Scams

Debt Settlement Firm is No Government Agency

The outside of the mailer appeared to be from a governmental agency. They even cited Title 18, Section 1702 of U.S. Code with the following: Continue reading

How to Avoid Credit Repair Scams

A sure sign of a scam is a company that promises to repair your credit. No one can remove accurate information from your credit report. It is illegal for credit repair companies to promise specific results. They can only promise their actions. Continue reading

Steer Clear of Prepaid Legal Services Scams

We live in a society where regardless of background of behavior, all of us are likely to find ourselves confronted with the legal system at some point in our lives. Although we may never become embroiled in any sort of litigation, legal matters are a facet of everyday life and accompany us from birth to death. That said, it seems like a good idea to have someone working on our behalf who knows how to navigate the arcane structure of the law. You never know when a legal problem could arise in your affairs and you may find yourself needing an attorney. It would therefore seem like a good idea to always have assistance in advance through prepaid legal services just in case you need it. Right? Think again. Continue reading

Scams Using Green Dot MoneyPak

Since there are consistently people in the world who will stop at nothing to scam you out of your money, there are also consistently companies trying to figure out safer ways for consumers to do business. Green Dot has the MoneyPak system, allowing consumers who do not have a bank account to purchase cards and use them as debit. You can reload them and use them to pay your bills. Unfortunately, scammers have caught up and are trying to cheat people out of those as well. The good news is that there are some ways to avoid and outsmart scams using Green Dot MoneyPak Cards. Continue reading

How to Get Tax Relief: Scams and Reviews

Income tax debt is one of the more difficult types of debt to deal with. After all, the government has a way of securing any debt, and they will often collect their taxes before you get a chance to pay your other bills. If you are looking for income tax relief, how do you know who to trust when so many tax relief scams are operating? Continue reading

What is the Puerto Rican Tax Refund Scam?

Recently a Puerto Rico tax refund scam has cost the Internal Revenue Service almost $2 billion and jeopardized the identity of thousands of Puerto Rican adults and children. This scam has been in existence for around five years, and its perpetrators come from across the United States and Latin America. In many cases this scheme has been highly successful due to the cooperation of mail carriers, tax preparation specialists, and in some cases bank tellers. Continue reading

Spotting foreign lottery scams

Imagine this…you receive a letter saying you have won an international lottery contest. To obtain your winnings you must first wire money to an overseas account to cover the insurance. You quickly wire the money, but are told that the initial insurance amount you were told was incorrect and you must send more money. Again, you wire the money, but a few days, and then a few weeks, and then a few months pass and you never receive a dime of your winnings. Continue reading

How to Avoid Phishing Scams

In this day and age there are numerous crooks adapting new technology to fulfill their evil designs, but fortunately there are also a number of ways to avoid becoming a victim to such scams. First, be sure to download and install spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, a firewall, and pop-up blockers; once you have these items, be sure to keep them up to date. This software should prevent many malicious messages from ever reaching you, but it is still important to know how to spot phishing schemes. Continue reading

Spotting timeshare resale scams

If you own a timeshare, you probably want to know about the recent timeshare resale scams that have arose in the last few years, especially if you are considering selling your time share. Third parties have begun illegally utilizing the names of well-known resort real estate companies (i.e. Condo Express, Inc.) to contact timeshare owners about selling their properties, but since these third parties do not possess the requisite credentials to handle such a complex transaction, working with them often amounts to a massive headache and lost money for the timeshare owners. Continue reading