susan hogan, news4. >>> it's a problem that's been in the news a lot lately. gas explosions. seven people killed in silver spring in august because of one of them. coming up, the warning signs that could save >>> plus, why so many accidents involving deer happen in our area this time of year. and how they can be avoide >>> we're entering the heart of deer crash season. here are four things we have for you you need to know to stay safe. aaa says you should be scanning the road in front of you for signs of animals or movement. slow down arndou curves, it's harder to spot animals down the road when go a if a deer dashes out in front of you, don't swerve. instead, brake hard, and stay in your lane. if you do hit the deer, do not go near the wounded animal. the wounded animal can be unpredictable and could hurt you. in fairfax county there were 121 deer/vehicle wrecks in 2014. >>> and if you're driving through wooded areas, which we have a lot of -- >> a lot of. >> you should be very careful this time of year. the brake. it ran right in front of me. bam, $6,000 damage to my car. >

consumer reporter susan hogan did some digging. why some people are skeptical of the deal. >>> 15 days and counting. the push for the presidency in places that some would have speed always wins. especially in my business. u're stuck, watching spinning wheels and progress bars until someone else scoops your story. switch to comcast business. with high-speed internet up to 10 gigabits per second. you wouldn't pick a slow race car. then why settle for slow internet? comcast business. built for speed. >>> back now to the presidential race and a "new york times" feature that's getting a lot of attention today. the times put together a two-page spread that lists hundreds of tweets from trump. it's called all the people, places and things donald trump has insulted on twitter since e declaring his candidacy for president. the number one is hillary >> trump called "the new york times" and newspapers like it phoney, disgusting and dishonest. he also cast doubt on the polls that suggest he's not winning and may be dragging down other republic

with susan hogan, news4. >>> here are 4 things to know. a man shot behind a movie theater has died. the suspect is in custody. >> first lady michelle obama will join hillary clinton on the campaign trail in north carolina today. donald trump will hold events in ohio. >>> early voting gets under way follow news4 mark segraves with updates from the polls through the day. >> the world series is tied up heading to chicago. game three is tomorrow night. the cubs and indians have a shot of breaking a decades long drought. >> we have a little drought of our own around here but we're getting beneficial rain fall today. rain fall amounts a tenth to a quarter inch of rain. rain is likely on the ride home than on the ride in. >> big problem on northbound bw parkway. we're shut down at chopper 4 over the scene about an hour from now. med evac has taken off and is out of the way. we're shut down northbound bw parkway at 193. >> all right. thank you. >>> today, two charles county sisters will be in the national spotlight. a video of lyric and melody heard dancing to juju on the beat went viral. >

susan hogan has tips on apps that can do the hard work for you. >> reporter: everyone has that friend that seems to score the best deals no matter what. but now you can be that person with a couple of savvy shopping apps. grocery shopping in general is so expensive. add in a holiday likes thanksgiving and the bill can add up. your grocery bill doesn't have to break the bank every week. the app, saving need for the coupons. it is right there on the app. connect your store loyalty cards to where you shop the most and as you rack up rewards, you can choose to be paid back in cash or gift cards. now, finding savings doesn't also have to be complimented, especially when shopping for the coupons. download the coupons, use them in stores or online. both apps are free. you can find more information on our nbc washington app. just search shopping apps with susan hogan, news4. >>> i think i'll beat the hell out of him and then call 911. >> what if your daughter called you to tell you there is what else they found. >> the controversy over a bonus paid to national guard may still have to be paid

. >> i'm susan hogan. millions of cars with airbags that could do more harm than good. among the ones the government wants off the road. >>> first at 4:00, a live look at an early voting event in cleveland. hillary clinton is expected to speak there in just a few minutes. it's her first campaign event since she and donald trump faced off in their third and final presidential debate on wednesday. >> yeah, brian moore is tracking this action from capitol hill. what's going on? >> right now, hillary clinton has the luxury of picking and choosing strategically these obama, president obama, bernie sanders. trump, he's kind of going it alone. he has to hit several of these stops a day. now until it's all over on november 8th. 18 days left, and donald trump has his eyes on the finish line of a grueling race. >> win, lose, or draw, and i'm almost sure if the people come out, we're going to win, but i will be -- i w myself. >> must-win north carolina, no mention of his female accusers of the rigged system. he focused his attacks on his apone want. >> hillary clinton is the most

what court documents are our susan hogan helped expose fake accounts at one of the country's largest energy i've been a soldier for 3 years. i've scaled the toughest terrain and faced plenty of my fears as part of my training. and for the past two years i've been a navy federal member. so even out here i can pay securely with mobile pay linked to my free checking account. i don't know about this, it's ... [screams] what did she say? she said "i don't know about this." i couldn't hear over my helmet. your ears are completely exposed. mm-hmm, yeah i just ... open to the armed forces, the dod and their families. >>> coming up in this half hour, a battle over the district's cherry blossoms. only on news 4, why the famous flower is at the center of a court case. soon that street light may help you find a parking space. >>> first an e-mail mixup leads to an unsettling discovery. >> fake accounts uncovered at one of the country's largest energy companies. >> yeah, and it was all discovered after a fairfax woman contacted nbc 4 responds. she was getting e-mails from a texas company that were

susan hogan has been following this story and is here with the new developments. defendants, many arrested in an early morning raid. they are all accused of scamming americans out of millions of dollars. now their criminal enterprise is shout down. >> this call is officially the final notice from the irs. the reason of this call is to inform you that the irs is filing a lawsuit against you. >> it's fake irs calls like this one that has victimized thousands of americans, includi scary. >> both describe a phone call they thought was the irs calling to collect a debt. >> it targeted victims in ts united states. >> reporter: officials from the department of justice and department of homeland security individuals and entities inclouding 20 people from the united states. 32 people in 5 call centers in india all involved in an elaborate scheme to swindle americans. >> one california woman was called by an individual impersonating an irs employee who threatened her with immediate arrest unless she paid $12,000. >> reporter: it's pof indian call centers. this is a similar

so news 4 reporter susan hogan is working for you. >> reporter: everyone has that friend that seems to score the best deals no matter what. now you can be that person with the couple of savvy grocery shopping is expensive. add in thanksgiving and the bill can add up. the bill doesn't have to break the bank every year. the app saving star takes over the need for those coupons. it is paperless. grocery rewards and everything at your finger tips. you can connect your store loyalty cards to where you shop the most. as you rack up rewards, you can finding savings doesn't have to be complicated. the app retail me not says it has 600,000 coupons from 70,000 retailers. restaurants to clothes and shoes and makeup and stores offering free shipping. download the coupons and use them in stores or online. both apps are free. you can find more information on nbcwashington app. i'm news 4. >>> sisters from our area are having a chance of a lifetime. how they got picked to show off their dancing skills to ellen >>> ride sharing service lyft wants you to have a safe halloween. it teamed up with offer a

. >> we know better as consumer reporter susan hogan warns that could be sending a toxic message for your kids. >> we have done so many stories warning about the dangers of the laundry pods when they get in the hands of children. when consumer reports saw packaging being used as a halloween project for kids, it raised a lot of red parents. >> some videos show easy ways to turn laundry pod containers into trick or treating baskets. but teaching your children to associate laundry pod containers with candy is a dangerous mix. >> 2012 thousands of children have been injued or sickened after ingesting or coming into contact with laundry pods. >>ed the pods can look like candy. the highly concentrated detergent. irritations to more serious reactions like wheezing, gagging as well as severe vomiting and diarrhea. consumer reports called for changes for pod containers and was also part of the committee that set new safety standards such as removing conners. >> other modifications include making the pods stronger. and adding a bitter tasting substance so children are less enough. poison contr

here is susan hogan. >> it was sophomore in college and like my m students she wants to make money. she spent the summer working as a nanny but she wanted more hours. >> i signed up through care.com and that is how i found the first family. >> reporter: it's an online service that connects families with care givers like delaney. since it worked so well the first time she decided to stick with it to look for another family. >> this one family contacted me. >> reporter: she got an e-mail from someone claiming to be a from norway to the united states. the e-mail to delaney described the job. three days a week, four hours each day for a weekly pay of $350. the woman even told delaney she would receive money in advance. >> she told me she was going to send me a check. >> reporter: delaney received a cashiers check for $1,950. and then the mom sent her a text message with explicit instructions that she was su deduct her first week wages and the remanning $1600 was supposed to be deposited in a separate account for cash. it turned out to be a big deal. delaney's bank account was drained af

consumer reporter susan hogan joins us now with what she's learned. susan? >> reporter: well, we reached out to the apartment and office building association of metropolitan washington. they are actively working with the prince george's county government right now to provide assistance to those displaced residents. in this case, as you heard, it was the condo association that failed to pay the utility however, for those people who live in multifamily communities, there are important consumer protections for tenants whose landlords neglect to pay utility bills. let's hear what we know so far now. for example, in maryland, if the landlord fails to pay utility bills required under the lease, the tenant can pay the utility directly and then can deduct money from rent due to a landlord. and also a gas or electric service to any master meter apartment building on the basis of nonpayment unless that utility provides an opportunity for tenants to pay. of course, that's when it's practical. now, we have asked the association to break all of this information down for

. >> that's when she turned to consumer reporter susan hogan to get some answers. susan is here to tell us what she found out. >> that's right. well, we found out that someone was actually using this woman's now the company didn't even know this was happening until nbc 4 responds went looking for answers. since february, cindy reed has been getting e-mails from reliant energy, which is a texas-based company. she's not a customer but she was getting e-mails addressed to other customers located in texas. in those e-mails, account numbers, addresses and disconnection notices. she wanted the e-mails to stop, obviously, but the company couldn't stop them. that's when she >> so e-mails from when they start up the service, welcome, your service is complete, or a few of them were, like, you need more of a down payment or service is about to be disconnected if you don't pay this or -- i mean, so it was really in detail. >> reporter: now, we contacted the parent company of reliant, which is nrg. the company immediately launched its own investigation and discovered someone was

news4's consumer reporter susan hogan explains. >> you've heard of consignment shops, right? what about online consigning? there are some apps out there that make it so easy. than ever to shop and to get a return on items just waiting to be worn. tall takes is your smartphone's camera and some pretty good lighting. seconds after you post a photo, ready to take your second-hand clothes off your hands. and just take it from a d.c. posh mark user, she decided to sell two of her dresses less than a year ago. now reselling clothes is her full-time job. >> you can't believe that people are buying something from your own closet. and that you're looking at right now. and you're going to be sending it to that person who is going to give it a second life. >> penny now buys clothes in the last two months. again, the app is called poshmark, there are others just like it. they typically take about 20% of the commission, which is far less than a consignment store will take. we have more information on our nbc washington app. search shop and sell. >>> got me thinking about doing it, too. >>

. >> fed up, she contacted susan hogan for help. >> all she wants is what she paid for. a fence to keep dogs and kids from trampling over her flowers. back together. a few months ago not so much. she bought a $1600 fence. in may she thought it would be installed within two weeks. but. may turned sbo june. >> i waited a little bit. then i called the company. >> reporter: july turned into august and september and still no fence. that's when she had an idea. tv. she does help consumers. >> she called nbc 4 responds. se we contacted the fence company we were told that they too were waiting on the city to issue the permits and the one that originally submitted in may never got reviewed so it expired. long fence blames the new application process, which is now electronic for causing delays and issues. it told us the permit in question was slowed because the original application was incomplete. it went on to say the. applicant was notified of the missing paperwork but failed to respond and the permit lapsed in june. in a statement, it resubmitted two more permit applications wi

>> susan hogan introduces toc a college student in washington, d.c. who learned a very expensive lesson. >> $1,000. >> reporter: delaney turn ser a sophomore in college, many students, she wants to make money. she spent the summer working as a nanny, but she warranted more hours. >> i signed up through care.com and that's how i found the first family i nannied. >> reporter: it is an online service that connects caregivers like delaney. and it worked so well the first time she decided to stick with it. >> this one family contacted me. >> reporter: she got an e-mail for someone claiming to be a mill their mom wrote was moving states. the e-mail to delaney described the job, three days a week, four hours each day for a weekly pay of $350. the woman even told delaney she would receive money in advance. >> she told me she was going to sends me a check. >> reporter: delaney received a cash year's check for $1,# 50 and then the so-called mom sent her a text message with explicit instructions where she was to depositives it the check, deduct wages, and then t

. >> yeah, consumer reporter susan hogan joins us now with what she's learned and how it's impacting customers. >> this is a crazy story. at first, we thought this story was just about a simple e-mail mixup that would be solved rather quickly. however, as we started digging into the e-mails and pressing the company for more information, it turned out this was no e-mail mixup at all. been getting e-mails from a company called relipt energy, a texas-based company. she's not a customer. but she was getting e-mails addressed to other customers located in texas in those e-mails. account numbers, addresses and disconnection notices. she wanted the e-mails to stop but the company could not stop them. that's when she turned to us. >> when i first got the e-mail, i thought, wow, someone stole my e-mail address, then when i got several more, this can't be, they couldn't have stole it, right? >> well, we contacted the parent company of reliant, nrg. the company immediately launched its own investigation and discovered it has a big problem on its hands and now because of our story, the fbi along

susan hogan explains. >> whether you want to go here or here or here, you've got to start here. >> and the locations. >> like, when thinking about having to pay for college, it >> high school senior have been at this for weeks, mapping out a plan on what colleges she will apply to. >> i did have sticker shock. i did. >> and how they are going to pay for it. >> i was thinking okay, do i start now with a second, third, or fourth time job. >> before you panic, every parent and student should fill out the free application for federal student aid, as fafsa. here is what you need to know. that's new for the upcoming 2017/2018 school year. you can file your fafsa as early as this october 1st for years parents had to wait until january 1st. another major change to fafsa, parents and students will be required to report income information from their 2015 tax june, 2018, don't procrastinate. >> most schools have what's called a priority fielg deadline. that's the date those schools say first come first serve. >> so depending on your school, if your fafsa is filed by the priority fielg deadline, t

consumer reporter susan hogan has this week's responds recap. >> this week, we helped viewers with all kinds of consumer problems from a fence that was paid for buter a prepaid funeral, fully paid for as well, but the funeral home shut down. nbc 4 responds is getting results. >> all right. >> nbc 4 responds gets a homeowner her fence installed after she waited for months for a permit from the city. after contacting us, we put the missing links together and she finally got what she paid for. >> i thought about two weeks. voila. >> we helped an upper marlboro he never used. the reason, the dealership he bought it from closed up shop. and a district man gets back his down payment of $3,000 after contacting nbc 4 responds. a dealership took his deposit and never put it toward the car. we called, he got his money. and this woman prepaid for her funeral years ago, more than $6,000, but now, the funeral home is no longer in business. she wanted her money back. nbc 4 responds pointed out the contract didn't have any clauses about what happens if the funeral home shuts down. they agreed to refu

. >> we love fridays because susan hogan is here now with this week's responds recap. >> absolutely. well, this week, we definitely of fake utility accounts that made their way from texas all the way up to a northern virginia woman. >> i thought it was a fluke. >> cindy reed said she kept getting e-mails from a texas power company intended for its customers, not her. the e-mails included things about disconnection notices, declined payment notices, and even terms of their contract. >> i think the company needs to know i'm getting these people's personal information. >> parent company. it initiated an immediate investigation and found a person created a fictitious account, fake account using cindy's e-mail address as the point of conduct. as a result of our story, they tell us it is now working with the fbi to identify the individual who is responsible. sam, who lives in capitol company overcharged him after he couldn't get his bill fixed on his own, he called us. the gas company said there was an error in the previous read. they credited sam $150. >> a ft. washington couple contacted