The Super Bowl is coming up and there are plenty of ads on Craigslist and Ebay for tickets to the biggest sporting event of the year. We always tell consumers about the red flags associated with buying tickets through an individual seller, but a BBB in Indiana actually sent over an e-mail that highlights exactly what we're talking about when when say BE CAUTIOUS...

"The tickets are still available. The price is $1600 for a pair or $3200 for all 4. My name is [redacted] and I am now in Liverpool, UK. I can send the tickets on Wednesday morning and you can receive them on Thursday morning at any address in the US. My company will pay for the delivery of the tickets. I work for Tropical Heat Holidays, in the United Kingdom. The tickets were bought by my company as a bonus we were going to give on a deal to a customer from the US. Unfortunatelly the deal did not go through and now we are stuck with the tickets. I know they are in demand over the big pond and I would hate to see the tickets go to waste, so now I am trying to find a buyer for them. Get back to me and let's work on the delivery and payment arrangements."

Here are the red flags:
1) The seller is overseas
2) There is a cheerful story associated with selling the tickets to get you in a false sense of security
3) There is no outline on how payment will be made, only a solicitation for you to respond

We're not saying this ad is 100% fraud or a scam, but it is an example of one that should be treated with extreme caution because the possibility exists for you to be out a significant amount of money if the deal is no good.

Nearly every consumer has a cell phone that can send and receive text messages these days. Because of the popularity of sending a text rather than bug someone with a call, scammers have adjusted their tactics towards phishing attempts in the past 3 or 4 years to accomodate text messages. It's called "smishing" because of the Short Message feature associated with texting on a cell phone and now there is one targeting Wachovia customers. Consumers will receive the follow message as a text...

"wachovia alert - your card starting with 4828 has been deactivated please contact us at 804-715-9368 to reactivate your card"

I have not heard what happens in this specific instance if someone were to call this number, but in past instances, calling the number listed takes you to someone who will take down your personal information to "confirm" your identity which of course is then stolen. I've been told every Wachovia card starts with 4828 so this message is being potentially sent to thousands of people across the country, so if you receive this "warning," ignore it. The best thing to do in any instance where your finances are in question is to look up the number of your local Wachovia branch so you can call and ask them for details.

 With the 6.0 magnitude aftershock hitting Haiti this morning, more relief efforts will be needed along with the ongoing demands for donations associated with the 7.0 magnitude major earthquake that struck the country last week. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance has listed several national charities that are seeking to provide aid to Haiti and have met the Standards for Charity Accountability. Think of it as BBB Accreditation, but for charities instead of businesses...

Action Against Hunger
American Friends Service Committee
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
American Jewish World Service
American Red Cross
AmeriCares Foundation
Brother's Brother Foundation
CARE USA
Catholic Relief Services
ChildFund International
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
Compassion International
Concern Worldwide
Cross International
Direct Relief International
Episcopal Relief and Development
Food for the Hungry
Food for the Poor
Friends of the World Food Program
International Crisis Aid
International Medical Corps
International Rescue Committee
Living Water International
Lutheran World Relief
Medical Teams International
Mercy Corps
Operation USA
Oxfam America
Physicians for Peace Foundation
Project Concern International
Salvation Army
Save the Children Federation
Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA, National Office
United States Fund for UNICEF
World Emergency Relief
World Relief
World Vision

The magnitude 7 earthquake that struck Haiti yesterday has left much of the country in need of relief. Consumers will obviously be looking for ways to help and organizations they can send money to in order to help the victims in Haiti. To make the best decision possible, consider these 11 tips so you can be sure your generosity will be received by a trustworthy source and not a scammer.

1) Before making a contribution, visit www.bbb.org/charity to view detailed reports on many of the relief organizations providing assistance.

2) Think twice about donating to any charity that is inexperienced in carrying out relief efforts, but is suddenly soliciting for aid to Haiti. Although well intentioned, such organizations may not have the ability to quickly deliver aid to those in need.

3) Be wary of charities that are reluctant to answer reasonable questions about their operations, finances and programs.

4) Do not hesitate to ask for written information that describes the charity’s program(s) and finances such as the charity’s latest annual report and financial statements.

5) Find out what the charity intends to do with any excess contributions remaining after they have fully funded the disaster relief activities mentioned in solicitations.

6) Do not give cash. Checks or money orders should be made out to the name of the charitable organization, not to the individual collecting the donation.

7) Keep an eye out for fake charities that imitate the name and style of well-known organizations in order to confuse people and potentially steal personal information such as credit card numbers.

8) Don’t give in to excessive pressure for on-the-spot donations. Be wary of any request to send a “runner” to pick up your contribution.

9) Be wary of appeals that are long on emotion, but short on describing what the charity will do to address the needs of victims and their families.

10) Do not give your credit card number or other personal information to a telephone solicitor or in response to an e-mail solicitation.

11) To help ensure your contribution is tax deductible, donations should be made to charitable organizations that are tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Go to IRS Publication 78 on www.irs.gov for a current list of all organizations eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable gifts.

We've been receiving several calls this week from consumers who are being harassed by debt collectors. It would be one thing if these consumers owed someone money, but these consumers have no outstanding debt that they know of and are still being asked to pay and give sensitive information out over the phone. This scenario is particularly troublesome because it opens the door for the possibility of people stealing phone numbers in the hopes of posing as debt collectors in order to steal identities. Just so that you know how to protect yourself, here's a few tips on dealing with debt collectors...

1) If you are contacted by someone who says they are collecting a debt, they have to send you written proof within 5 days.
2) Never ever give them your personal information such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, date of birth, etc. If they are a true debt collector, the essential information for them to do their job will already be provided.
3) Debt collectors cannot threaten you with violence, profanity, imprisonment, a lawsuit or misrepresent themselves as an attorney

If a debt collector violates any terms of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you should contact the Attorney General's office, the Federal Trade Commission and BBB.

 
BBB's 2 Shred Day events yearly give consumers an opportunity to safely discard sensitive information and recycle it at the same time. But for some people, April and October events just aren't enough so for those looking to unload their old bills, bank statements, etc, St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Austin will have a FREE Shredding Event on Saturday, January 16th from 10am until Noon. The event will be held at the church at 11819 IH-35 South and the directions are as follows...

Traveling South: Take the 1327 Creedmoor Exit #223 and cross over IH-35. Take the first left onto the north frontage road. Go approximately 1.25 miles on the northbound access road.

Traveling North: Take the Onion Creek exit #225 and go approximately 1.25 miles on the northbound access road. The church driveway is immediately after the first set of guard rails on the north frontage.

Certified Shred of Austin will dispose of your documents and there is no need to remove staple, envelopes or paper clips. St. Alban's is also asking consumers to bring canned food donations to benefit the food bank at El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission of Austin.

Yesterday, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) proposed a plan to begin regulating paid tax preparers by requiring them to take competency tests, adhere to ethical standards and register with the government. The changes, if accepted, will NOT take place this upcoming tax season, but would be in effect for 2011. Between 900,000 and 1.4 million people pay to have someone do their taxes each year, but these services are unregulated in many states unless they are provided by a lawyer, certified public accountant or enrolled agents who represent taxpayers before the IRS.

Last year, 43 consumers filed complaints with our BBB regarding tax preparation services so this new measure will hopefully not allow less than adequate tax preparers to provide their "service" to consumers. The general rule of thumb for selecting a tax preparer is to avoid those who promise larger refunds or charge fees based on the size of the refund. For the full press release from the IRS, click the link below...

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=217781,00.html