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
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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
Why Should I Check BBB Ratings?
You have probably heard of the Better Business Bureau, or the BBB for short, and realize that they rate business’s performance but may have never understood just how helpful checking this information can be. Checking BBB ratings is one of the easiest ways to find unbiased information regarding the reliability and performance of businesses before you decide to give them your business. The rating scale utilized by the BBB is fairly simple and easy to understand (ratings range from A+ to F), but the comprehensive research behind these ratings is what makes them truly useful. 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
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