::Sunday, August 17, 2003::
common 'scams and shams'
..here are new scams and shams that you may not have noticed but have been dogging people everyday according to bcentral.com:
restaurant rip-offs: you charge your meal with plastic and put in a certain amount of tip but the waiter changes it after you leave adding a dollar or two.
tip: always keep your receipts at least a month's cycle and check your credit card statements against the receipts. call management for overcharging and call the credit card company too.
email impostors: you get an email that looks like a legitimate one coming from merchants such as eBay or PayPal asking you to update your personal and private information. you complete the information and by sending it, you just fell into the scam called "phishing" where online thefts steal your identity.
tip: never reply to any email asking you to give out any personal and private information even if it looks like it's coming from a company that you transact with. if you are not sure or if they tell you problems with your account, call the company over the phone instead.
checks in the mail: sneaky marketing ploys now routinely give you $2 or $2.50 dollar checks to encash and sometimes these checks are really genuine.
tip: always question everything coming in the mail and never fail to read the fine print. cashing in on those checks means you've just accepted a membership to a club with a high annual fee or just accepted a loan with outrageous terms.
restaurant rip-offs: you charge your meal with plastic and put in a certain amount of tip but the waiter changes it after you leave adding a dollar or two.
tip: always keep your receipts at least a month's cycle and check your credit card statements against the receipts. call management for overcharging and call the credit card company too.
email impostors: you get an email that looks like a legitimate one coming from merchants such as eBay or PayPal asking you to update your personal and private information. you complete the information and by sending it, you just fell into the scam called "phishing" where online thefts steal your identity.
tip: never reply to any email asking you to give out any personal and private information even if it looks like it's coming from a company that you transact with. if you are not sure or if they tell you problems with your account, call the company over the phone instead.
checks in the mail: sneaky marketing ploys now routinely give you $2 or $2.50 dollar checks to encash and sometimes these checks are really genuine.
tip: always question everything coming in the mail and never fail to read the fine print. cashing in on those checks means you've just accepted a membership to a club with a high annual fee or just accepted a loan with outrageous terms.
