CONSUMER WARNINGS!
 
BBB Cautions Sports Fans:  Play Smart When Buying Tickets Online
Con Artists Take to the Field for Football Season and Baseball Playoffs
 
With the college football season underway, the National Football League (NFL) kicking off and Major League Baseball (MLB) pennant races and playoffs filling fall calendars, Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning sports fans to be on the lookout for fraudulent sellers when shopping for hard-to-get tickets online. 
 
The secondary-ticket market for sporting and entertainment events, which includes tickets bought and sold by professional brokers, speculators and season-ticket holders, is a $10-billion-a-year industry, with online sales accounting for one-third of transactions and growing 15 to 20 percent a year, according to StubHub.com.
 
“The Internet has become the playing field of choice for sports fans looking to unload or buy tickets. Unfortunately, the Internet is also a breeding ground for scammers looking to take advantage of game day fever,” said Steve Cox, spokesperson for the BBB System. “Sports fans are often blinded by their devotion to their team and run the risk of putting their trust in a seller that doesn’t deserve it.”  To read the full alert, go to http://www.bbb.org/alerts/article.asp?ID=792.
 
 
Michelin North America’s Name Used in Check Scam
Michelin North America recently issued a warning to consumers in the United States and Canada.  The company learned earlier this month from consumers that fraudulent Michelin checks were being mailed as part of a scheme to defraud the public.
 
Consumers in nine states received letters claiming to be “Consumer Prize Award Notifications.”  The letters directed consumers to deposit the enclosed Michelin check and then issue a new personal check in the same amount to cover the taxes and administrative fees associated with their prize.  Consumers were told they would later receive another check and details on their prize winnings.  Contact information on the letters listed a Canadian address.
 
Michelin North America reports that the checks were fraudulent and it has absolutely no involvement in any program or sweepstakes of this nature.  The company has alerted the appropriate law enforcement officials in the U.S. and Canada, and is working with authorities to find those responsible.
 
Any consumers who have received a letter, check or other communications of this type should contact Michelin, toll-free at 1.800.MICHELIN and notify their local law enforcement authorities immediately.  The checks involved in this scam are counterfeit and not issued by Michelin.
 
IRS Warns of New E-mail Scam Offering Cash for Participation in “Member Satisfaction Survey”
 
The Internal Revenue Service recently issued a consumer alert regarding a new, two-step e-mail scam that falsely promises recipients they will receive $80 for participating in an online customer satisfaction survey.
 
In the scam, an unsuspecting taxpayer receives an unsolicited e-mail that appears to come from the IRS.  The e-mail contains a URL linking to an online “Member Satisfaction Survey.”
 
In this case, the e-mail notifies the recipient that he/she has been randomly selected to participate in a survey.  In return, the IRS will credit $80 to the taxpayer’s account.  There are references to the IRS in the “from” line and the “subject” line of the e-mail.  The link to the survey and a copyright statement at the bottom of the e-mail also reference the IRS. The survey form features the IRS logo.
 
In addition to standard customer satisfaction survey questions, the survey requests the name and phone number of the participant and also asks for credit card information.  Once the fraudsters have a name and phone number, they will presumably call the participant and attempt to retrieve other financial information.
 
The apparent objectives of this scam are to use the participant’s name and financial data to withdraw funds from the taxpayer’s bank account, run up charges on a credit card or take out loans in the taxpayer’s name.
 
Taxpayers should be aware that the IRS does not send unsolicited e-mail.  Additionally, the IRS never asks taxpayers for PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts.
 
Recipients of questionable e-mail that appears to come from the IRS should not open any attachments or click any links contained in the e-mail.  Instead, the e-mail should be forwarded to phishing@irs.gov.
 

TIPS FOR CONSUMERS
 
Advice for Buying Homeowners Insurance
A house is typically the largest single investment a person will make in their life and it’s important to protect it and the belongings inside with a sound homeowners insurance policy.
 
Insuring your house can be costly; the Insurance Information Institute estimates the average homeowner’s insurance premium rose by 6 percent to $835 in 2006 and projects that the average homeowner’s insurance expenditure will be $868 throughout 2007.  To read the full article, go to http://www.bbb.org/alerts/article.asp?ID=794.
 
Dealing with Home Insurance Adjusters after Disaster Strikes
Every year hurricanes, tornados, violent thunderstorms, flooding and fires wreak havoc across the country. In 2006 alone, there were 33 major catastrophes affecting hundreds of communities across the U.S., which resulted in 2.3 million claims for losses totaling $9.2 billion, according to the Insurance Information Institute. 
 
Even if you don’t live in tornado alley or in a flood plain, BBB recommends you take some basic preparedness steps to help you immediately following a catastrophe and offers advice for working with your insurance adjuster to ease the stress and anguish after disaster strikes.   To read the full article, go to http://www.bbb.org/alerts/article.asp?ID=799.
 
 
Five Most Common Homeowners Insurance Problems
A recent study by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) reveals that homeowners are surprisingly unclear about what their policies do and do not cover, and many are, as a result, not carrying appropriate insurance.
 
Better Business Bureau (BBB) recommends you read the fine print of your homeowners insurance policy closely and check to see if you’re covered against the five most common home insurance hang-ups. You might not be as well prepared for problems as you think.  To read the full article, go to http://www.bbb.org/alerts/article.asp?ID=797. 
 

OPTING OUT OF ONLINE DATA DIRECTORIES
 
Are you fed up with how easy it is for strangers to obtain information about you on the Internet?  The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has developed a list of databases that may contain information about you and how you can opt out of being included in their listings.  For more information, go to, http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/infobrokers-optout.htm.
 
 
BUSINESS CORNER
 
Reacting to a natural disaster or emergency not only means ensuring the immediate safety of employees, but also planning how the business will continue to function in the aftermath. Even if your business is not located in an area that is a likely target for a natural or manmade disaster, you need to be prepared for the unexpected with a comprehensive business continuation plan.
 
Limiting the amount of time your business is closed after an emergency situation is crucial; according to a 2006 survey by Harris Interactive, about 51 percent of companies said their customers would tolerate only up to two hours of unplanned down time.  To read the full article, go to http://www.bbb.org/alerts/article.asp?ID=793.

Hiring Business Consultants for Your Business
More and more companies are hiring business consultants to fill vacant positions or to perform a specific task within the company. The right consultant can help your company improve efficiency, use technology more wisely or help develop a program or plan. Hiring the wrong consultant can harm your company by wasting time and money and alienating employees.

The key to picking the right consultant is to be certain that your company needs one. Take the time to lay out the specifics of the problem you face, the exact objective you want to accomplish and a time frame for doing so. Consider whether your immediate “problem” is a symptom of a larger problem. By carefully thinking things through, you may discover that you do not need an outsider to identify the true problem. Maybe one of your employees has the ability and the desire to do the job. To read the full article, go to http://www.bbb.org/alerts/article.asp?ID=391.

GOVERNMENT NEWS YOU CAN USE
 
FTC Warns Mortgage Advertisers and Media That Ads May Be Deceptive
The Federal Trade Commission is warning mortgage brokers and lenders, and media outlets that carry their advertisements for home mortgages, that some of the advertising claims currently appearing in Web sites, newspapers, magazines, direct mail, and unsolicited e-mail and faxes may violate federal law.
 
“Many mortgage advertisers are making potentially deceptive claims about incredibly low rates and payments, without telling consumers the whole story – for example, that these low rates and payments apply for a short period only and can go up substantially after the loan’s introductory period,” said Lydia Parnes, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Home ownership is the American dream, but it can become a nightmare for consumers who don’t have the information they need to understand the terms of their mortgage.”  To read the full story, go to http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/09/mortsurf.shtm.
 
Recalled Products
For product recalls, go to http://www.recalls.gov.  The Web site is a collaborative effort of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and four other federal regulatory agencies – the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard.