Canadian Loan Scam Falsely Uses Ballwin Address
Borrowers Lose Thousands Of Dollars
 Prospective borrowers lost thousands of dollars to Weston Lending Group in an advance fee loan scam that used an address in Ballwin, Mo. However, they were told to send the money to women in Canada.
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Complaints About U.S. Fidelis Keep Piling Up
Vehicle Service Contract Company Had Pledged To Change
 More than four months after the chief executive of U.S. Fidelis of Wentzville promised sweeping changes in the way the Wentzville, Mo., company sells vehicle service contracts, consumers continue to file complaints with the Better Business Bureau. In fact, complaints since April are higher than they were in the same period last year.
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Home Security Company Puts On Hard Sell
Contracts Are Long, Have Big Monthly Fees
 APX Alarm Security Solutions Inc. of Provo, Utah, earns D- from BBB after more than 1,500 complaints are filed about its door-to-door salesman.
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'Cash for Clunkers' Scams Fleece Consumers
Schemes Build On Uncertainty About Government Program
 Scammers are taking advantage of the confusion and funding uncertainty surrounding the government 'cash for clunkers' program, officially called the Car Allowance Rebate System. However, consumers don't actually apply for or receive the rebates directly. Car dealers do all the paperwork and discount the cars to reflect rebates.
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'Tweets' Are New Vehicle For Work-At-Home Scams
Many Charge Monthly Fees To Credit Cards
 Scammers have hopped on the social networking bandwagon, promoting their schemes through Twitter, e-mails and Web sites. The schemes are not really jobs, however, and many begin charging monthly fees to credit cards if consumers don't opt out promptly.
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'Green' Home Improvements Can Save Money
Benefits Can Include Tax Credits, Energy Savings
 Federal tax credits are just one of the reasons it makes sense to make energy-efficient home improvements. However, homeowners need to make sure that the improvements they make qualify for the credits, and they need to research the companies they hire to install them, the BBB says.
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BBB, Marketers Set Online Privacy Principles
Rules Would Govern Use Of Behavioral Data
 The BBB, along with four major advertising and marketing groups, will put a new self-regulatory program in place by the beginning of 2010. The groups formed a task force to work on the issue in January, after federal regulators called for more robust self-regulation of online behavior-based advertising practices.
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