Your Money ; Scam Alert
Four cons that strike again each January
New Year’s Knavery By Sid Kirchheimer
Expect some old scams in the new year. While many schemes should prompt
year-round concern, January is
prime time for four perennial
fraudster favorites:
Pilfered IDs. This month begins a once-a-year opportunity for
scammers, thanks to the mailing of
tax-filing documents by employers,
banks and other organizations.
Through February, thieves will
follow the postal carriers who fill
your unlocked mailbox with W-2s,
1099s, brokerage statements and
other paperwork detailing sensitive
information, including your Social
Security number—all of it ideal for
ID theft.
Now is the time to consider safeguarding this material by renting a
P.O. box, installing a locking mailbox or requesting that your mail be held at the post office for
pickup. At the least, note when tax documents
should arrive, and call the sender if they don’t.
Diet duplicity. The most common New Year’s
resolution is to lose weight—and historically,
more people have been duped with bogus weight-loss products than any other. Acai berry and hoo-dia plant scams have dominated in recent years,
but beware of any “no-exercise, easy weight loss”
claim. The products simply don’t work.
January
is prime time
for swindlers,
scammers
and thieves.
What’s more, you
may find that the “free
trial” cancellation window begins the moment you order, though merchandise may not
arrive until after the window ends. Your credit
card may be charged more than the stated price
or for “monthly” orders that are actually shipped
just a few days apart. Your attempts to stop the
deliveries or get a refund will often go ignored.
The safer route: Eat less and exercise more.
IRS on the line. Starting this month and con-
tinuing through tax filing season, expect bogus
emails (and occasionally phone calls or faxes) pur-
porting to be from the Internal Revenue Service.
Claims ranging from new forms to past problems
with your taxes are in fact intended to make you
reveal personal information or click on links that
can unleash malware onto your computer. Legiti-
mate IRS inquiries come via U.S. mail and can be
authenticated by calling 1-800-829-1040.
Sid Kirchheimer is the author of Scam-Proof
Your Life, published by AARP Books/Sterling.
; Save a Buck
You can whittle down the big fixed cost of
homeowner’s insurance. ; Ask about discounts
linked to ways that can lower claims. A monitored security system, for instance, can save you
20 percent. There may be premium reductions, too, if your house
has dead bolts, new wiring, or is near a fire hydrant or inside a gated
community. ; Check out discounts for people 55 or older or who
haven’t made a claim in 10 years. ; If you’re married, list the spouse
with the better credit score first when applying for a policy. ; “
Bundle”—use one company for multiple policies. —Joan Rattner Heilman
; Chop Insurance Bills
You can save a pretty penny by buying Forever stamps before
Jan. 22, when the price of domestic first-class postage will
increase from 44 to 45 cents. “If customers want to stock up,
that’s fine with us,” says David Partenheimer, a spokesman for
the U.S. Postal Service. Forever Stamps were introduced in 2007 with one
design, the Liberty Bell, and they were such a big hit with the public that
now all new first-class stamps have no denomination and are good for the
cost of a 1-ounce domestic letter. The stamps celebrate actors, politicians,
music, sports—and love. Last May, the Postal Service put out the Garden of
Love stamp, continuing the almost 40-year-old Love series. —Cathie Gandel
; Time for Forever
