IT'S A FREEBIE-RIGHT?

Beware of websites offering freebies and 
samples. Especially if you have to pay for
shipping and handling. I fell for this trick
and ordered a new skin care sample. I got the 2 oz sample and wasn't impressed. The company started mailing me 2 oz  products every month for the skin, wrinkles  and eyes. I didn't authorize
any of this. I was puzzled  because the  shipping  label didn't have company name on it. I decided to review my checking account. There was two charges for $89! My bank suggested I cancel my debit card to prevent further charges. I refused to pay shipping and handling to return these products. A lesson learned for these $89,  2 oz bottles of junk. The Internet had several Seniors complaining of  lots of unauthorized charges for this skin care product.

I also stopped ordering samples because some companies wanted too much personal information. Your birth date and phone number can be used by hackers. My email started being cluttered with
SPAM (unsolicited emails). I began to get numerous telemarketing calls on my cell phone too.

There are some websites offering samples without " strings attached". I don't have time to find out who they are. I go the product websites to see if 
I can get SAMPLE directly from manufacturer. Some companies offer limited number of samples and  freebies on Facebook and Twitter. 

I also got good  advice from these websites:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com
FEATURE STORY: 31 Best Websites for Scoring Freebies

http://www.familycircle.com

FEATURE STORY:

How to Get Free Stuff and Avoid Scams

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Free-Stuff-Without-Scam-Offers

FEATURE STORY:

How to Get Free Stuff Without Scam Offers

http://www.womansday.com

FEATURE STORY:

3 Sites for…Free Samples!

FREE MAGAZINES IN MY MAILBOX!

I started receiving free popular magazines wrapped in plastic in my mailbox. I didn't authorize an subscription. I was suspicious
and returned them unopened to the company. 
I had to do this three time before they got the message:

DON'T TRY TO GET ME TO PAY FOR UNAUTHOZIED SUSCRIPTIONS!!

I LIKE BOGO!

I used to love "BOGO". I learned to be careful when I see these ads on TV and in store sales flyers. I hate the TV ads featuring trendy gadgets and encourage you to buy extra one to use for a gift. They say, "Just pay additional shipping and handling". The second one is not free if pay
any fee!  I made the mistake of ordering a trendy product by phone once. The ad on TV   said the food chopper was $10. I called the toll-free-number and the customer service lady was  
trained in soliciting additional order.  My total
charge was $40 because she added 2nd chopper for my mom, shipping/handling fees, and chopper upgrades! I no longer rush to order trendy gadgets.
My favorite stores have a "AS SEEN ON TV" section. I just wait for the trendy gadget to arrive so I won't have to listen to tricky sale pitches!
Be care of several items for same price
( e.g. 10 for 10)  in grocery stores and retail stores. I was excited the first time my fave grocery store offered this.
The sale was on frozen veggies and store allowed customer to mix and match veggies. My total
check out bill was $70! Trust me this only happened once! Each item maybe $1 but I
don't have to buy more than I need. I live
alone and there was no way for me to use up
all these veggies before they had freezer burn. 

Some stores play games when you see 2 for 1
price. You have to buy two to void paying
full price for the second item ( e.g. 2/$1.00
and pay 65 cents regular price if only buy one ). This rule is usually in small print. I tell the sales clerk to keep this product if I can't buy one item
for the sale price. 

Some stores only let you use reward cards
for percentage off on non sale items. Read
small print because only get sale price when
use reward/loyalty card. I have seen so many
people get cart full of sale items but didn't
have reward/loyalty card.  They became upset
when they heard total purchase price. The
clerk says, " You must have reward card to
get sales prices".

Check out this website that helps consumers 
wise up:


http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2010/08/05/10-for-10-2-for-5-how-to-know-when-you-do-or-dont-have-to-purchase-multiples


 

B.Y.O SENIOR ACCOUNTANT

I remembered the song, "It's A Hard 
Knock Life" from the Broadway play 
Annie recently. I got a "hard knock" 
as a result of being lazy. I did not monitor my checking account regularly. This task is boring and a nuisance.

Even if your bank has staff trained in fraud detection, bad things can happen beyond their control. Fact is, no one can keep up with my "frequent shopping miles" better than me.

LESSON LEARNED: 

MONITOR MY CHECKING & CHARGE ACCOUNTS DAILY!!


MY PENNY PINCHER CHARGERS


My bank called me on a Sunday morning because they noticed $2 charges from Florida! A hacker was testing my account to see if my bank would allow his small dollar transactions to go through. The bank clerk said the hackers began to transmit large dollar amounts if the small ones go through. I assured him I was not Florida. He immediately cancelled my debit card to avoid further hacking.

I often partake in Value Menus at my 
local fast food restaurants.  So, my checking account has lots of dollar amounts under $10. This is why I need 
to pay close attention! I make sure all 
of those small charges and fees were made by me. Some hackers could have their scamming dollars mixed in.


STRANGE CHECKING ACCOUNT VISITORS!


My friend's checking account was hacked for 6 months without her or her bank noticing. The hackers had fun and made  transactions totalling $7,000. This hacking would have continued until her debit card
denied a charge when she was out shopping. She  was alarmed because her pay check had just been direct deposited.

Another friend was traveling in Europe didn't take the time to monitor his checking account. The hackers had made $15,000 of transactions before he or his bank noticed.

Their banks worked with both of them 
and law enforcement was notified of 
the fraud/hacking.  They were blessed
because their banks said that most customers are usually responsible
for fraudulent transaction over $500. These horror stories really frightened 
me. Now I make sure I monitor all of 
my bank accounts daily . I check for transactions from unfamiliar stores or
purchases I know I didn't make. I keep 
all of my receipts and don't discard them until I verify them in my bank accounts.

SENIOR LADIES DON'T PHISH!

http://galleryhip.com







I believe in sharing information.
Especially information that will 
help fellow senior ladies stay as
savvy as possible.  We senior 
ladies also need to be savvy
about computer scams and hacking. 
I am not computer tech savvy. But,
I have been the victim of computer scamming and hacking. So, I have 
learned a few lessons that will help 
me avoid being a victim in future.

I DON'T GO FISHING!

There are  criminal minds who love
to phish ( pronounced fish). They
send me fake email addresses and
spams messages. They really need personal information about you from 
your computer. Their ultimate goal is 
to steal money. I never open e-mails
I receive in my spam in box. I just delete all of them every day. 




PLEASE HANG UP ON ME!
 

 

I've seen and heard too many horror stories about seniors being scammed
on the phone. I don't talk to strangers 
or telemarketers on my phone. I hang
up the phone immediately. Some are scammers who are fast talking wolves. There are also robocall scams now. 
The voice tries to get you to say, "Yes"
to there questions. Then the system records your response and uses it to
make it sound like you agreed to their service. Some of the robocalls try to 
get personal information from you to
use for identity thief. Some seniors 
have received unexpected charges in
their bank accounts.

I visited the following websites for
more details on these issues:


http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/phishing.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing

http://www.aarp.org

FEATURE STORY: 
PROTECTING YOURSELF:
Profile of a Scam Victim

http://www.nbcnews.com

FEATURE STORY:

Tips for Fighting ‘Can You Hear 
Me Now’ and Other