Byline: Mary Hunt
Every day it seems that some new scam or rip-off appears by mail, cyberspace, the telephone or even in your favorite restaurant. While there's no way to guarantee you'll never be victimized by a sinister ploy, you can reduce the chances greatly if you just stay aware and keep informed.
* The restaurant rip-off: The waiter brings your bill and you pay with plastic. You enter an amount for the tip, add up the total and sign where indicated, taking your copy of the receipt. Your statement arrives and you do a quick rundown. You remember the meal, and the amount looks right. You pay the statement, completely unaware that the waiter changed the tip amount after you left, figuring you wouldn't notice the addition of a dollar or more.
Response: Keep your receipts and check them against your credit card statements online or in the mail. If there are any overcharges, contact the management at the restaurant immediately. Notify the credit card company, too. Yes, even if it's only a dollar. Better yet, pay cash.
* Impostor e-mail: It looks just like an e-mail from an Internet merchant like eBay, PayPal, MSN or Earthlink. The message explains that you need to update your personal and private information. You're suspicious, so you click on the corporate logo to make sure this is legitimate. It must be OK because it takes you to the corporate site. You complete the information and hit "send." In the seconds it takes to return the form, your personal information has slipped into the hands of an identity thief who's not only stolen your information but also the information from the company it pretends to represent. It's called "phishing" and it's a two-stage scam. First the thugs steal the company's identity, and then use it to victimize consumers by stealing their credit identities.
Response: Never reply to an e-mail from anyone asking you to reveal personal information. Be particularly wary of those that urge you to click on a link to a Web page to verify. Criminals can easily replicate links that appear to be harmless. If there are account problems, you should call the company or open a new browser window and type the company's address yourself.
* Check in the mail: We all get checks in the mail from time to time. It might be a $2 rebate for light bulbs or an insurance refund. Sometimes it's expected, but more likely it's a surprise. And we're not stupid. We know the difference between a phony check that's really an advertisement and the real thing. Real checks are on real bank paper with real signatures. We can tell. However, distinguishing a real check from a phony is no longer good enough. New, sneaky marketing ploys have real checks showing up in our mailboxes. If you are diligent and have a pretty decent magnifying glass, you'll discover that endorsing the check means you've accepted a membership to some club with a high annual fee or you've just accepted a loan with outrageous terms.
Response: Question everything, especially the fine print. Never cash a check that you cannot identify as legitimate. And get a shredder.
Mary Hunt is the creator of The Cheapskate Monthly newsletter. You can e-mail questions or tips at cheapskateunitedmedia.com or Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135 Paramount, Calif., 90723.
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