A credit card is one of the most important—and potentially dangerous—financial tools you'll ever touch. And here's a fact: where you get that card is a huge decision.
New laws that have just gone into effect are supposed to protect people our age, but guess what: they don't.
Are These Social Media Practices Endangering Your Privacy and Your Kids' Privacy?
July 2010
New developments or types of social media launch almost daily. Because such Internet-based applications or programs enable individuals and groups to connect easily and openly to share all types of information, you or your children may be putting private information at risk. Often, you may not be aware just how much or what information you are sharing.
Here are just a few recent examples. In late April, Facebook, the largest social network, launched new features including Open Graph/Instant Personalization, with default settings that said yes to sharing more information with third-party sites unless you opted out. Although consumer pushback forced Facebook to make some positive changes, there are still potential privacy problems. In February, Google introduced its new social networking program, Buzz. By enabling it by default for all Gmail users (rather than offering the option to opt in or not), Buzz then would follow everyone in the Gmail user's contact list. In June, Yahoo announced its intention to build social networking Yahoo Updates using the Yahoo email database. Beyond such controversial participation protocols, however, much more is happening in the social web universe. Did you see where the Library of Congress is going to archive public tweets on Twitter (and the vast majority of tweets are public)? Then there's Blippy, an application that automatically shares all your credit card purchases. The list goes on.
Getting constant phone calls, but only dead air or recordings when you answer?
You could be targeted in a new scam directed at stealing money from your accounts, according to the FBI. The new scam combines an earlier "phishing" attack (when thieves stole your account numbers and/or passwords) and a later attack tying up your phone (a "denial of service" attack) so that your financial institutions can not reach you for verification while the thieves clean out your accounts. Read the FBI consumer alert.
By now, everybody (sort of) knows some of the negative aspects of social networking sites: your personal information is shared with many and privacy is pretty non-existent, if you haven't changed your privacy settings.
Has that stopped you or me from using sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and the like? Of course not. Social networks are fun. But do total strangers and scam artists need to know every detail of your life? Probably not.
Considering Debt Settlement? Why That's Probably a Dangerous Idea
June 2010
As economic times remain tough, U.S. consumers' credit card debt hovers at about 852 billion dollars. Average household credit card debt is over $15,000. If you are struggling to manage debt, then ads like these may be tempting:
Eliminate 50 -70% of your debt legally. It's your right!
Pay off your debt for pennies on the dollar.
New government programs! Take advantage of free and easy programs for those in debt right now.
If we can't get you out of debt in 24 hours, we'll pay you $100!
Stop harassing calls from debt collectors!
What's the problem with such "offers"? They are misleading and deceptive at best. At worst, they are fraudulent, abusive and unfair. Signing up for them could leave you in worse shape financially than before. This report gives you the facts behind the claims of debt settlement companies and profiles better options for resolving debt problems.
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A credit card is one of the most important—and potentially dangerous—financial tools you'll ever touch. And here's a fact: where you get that card is a huge decision.
July 2010
By now, everybody (sort of) knows some of the negative aspects of social networking sites: your personal information is shared with many and privacy is pretty non-existent, if you haven't changed your privacy settings.
June 2010