November is almost here, which means you may start encountering more requests from charitable organizations than other times of year. Which is great, except that sometimes charities are not all they claim to be. Sometimes an entire organization will...

Imagine yourself walking down the sidewalk. A stranger approaches you. He is wearing business attire and a nametag from a large, multinational bank or credit card provider. He says this: “Excuse me, Customer? Your card has been deactivated due to...

You’ve probably heard it before: “I added my phone number to the Do Not Call Registry, and I still get tons of calls every day.” Why bother using a system that doesn’t appear to do anything if it’s only going to add an extra layer of...

Here are brief descriptions of a few common scams that continue to circulate. See if you can find the common element. Mystery Shopper: you are “hired” via email as a mystery shopper and sent a cashier’s check for several thousand dollars. You...

The Better Business Bureau recently published an article about a phishing scam in which victims receive an email claiming someone has shared an online photo album with them. When the victim clicks the link, they are taken to a site that attempts to...

New account fraud, in which someone uses your personal information without permission to open new credit accounts in your name, is probably one of the first things that springs to mind when you hear the words “identity theft.” It is still one of...

One of the easiest ways to steer clear of scams and fraud is to keep one question in mind: who initiated contact? Let’s look at the classic lottery or sweepstakes scam. When you play the real, legitimate lottery, you initiate contact by purchasing...

There are a few scams that happen in-person (the fake utility worker being one of the most common), but the majority rely on some sort of communications technology. This gives the people running the schemes the advantages of a physical buffer (less...

By now you have probably heard of people getting packets of mystery seeds sent to their homes, apparently from China. And you may have heard the term “brushing” applied to this scheme. But what is brushing, and how should you respond? Brushing is...

Deciding to make the move from renting to owning? Many renters don't know how easy it can be to purchase a new home! With mortgage rates at historic lows, your monthly payment could potentially be less than what you are currently paying in rent. If...