Four Holiday Scams And "Gotchas" to Look Out For
Have you seen some holiday offers that look too good to be true? They probably are. A savvy shopper should be aware of scammer's tactics during the shopping season. Protect your pocketbook by avoiding this year's top holiday scams.
Paying by smartphone a not-so-smart idea
You can use your smartphone to do just about anything, and now you can buy a flat screen TV with a single screen tap. But is it a good idea? T-Mobile just launched a new service dubbed “Direct Carrier Billing,” which allows users to make purchases on their phone and billed to their T-Mobile account. Consumer attorneys warn that these services don’t offer adequate fraud protection, which means that in a dispute the consumer can be stuck with the bill.
Looking to cut summer electricity costs? Here’s one consumer product worth its weight in gold.
Nothing is more frustrating than watching your energy bill rise and feeling powerless to stop it. If you call SDG&E they’ll offer you a general energy audit - - useful, but it won’t tell you if you have a problem appliance that’s an electricity glutton. If you call an electrician they’ll inspect your appliances - - but for a pretty penny.
Luckily, there is a way to test each of your appliances without incurring an enormous cost.
California Energy Commission launches a new site to help consumers with energy upgrades
With SDG&E’s increasing rates and our current cold spell, San Diegans have every reason to keep their home energy efficient. But trying to find a decent contractor and ensuring you qualify for those energy rebates can be a pain in the butt.
Discover Card Lowered Interest Rate for Customer
A UCAN member wants you to know that his call to Discover Card resulted in lowering his credit card interest rate. Has Discover Card become humane and will others follow? Read on.
North American Sweepstakes Scam
The North American Sweepstakes scam is a form of the Nigerian money scam. Somehow these off-shore thieves are printing checks with the names of legitimate companies that have nothing to do with the scam. If you are cold-called or emailed about winning large sums of money where you're asked to send money, hang up and/or delete the email. They target seniors and low-income persons. Don't be a victim for this fraudulent scheme.
"Free Miracle Air Coolers" - Neither Free Nor Cool
With summer fast approaching, ads promising "free miracle air coolers" that "blast ice cooled air to keep you cool for just pennies a day" have been popping up in magazines and newspapers. If this sounds too good to be true to you, you're not alone. Learn just how expensive these "free" air coolers really are, and why UCAN strongly recommends avoiding them.
Feds sending $250 checks to Medicare Part D seniors
Some senior citizens enrolled in Medicare Part D will receive $250 checks from the federal government in June to help them with the expense of falling into the Part D prescription drug "doughnut hole." The payments are part of the recently passed health care reform legislation, that, eventually, will do away with the despised "doughnut hole" completely.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said eligible seniors do not have to do anything to get this check and she cautioned seniors to be careful about scam artists asking for personal information.
Seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D fall into the so-called "doughnut hole" when their prescription costs exceed $2830. They then have to pay the full cost until their out of pocket reaches $4,550. Sebelius said that more than 4 million seniors affected by the "doughnut hole" will receive checks as the program rolls out.
Families continue to ditch their cable bill, opt for internet
Families on tighter budgets and looking for ways to save have turned to free cable television
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