Well-meaning folks across the world continue to come to the rescue of earthquake-ravaged Haiti by donating money, food, and medical supplies, and by all accounts, the relief efforts cannot arrive quickly enough. People across the world are reaching into their wallets and pulling out their checkbooks and credit cards to offer what monetary help they can. If this sounds like you or someone you know, be wary—phony charities and scammers looking to make some quick money are already running rampant, taking advantage of donors’ generosity and hard-earned money.
This isn’t the first time scammers have used a natural disaster to turn a profit, and unfortunately, it’s not likely to be the last. Scammers and con artists count on people’s kindheartedness following a massive tragedy like the Haiti quake, so don’t automatically believe that every relief organization that is claiming to “help Haiti now” really intends to do so.
Read these tips and advice on how to donate to relief organizations when natural disasters strike:
Donate to large, well-known organizations. International grou
On Monday, the major provisions of the Credit CARD Act take effect, nine months after they were signed into law.
Many of these provisions will have a very positive effect on consumers, but the law has resulted in some unexpected fallout.
“The CARD Act has some very significant benefits for credit cardholders. The restrictions on interest rate hikes and the ban on over-the-limit fees are tremendous. Consumers have cried out for these protections for years and they are finally about to take effect,” says Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com and author of The Credit Card Guidebook. “However, there are a number of unintended consequences that have resulted from the CARD Act.
U.S. credit bureaus typically advertise their credit monitoring services as a way for consumers to keep tabs on any unusual account activity. However, credit bureau Equifax was recently prompted to highlight the service to its own employees after a mailing potentially exposed the Social Security numbers of current and former workers. According to a report by CNET (and later confirmed by Equifax), an undisclosed number of the credit bureau’s current and former employees were mailed W-2 forms in January that made their Social Security numbers potentially visible through the envelopes’ plastic windows. Read more…
Description: Laminated plastic front with embossed rosary beads. Instructions for how to say the rosary on the paper back. Includes the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries.
food, and medical supplies, and by all accounts, the relief efforts cannot arrive quickly enough. People across the world are reaching into their wallets and pulling out their checkbooks and credit cards to offer what monetary help they can. If this sounds like you or someone you know, be wary—phony charities and scammers looking to make some quick money are already running rampant, taking advantage of donors’ generosity and hard-earned money.