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10/04/2010

BBB Warns Against Online Ads for Acai Diet Pills and Work From Home Jobs

The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be wary of free trial offers online for diet pills, work at home jobs and teeth whiteners among other products and services. In this year alone, the BBB has received thousands of complaints from consumers across the country who thought they were getting a free trial, but ended up losing often hundreds of dollars in recurring credit or debit card charges.

10/04/2010

BBB Encourages Donors to "When in Doubt, Check it Out" for 2010 Charitable Donation Season

Each year during the fourth quarter, the Better Business Bureau received hundreds of inquiries about various charities located in our region. Besides having hundreds of Local Charity Reviews in the BBB of Western Michigan database; the same www.bbb.org website will give you access to thousands of other charities who solicit nationally.

09/02/2010

CONSUMER ALERT: Lottery Winners Pay Attention Calls from 876 Area Code

The BBB reports numerous phone calls from area code 876 claiming you are the winner of a lottery and that the BBB was calling.

07/01/2010

100701a BBB Warns that Scams Emerge in the Wake of the BP Oil Spill

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill continues to threaten the environmental and economic health of the Gulf Coast. In the wake of the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history, a coordinated effort is underway to clean up the spill and provide aid to affected families. Your Better Business Bureau warns that the recovery effort creates a great opportunity for scammers to make an easy dollar by deceiving those who are trying to find work, file claims with BP or donate money or volunteer to help with the cleanup.

05/01/2006

FTC - FIGHTING BACK AGAINST IDENTITY THEFT

COMMON WAYS ID THEFT HAPPENS: Skilled identity thieves use a variety of methods to steal your personal information, including:

02/01/2006

FTC - Pretexting: Your Personal Information Revealed

When you think of your own personal assets, chances are your home, car, and savings and investments come to mind. But what about your Social Security number (SSN), telephone records and your bank and credit card account numbers? To people known as “pretexters,” that information is a personal asset, too.

09/01/2005

FTC - OnGuard Online - Stop · Think · Click 7 Practices for Safer Computing

Protect your personal information. It's valuable. Know who you're dealing with. Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, as well as a firewall, and update them all regularly. Be sure to set up your operating system and Web browser software properly, and update them regularly.

06/01/2005

FTC - ID Theft: What It's All About

The Federal Trade Commission has published this booklet to help raise awareness of identity theft. We encourage you to share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

02/01/2005

FTC - MILITARY PERSONNEL & FAMILIES FIGHTING BACK AGAINST IDENTITY THEFT

If you are deployed away from your usual duty station and do not expect to seek new credit while you are deployed, consider placing an “active duty alert” on your credit report. An active duty alert requires creditors to take steps to verify your identity before granting credit in your name.

02/01/2005

FTC - Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft

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08/01/1997

FTC - Costly Coupon Scams

Cents-off coupons are providing big bucks for scam artists who offer business opportunity and work-at-home schemes featuring coupon certificate booklets and coupon clipping services. Using the Internet to market these so-called opportunities, fraudulent promoters are promising entrepreneurs, charity groups and consumers earnings of "hundreds per week" and "thousands per month" simply by selling coupon certificate booklets or cutting coupons at home. The fact is that consumers and manufacturers are getting clipped in these costly—and deceptive—coupon capers.

08/01/1997

FTC - Costly Coupon Scams

Cents-off coupons are providing big bucks for scam artists who offer business opportunity and work-at-home schemes featuring coupon certificate booklets and coupon clipping services. Using the Internet to market these so-called opportunities, fraudulent promoters are promising entrepreneurs, charity groups and consumers earnings of "hundreds per week" and "thousands per month" simply by selling coupon certificate booklets or cutting coupons at home. The fact is that consumers and manufacturers are getting clipped in these costly—and deceptive—coupon capers.