Consumer Confidential: Costco, Disney, banking scam

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Here’s your whoopee-it’s-Wednesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Sign of the times: Costco says it will accept food stamps at many outlets nationwide. In the past, the company has generally pursued a higher-end demographic interested in bargains but still capable of paying membership fees. Now Costco is acknowledging, albeit tacitly, that many of those same people are facing unemployment or other challenges, and is trying to find ways to keep their business.

--Disney has found a nifty way of converting people’s iPhones into marketing tools. A new app rewards using your iPhone to poke around the Disney.com website. Following various clues and hints will unlock special content, such as animation or other goodies. A company official calls the app ‘a unique content experience.’ I call it advertising. But whatever works.

--Heads up: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is warning of bogus FDIC e-mails from scammers that will unleash a virus on your computer and make off with your personal info. The message says the FDIC has closed the recipient’s bank and says you’ll need to click a link that will provide more information about your banking record. Clicking that link, of course, makes all the bad stuff happen. The FDIC says if you get any e-mail that looks like this, delete it, quick.

-- David Lazarus