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Posted
Feb 01 2008, 06:27 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
The scammers are out in full force this tax season, targeting taxpayers, accountants and anyone else who can answer a phone or open an e-mail. Kay Bell at Don't Mess With Taxes gives readers a rundown on some of the latest tactics being used to steal your identity. One is an e-mail purporting to be from the IRS, asking you to click on a link to a refund claim form, where you're instructed to provide personal financial information. A similar e-mail tells you that you're going to be audited. Unlike many phishing attempts, this one actually addresses you by your name, Kay says.
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Posted
May 08 2009, 12:02 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Lisa Wade McCormick at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
It's that time of year when consumers need to be wary of deceptive door-to-door magazine salespeople, who often claim they're raising money for college, charity or class trips.
The Better Business Bureau says it has received 1,100 complaints in the past year from consumers nationwide who say they lost money in fraudulent door-to-door magazine sales schemes.
The companies behind these schemes often hire high school- or college-age students and send them to neighborhoods nationwide to peddle magazines. In many cases, the salespeople do not have the licenses required to sell products door-to-door. Some use high-pressure sales tactics or make misleading statements to convince consumers to buy the magazines.
According to the BBB, some salespeople claim they're raising money to get their lives back in order. Others say the money from the magazine subscriptions will help a charity, pay for a school trip, or support the troops in Iraq.
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Posted
Apr 24 2009, 01:15 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
Online promotions promising easy wealth by joining a cash-gifting program or gifting club are flourishing on the Internet. With many families struggling to make ends meet in the current economy, the Better Business Bureau warns that cash gifting is not a legitimate way to make a few extra dollars, and in fact, is nothing more than a pyramid scheme.
Like most pyramid schemes of the past, cash-gifting operations are targeting people with some form of an affinity -- such as women's clubs, community groups, church congregations, social clubs and special-interest groups. But in keeping with the digital age, schemers have moved operations to the Internet and are now marketing their programs through videos on YouTube, paid ads on Google and attractive Web sites that engage victims.
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Posted
Mar 20 2009, 01:25 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Making pizza at home costs about $3 -- and that includes sauce and cheese, not just bare-naked crust. Additional toppings will cost a little more.
We've begun making cheap and delicious pizza at home and, it turns out, so have a number of other frugal bloggers. We all have our own methods, but the results always satisfy. "I've felt few moments of triumph sweeter than creating pizza from scratch," said Kris at Cheap Healthy Good.
There's more than one way to make a pie. Here's what you need to know to get started:
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Posted
Nov 24 2008, 12:04 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
History shows that in bad economic times, people prefer slow songs with meaningful lyrics -- and Playmates of the Year are more mature and are less voluptuous. Is the current economic slump affecting human behavior in bizarre or unexpected ways? We looked around for clues on the Web. This seemed the most amazing: Last month's Mega Millions $42 million winner opted to take the jackpot in 26 annual installments rather than a lump sum.
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Posted
Sep 09 2009, 10:18 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Mark Huffman at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
Since the dawning of the Internet age, scammers have increasingly relied on the Web to ensnare their victims. With the Internet, one pitch can be sent to millions of potential victims for almost no cost.
Most experienced Internet users have learned to spot the scams in their e-mail inboxes, but a surprising number of people each year fall for the most seemingly transparent hoaxes. So dwelling on what might seem to be the obvious is not exactly a waste of time.
When one of these blatant scam e-mails was sent to Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, his staff took the time to analyze and deconstruct the document, coming up with seven obvious tip-offs the message was a scam.
First, here is the message in its entirety:
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Posted
Jan 28 2008, 11:55 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Lisa Wade McCormick at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com. Con artists in Missouri are exploiting consumers' hopes of receiving hundreds of dollars in tax rebates proposed as part of a federal economic stimulus package. The FBI today warned taxpayers that scam artists are contacting consumers at home and claiming to be with the Internal Revenue Service. The con artists tell consumers they need their Social Security and bank account numbers to send the rebate checks. This is a ploy to steal consumers' identity, FBI officials said.
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Posted
May 06 2009, 11:06 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
The latest Consumer Reports National Research Center State of the Net survey found that one in five online consumers have been victims of cybercrime in the last two years -- to the tune of an estimated $8 billion. And the overall rate of the crime has remained consistent over the five years that CR has been tracking it.
But the magazine notes that the problem stands to get worse as rising unemployment and foreclosures fuel a wave of recession-orientated Internet scams, and as the popularity of social-networking services grows, creating more openings for identity thieves. The survey found that 13% of social-network users experienced some form of abuse.
Additionally, Consumer Reports estimates that 1.2 million consumers have had to replace their computers over the past two years due to software infections, and an estimated 3.7 million households with broadband Internet access did not use a firewall to protect against hackers.
Below are additional findings related to major online threats:
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Posted
Mar 25 2009, 04:28 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Recently I treated my daughter and son-in-law to sandwiches (using a coupon, of course). At the register I heard those words no one wants to hear: "I'm sorry, this card was declined."
I responded with the same words all the deadbeats use: "That can't be right. Run it again."
He did, and it was declined again. Face aflame, I paid with a different card. (Yes, I could have paid cash but I use credit cards for the rewards. And ever since I got out of divorce debt I have paid my balances in full each month.) When I got home I called to ask why my plastic had been declined -- and the answer was also one of those things that no one wants to hear.
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Posted
Apr 29 2009, 08:52 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
It didn't take scammers long to latch on to the latest hot-button topic to try to make a quick buck. Scams built on fears of swine flu are proliferating quickly across the Internet.
The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team issued an alert this week warning of a number of e-mail scams related to the swine flu. The attacks arrive via an unsolicited e-mail message typically containing a subject line related to the swine flu.
"These e-mail messages may contain a link or an attachment. If users click on this link or open the attachment, they may be directed to a phishing Web site or exposed to malicious code," the alert said.
US-CERT encourages users to take the following measures to protect themselves:
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