travel
• Alerts you to audit red flags

Mobile tax apps are becoming more prevalent for taxpayers on the move. These apps, available on both iPhone and Android platforms, give tax tips, enable you to check your return status, and even accept simple tax filing from your phone. IRS2Go Check on the status of your refund within 72 hours of filing; get tax tips TurboTax’s SnapTax app: File the 1040-EZ federal form from your phone. H&R Block’s Tax Central: Check the library of tax questions and answers or create a checklist, and estimate your refund.

Related:
• Tax Season Makes Consumers More Vulnerable to Scams
• Don’t Trust Yourself to Do Your Own Taxes?: IRS Gives Tips to Find Trustworthy Tax Professionals

-Elise Rambaud Marrion @emarrion_cmn

5. Ford Mustang II

In 1964, Ford introduced one of the most iconic sports cars ever made: the Ford Mustang. A mere decade later, Ford almost killed it. What went wrong? Well, just about everything. From quirky looks that blurred the lines between sports car and grocery getter, to poor performance, the Ford Mustang II elicited about as much driving excitement as a riding lawn mower. Based on the Pinto platform, the car was not only smaller than its predecessor, but also heavier and slower in part to emissions and safety regulations that stifled performance.

6. AMC Gremlin

In an attempt to beat Ford and Chevrolet to the subcompact market, but with as little actual effort as possible, AMC simply took the Hornet and lopped off the back end. In its place, designer Richard Teague created its unusual sloped rear-end with extremely thick c-pillars and tiny rear windows. The vehicle's profile was even stranger. Because the front end of the car was left relatively unchanged, its long, pointed snout appeared even longer and pointier than usual when paired with its short, taped rear end. The car also drove poorly thanks to a heavy V-6 engine and poorly designed rear suspension, which simply didn't do much to accommodate the stubby rear hatch.

Now See the 7th and 8th Worst Cars

Photos: Wikipedia

– Joseph Musarra, CMN Staff Writer

The top 5%, consisting of 263 hospitals, were given Emergency Medicine Excellence awards and had 41.52% lower risk-adjusted mortality than all of the other hospitals based on the 12 diagnoses. The study found that if all hospitals performed at this level, then potentially 170,586 more people could have survived their emergency hospitalization.

The top 10 cities with the lowest risk-adjusted mortality for patients admitted through the emergency room were Milwaukee, Phoenix-Prescott, Cincinnati, West Palm Beach, Baltimore, Traverse City, Dayton, Cleveland, Fargo, and Detroit. Roughly 36% of the EME hospitals were in the Chicago, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Cleveland, Phoenix-Prescott, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Detroit DMAs.

The report also said 61% of hospital admissions among seniors begin in the emergency room, which is higher than other age group.

-Dustin Bass, @dbass_cmn

The Federal Trade Commission held a press conference on Feb. 21 about an alleged debt collection operation out of India that targeted consumers and their family members after applying for payday loans. Janleree Dejulius, a victim of a debt collector scam, shared her story about paying a debt she did not owe out of fear.

Upon FTC recommendation, a US district court has halted operations and frozen assets of Villa Park, California-based American Credit Crunchers, LLC, an affiliated company called Ebeeze, LLC, and the companies’ owner, Varang K. Thaker. The FTC alleges that Thaker and his operations collected upwards of 5 million from more than 17,000 transactions since January 2010.

“Thousands of people hurting financially and barely keeping heads above water, so they apply for a payday loan online and provide ton of personal information, even banking information,” said Steve Baker, director of the FTC Midwest Division. “This online application information is finding its way into hands of people in India, who are calling applicants, often pretending to be law enforcement officials.”

Dejulius said she received a phony debt phone call at her place of employment even though she had never applied for an online pay-day loan. Unbeknownst to her, Dejulius’ ex-husband had taken out the payday loan. Having to take the call in a common area at work, Dejulius said the phone call was a humiliating experience as her coworkers overheard the conversation where she became increasingly alarmed.

“When the call came, I told them I was at work and they didn’t care,” Dejulius said. “They knew everything about me, knew birthdays of my daughters and they threatened to come arrest me or come to my work and tell my HR department to garnish my wages.”

Though she paid the debt after the first call, she received two subsequent calls from the same company falsely representing different law enforcement agents. She said none of the calls came from outside the country and none of callers had an accent.

“In hindsight, I should have called their bluff. I fell for it, and I’m usually pretty savvy,” she said. “It was intimidating enough I didn’t want risk going through what they were threatening. I just paid whatever the debt was. I didn’t want my credit to be affected … They’re scum; they’re not going after anyone with a lot of money, I don’t have a lot of money. They go after the most vulnerable people.”

Baker said Dejulius is not alone. The FTC receives thousands of complaints about phantom debt collectors, and many cases go undocumented because people are reluctant and embarrassed to report that they have been scammed. Baker advised consumers to never make a payment over the phone and to demand written verification of any debt before paying a single dime.

“Don’t pay what you don’t owe,” Baker advised consumers. “They can’t come and arrest you for a debt and it is illegal to for collectors to call your employer to talk about a debt. Any debt collector is legally required to give you written verification of a debt.”

The FTC says a caller may be a fake debt collector if he:

• is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize
• refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number
• asks you for personal financial or sensitive information
• exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.

If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:

Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.

Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.

Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft – charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.

Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate – but you think the collector may not be – contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.

Report the call. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.

– Elise Rambaud Marrion

“Tax season can be a particularly active time for identity thieves because tax returns contain all the information they need – Social Security numbers, names, addresses, employer information, investment account numbers – to open fraudulent accounts in a taxpayer’s name or steal a taxpayer’s income tax refund,” said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott in a February press release.

Particularly rampant during this time period are IRS impostor scams. Consider this scenario: you receive an email from what appears to be the IRS saying that you have an error in your tax return or you are eligible for a larger refund. You click the link, enter your bank account, Social Security number, user ID and password. Watch as your bank account balance evaporates.

“Scammers may also send bogus text messages that claim to be from the IRS. By send¬ing unsolicited tax-related text messages, identity thieves are attempting to exploit taxpay¬ers who believe that only a legitimate contact – like an IRS agent – would have their mobile phone number. Unfor¬tunately, this false sense of se¬curity makes taxpayers more likely to click on a link in the bogus text message,” Abbott said.

True to bureaucratic form, the IRS will only communicate with taxpayers using the good old US Postal Service snail mail, and they will never initiate contact by email or social media tools to request personal or financial information. The IRS does not send emails stating you are being electronically audited or that you are getting a refund. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels.

Earlier this month, consumers across the nation received fraudulent email supposedly from Intuit, the tax preparer software that produces Turbotax. Delivered from the address update@intutit.com or security@intuit.com, with the subject line “Please verify your tax information asap,” or “Tax information needed within 30 days,” the email was a phishing scam that directed consumers to update their Social Security number and employer ID number on a third-party website that would download a virus onto the victim’s computer.

The IRS says you might have spotted a scam if you encounter email that:

Requests detailed or an unusual amount of personal and or financial information such as name, Social Security Number, bank or credit card account numbers or security related information, such as mother’s maiden name, either in email or on another site linked to the email.

Dangles bait to get the recipient to respond to the email such as mentioning a tax refund or offering to pay the recipient to participate in an IRS survey.

Threatens a consequence for not responding such as additional taxes, garnishing wages or blocking access to funds.

Incorrectly states the Internal Revenue Service or other federal agency names.

Uses incorrect grammar or odd phrasing (many email scams originate overseas and are written by non-native English speakers)

Uses a really long address in any link contained in the email message or one that does not start with the actual IRS website address www.irs.gov.

What to do:

• Avoid opening any attachments to the email, in case they contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
• Avoid clicking on any links, because they may be connected to phony IRS sites.
• Visit www.irs.gov to use the “Where’s my Refund” tool to determine if you are really getting a refund, rather than responding to the email message.
• Forward suspicious email or url addresses to the IRS mailbox phishing@irs.gov then delete the message.
• Consumers who believe they are victims of identity theft other scams may bisit the US Federal Trade Commission at www.OnGuardOnline.gov.

Related: Don’t Trust Yourself to Do Your Own Taxes?: IRS Gives Tips to Find Trustworthy Tax Professionals

– Elise Rambaud Marrion

The American Mustache Institute is seeking a $250 tax break, which they call the ‘STACHE Act, for men with facial hair, and anyone else with hair care costs. The group took their cause to Capitol Hill, Feb. 20, and is also planning a 1 million person march from the Capitol to the White House in April.

H.R. Block has partnered with group and will make donations to Millions From One, a charity that provides clean drinking water to those in need, for every individual who participates in AMI’s Facebook campaign or participates in its upcoming march.

The group, however, is still in need of a sponsor for the bill, and is particularly interested in Sen. John Hoeven R-N.D., who is the only senator with a mustache. Aaron Perlut, AMI Chairman, said the group played a significant role in supporting Hoeven’s Senate campaign.

As if grooming expenses wasn’t enough reason to support the bill, Perlut also said that AMI’s recent studies show that men with facial hair are 38% better-looking than the rest of America, more sexually dynamic, and also, by not shaving, they save water and protect the environment.

-Dustin Bass, @dbass_cmn