Consumer News
January 2004Winter is upon us and that means cold and flu season. The news has been full of reports of flu outbreaks. Here are some tips from the experts on what you and your family can do to avoid getting sick and respond if the symptoms hit you.
Good health habits can help prevent the transmission of colds and flu. Here are tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
The weeks from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day mark the holiday season for many traditions and cultures in the United States. Each year millions of individuals and families take to road, air, and rail to visit families and friends. Homes are decorated and great feasts prepared. Everyone looks forward to these days. But too often, what should be a time of joy and relaxation becomes a time with too much stress and hassle, or tragically for a few, a time saddened by injury or loss. For example, traffic safety predictions alert us to the potential for injury and death in traffic accidents. Emergency rooms annually treat about 11,000 persons for accidents and fires related to holiday lights and decorations, such as Christmas trees.
When the calendar turns to November, 'tis the season for appeals for charitable gifts. Between November 1 and the end of the year, the typical American home will receive dozens of mail, phone, and even door-to-door solicitations for gifts. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) notes that more than 700,000 federally recognized charities exist. And each year individuals contribute more than 80% of all money raised by charitable causes. Wise donors want to make sure that their charitable gift dollars are used wisely and responsibly. They also want to avoid those scam artists and phony charities that prey on people's generosity.
October 2003The news has been full lately of the latest threats to your computer. The Blaster and Sobig worms have caused havoc with computer systems around the world. Maybe one of these or another has already hit your machine. Frustrating, isn't it? And these problems will likely get worse not better.
Worms and viruses, for instance, are not the only things to be wary of. Other potential dangers include spyware, browser hijackers, background advertising programs, to name just a few. These may come cloaked in file-sharing programs, toolbars, or other files. While many articles and even a few books have been written on this subject, this brief article will give you an overview of what steps you can take to secure your computer and the personal information on it. For more information, check out the resources listed below.
September 2003They arrive in the mail three or four times a week—enticing credit card offers: 0% for 6 months! 2.9% till July 2004! No fee for balance transfers!
Don't such offers sound too good to resist? That's exactly what the card issuers hope you'll think—and act on! But before you grab a pen to fill in the application, consider all the following consumer traps lurking within the tiny print of most credit card offers. After a little study of these gimmicks, the smart consumer will rip up the great majority of the offers and toss them.
August 2003"No interest until ...next year!"
"No payments until ...2006!"
"180 days or 6 months same as cash"
Furniture, appliance and electronics retailers, in particular, love to throw out these teasers, hoping to entice you into buying something big. Or just to get you into the store where you may at least buy something. But before you jump off the couch and head to the store, you need to ask, "What's the catch?" Because there's always a catch. Behind the headlines are the asterisks and the small print with the real deal. Here are the most common "catches" with these offers:
July 2003, updated March 2007How big a problem is identity theft? It's an epidemic. The Javelin Strategy and Research/Better Business Bureau 2006 Identity Fraud Survey Report indicates there were 8.9 million adult victims in the U.S. in 2005 and that the total one year fraud amount was $56.6 billion.
Having one's personal identity stolen can be costly and frustrating. Taking steps to learn about the dangers of ID theft and to prevent becoming a victim makes smart sense. This brief report shares the basics of what you need to know and provides links to other excellent resources.
June 2003, updated March 2007Telemarketing phone calls certainly annoy most consumers. But more important, many of these calls are designed to steal consumers' cash. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that telemarketing scams cost Americans more than $40 billion each year. In their surveys, the National Fraud Information Center found that the average individual loss in 2005 was $2,892, up from $1,174 in 2001. A little information and some commonsense tips can help you protect yourself and your family against these rip-offs.
Ads for "dial-around" (10-10) numbers are everywhere on TV. Prepaid phonecards hang by the checkout in almost every store. Can these long-distance services actually save you money? Are there other ways to save? The answer is yes—but only if you do some comparison shopping and stay alert for hidden charges.
"Dial-around" numbers are the access numbers, such as 10-10-xxx or 101-xxxx, that provide access from your home phone to a long-distance carrier other than your selected home long-distance service. The charges for these services appear on the monthly bill for your local service.
Dozens of dial-around services are available in any given geographical area, and one might be right for you. But in checking out and comparing services, use the following tips to look for policies and charges that can make the calls much more expensive than their advertised rate.
Not long ago, the Federal Trade Commission launched a campaign to alert consumers to the growing problem of e-mail chain letters—you know, the kind that promise you can make thousands of dollars in 90 days or so, if you just send $5.00 to the four or five names at the top of the list, then add your name to the top of the list, delete the bottom name and send it out as they instruct. Many letters even say that such chain e-mail is legal and has been approved by the FTC. Wrong on all counts!
Such chain letters (and any pyramid or ponzi scheme) is illegal. Plus, folks who send off their $20 or $25 usually just kiss it goodbye. Making big money for the suckers who respond is the last thing this old scam in a new guise will do. But chain e-mail is just the beginning.
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