National Consumers League

Personal Finance

Hot Topics in Personal Finance

Disaster in Japan: Charity scam warning

Bogus charities may be popping up after Japanese disastersWith heartbreaking images of the recent devastation in Japan—villages reduced to rubble and submerged under water, city streets leveled, and survivors searching for missing loved ones—many consumers around the world are reaching for their wallets to help. Advocates are warning that con artists have long exploited natural disasters, and the Sendai earthquake and tsunami will likely be no exception.

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Avoid tax season pitfalls

It's tax time

April 15. The date fills many consumers with dread, since it marks the IRS tax filing deadline. For tax scammers, however, Tax Day equals (ill-gotten) profits. That’s why NCL is encouraging consumers to be extra-vigilant against predatory – or downright fraudulent – tax-related offers. Tax-related scams come in a variety of flavors. Here are a few of the more common variations:

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Scammers prey on the elderly in 2010

Top scams of 2010 reveal con artists targeting elderlyA phone ringing at 3AM usually means one thing: bad news. That’s certainly the case with a Grandparent Scam, in which fraudsters play on the fear that a friend or relative is in danger by calling an elderly victim and posing as a grandchild or acquaintance.

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