|
11/18/2009
Forty-four percent of holiday shoppers make purchases online. Every year, scammers devise online schemes to trick online shoppers into divulging personal information such as credit card numbers. If you are shopping online, the BBB has advice for you.
|
|
|
11/18/2009
The holidays are a time when we reflect on how fortunate we are, even in a tight economy. This is also a time when we want to help other people who are less fortunate by giving to charitable organizations. The BBB evaluates locally-soliciting charities on 20 standards covering fundraising, finances, governance and oversight, and the organization’s efforts to measure its effectiveness. These standards were established by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance to help donors make informed and careful giving decisions.
|
|
|
11/18/2009
Find the BBB on your favorite social networking sites! Follow us on Twitter. Find us on Facebook. Read the BBB blog to keep up on the latest consumer issues. Get the most from the BBB online.
|
|
|
11/17/2009
Do you need extra cash for the holidays? Have you seen the advertisements on television offering you cash for your gold jewelry? Are you wondering is it real or is it a rip off? According to the Better Business Bureau, selling your old gold jewelry is one of the easiest ways you can raise money quickly.
|
|
|
11/17/2009
The toy industry spends an estimated $300 million a year on safety testing and inspection of toys, and approximately three billion toys are sold in America each year. Last year, more than 20 million toys were pulled off shelves as a result of more than 60 recalls. This is more than twice the number of alerts the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) issued last year. Perhaps even more concerning is that, according to the CPSC, less than 20 percent of recalled toys make it back to the manufacturer for proper disposal or repair.
|
|
|
11/17/2009
The online shopping season is in full swing and will peak within the first week of December. If you are planning to buy gifts online or from Infomercials on television, the Better Business Bureau has a warning for you about the ways retailers make money on your orders by charging separate shipping and handling fees.
|
|
|
11/17/2009
With only a few weeks left to get holiday cards and gifts sent to loved ones, phishing scams are posing as holiday shipping and mailing services. The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be on the lookout for two phishing scams this holiday season. Hackers and scammers are pretending to be customer service personnel from some of the biggest names in business—including FedEx and UPS. Hackers are impersonating well-known companies in order to gain access to computer drives, files and accounts to steal your personal information including Social Security, bank or credit card numbers.
|
|
|
11/17/2009
The holiday shopping season is upon us and it could make or break many major retailers. Last year at this time, retail electronics giant, Circuit City, filed for bankruptcy and announced that it was closing many of its 700 stores across the country. With more retailers closing stores, or going out of business completely, consumers are confused about what will happen to their outstanding product orders, unused gift cards and extended warranties.
|
|
|
11/17/2009
It happens every year, you get or give one or more gifts that just aren’t quite right. You can either re-gift the present or you can return or exchange it for something more appropriate. A survey by The National Retail Federation showed that more than one in three consumers (37.6 percent) are expected to return at least some portion of their holiday gifts.
|
|
|
11/17/2009
Don’t let fraud or identity theft ruin your holiday season. There are a variety of ways scammers can take advantage of goodwill during the holidays – and often, these scams target older adults. To safeguard against financial crimes this holiday season, the Better Business Bureau offers these timely tips for older adults and their caregivers.
|
|
|
11/13/2009
As the rainy and windy weather finally moves out of the Carolinas, the big clean up begins. If you have fallen trees in your yard or limbs that are perilously dangling, you may need to hire a professional tree service to help clean up your property and remove debris.
|
|
|
11/05/2009
The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be on the lookout for fraudulent emails and websites trying to take advantage of the H1N1 (swine) flu pandemic and the growing public concern over it.
|
|
|
10/30/2009
Following the wildly successful Cash for Clunkers program, the federal government recently announced the creation of a similar rebate program for consumers who purchase new, energy-efficient appliances, nicknamed ‘Cash for Appliances’. Details are still being finalized, but the Better Business Bureau wants you to have advance notice because this program’s cash is expected to be gobbled up in a short period of time.
|
|
|
10/26/2009
If you are planning to buy gifts online or from Infomercials on television, the Better Business Bureau has a warning for you about the ways retailers make money on your orders by charging separate shipping and handling fees.
|
|
|
10/22/2009
Over the past few years, the BBB has repeatedly warned consumers not to wire money for any reason to anyone they do not know. According to the Better Business Bureau, the most successful scam tactic in history involves using fake checks and wire transfers in combination for a variety of different scams including foreign lotteries, mystery shoppers, work at home, advance fee loans and investments.
|
|