DETROIT \u2013 Aug. 27, 2012 \u2013 Locks are supposed to keep the crooks away \u2013 or at least make them work harder. So who would imagine that there\u2019s a locksmith scam out there?<\/p>\n
If you need to change the locks, say someone stole your purse with your house keys, be extra careful when shopping for a locksmith. Some con artists advertise super low prices on the Internet, show up when you call, disassemble the lock and then say they\u2019re going to have to charge far more than advertised.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd here you are without a functioning lock now,\u201d said Susan Grant, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America in Washington.<\/p>\n
The locksmith scam is just one of the many ways for someone to pick your pocket \u2013 and your lock \u2013 these days. Keep an eye out for these scams:<\/p>\n
Crooks love passing bogus checks, so they are hitting mailboxes and grocery carts.<\/p>\n
The homeowner writes a check to the electric company and trustingly leaves the envelope for the mail carrier.<\/p>\n
Bad move. The crook gets the envelope first, then tweaks the check \u2013 maybe even making the amount bigger \u2013 and cashes it.<\/p>\n
Stick to electronic bill pay, automatic bill pay or mail bills directly at the post office.<\/p>\n
Nationwide, con artists known as the Felony Lane Gang ripped off IDs and checkbooks in Nebraska, Alabama, Illinois and elsewhere. The Detroit Mad Hatters \u2013 a group of older women who wore hats \u2013 snatched wallets or checkbooks out of purses at supermarkets last year. Sounds simple: But don\u2019t leave your wallet or purse in your car even when you make quick trips.<\/p>\n
Fraudsters can scam you with a financial aid pitch, too.<\/p>\n
Parents and students need to be skeptical about websites and schemes for quick-fix financial aid. The pitch could be tempting as students head back to college and wonder how to pay the bills. Some deals promise a money-back guarantee, but the Better Business Bureau said there are so many hoops that it\u2019s often impossible to get a refund.<\/p>\n
Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org and FastWeb.com, said students shouldn\u2019t be paying $3 or $5 or $50 for a chance at a scholarship. Some of those deals are outright scams, where no scholarship money is paid. Others, he said, might pay out some scholarship money but raise thousands of dollars more in fees than the amount that is paid out to students.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t send money to pay taxes upfront on a so-called scholarship, either.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t lose sleep \u2013 and money \u2013 over a bogus tax lien.<\/p>\n
Some fraudsters are targeting elderly people and students and frightening them into thinking they must address a tax lien. The Internal Revenue Service noted that the schemers can charge victims $5,000 or more to settle bogus federal tax liens. The IRS isn\u2019t initiating contact by using Facebook or texting you.<\/p>\n
The dirty secret about some so-called mystery shopping jobs is that you lose $1,000 or more.<\/p>\n
Lately, fraud experts report some consumers have gotten caught after finding a secret-shopper job online and then receiving a document that includes logos from big-name retailers, such as Walgreens and Wal-Mart.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks pretty official,\u201d said Dianne Shovely, vice president at Comerica\u2019s fraud services office in Auburn Hills, Mich.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s fake. The scammers also send a fake check, say for $1,983.25. The shopper is to spend $100 or so at a time at a store and report on the service and the product. Then, the shopper is to wire back $1,280 and keep the rest.<\/p>\n
Well, it\u2019s all a scam.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve sent you a counterfeit check,\u201d Shovely said. You wire back money and you\u2019re out what you spent shopping \u2013 and the money you wired back.<\/p>\n
A store-bought prepaid card is a new twist in some scams.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Ohio Attorney General\u2019s Office reported as part of a consumer survey that one man was asked to put $416 on a prepaid card and send it off to stop calls reportedly from the Legal Department of Florida that claimed he owed money on a payday loan.<\/p>\n But the calls kept coming. So he did more legwork. His payday lender said he only owed $390. He discovered the caller had no connection to the payday loan company. The consumer agency contacted the prepaid card issuer and found out the money was still on the card, thanks to a glitch. The man was able to get his money back.<\/p>\n Another person, according to the survey, stopped an elderly man at a store from putting $500 on a prepaid card so he could send it to someone and claim a $1-million prize in return.<\/p>\n \u201cThey really don\u2019t understand what they\u2019re doing is sending cash to someone who is untraceable,\u201d Grant said.<\/p>\n The \u201cGrandparent Scam\u201d remains alive and well.<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t wire money to your grandson who needs help in Mexico \u2013 or a granddaughter who claims to be in jail in Canada. Contact a family member first to find out whether a relative is really facing financial trouble.<\/p>\n Watch out for someone willing to pay more than what you asked for that used car or that hardly worn engagement ring.<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the top Internet scams is a fake buyer who offers a legitimate-looking check for more than the asking price. The so-called buyer needs you to wire back excess cash. Weeks later, the seller finds out that the check was bogus. The seller is then on the hook for any bounced checks, the money lost that was withdrawn from the bank and the loss of the item that was sold. Western Union warns that if a buyer insists that you wire money back from a legitimate-looking check, don\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n Con artists like to drop official sounding names or deals to make a deal seem legit.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, for example, doesn\u2019t have a sweepstakes going where you can get a check worth up to $1.5 million \u2013 if you pay the \u201ctaxes\u201d before you get the award.<\/p>\n