Politics and Lies

It has almost become a cliche to say that politicians lie.  Sometimes we minimize the severity of their lies by saying that they exaggerate.  In other situations, we choose to believe them when they say they were mistaken, confused, or they just didn't remember what happened.  However we explain it away, Americans have shown a willingness to repeatedly accept the fact that our politicians are going to lie to us.  One of the decisions we have to make each time we go to the polls is whether or not we believe one of the candidates more than we believe the other!

This is an election year, and I prefer to avoid mentioning some of the exaggerations, missteps and controversial comments that are being made daily by our current group of candidates at the federal, state and local levels.  There will be plenty of time to enjoy them after the election is over.  However, I thought my readers would enjoy this little trip down memory lane as we review some of the more outragious lies that have been told to the citizens of this country.  Interestingly enough, these lies were told by both Republicans and Democrats.  It appears that neither party has a lock on honesty ... especially when the subject of sexual activity is brought up!

Representative Anthony Weiner (Democrat)

After a naked picture of his private parts was Tweeted to a young woman, he insisted that his Twitter account had been hacked.  When asked if what was shown on Twitter was truly a photo of him, he answered that he wasn't sure.  (How many of us actually have pictures of our private parts available for others to Tweet at their convenience?)  When the truth came out, he was forced to admit that no one had hacked his account.  Incredibly, he had sent the Tweet himself!

Senator Larry Craig (Republican)

This venerable gentlemen was accused of "coming on" to another man in a public restroom at an airport.  He had apparently stretched his foot out under the partition between the stalls and played "footsie" with the man in the next stall.  The only problem was that the man in the next stall was really an undercover cop who was trying to catch men who were engaging in homosexual activities in this particular public restroom.  The Senator's defense was that he didn't intentionally touch the cop's foot; he said, "I have a wide stance."  I'll let other men who have "wide stances" decide whether or not this was a lie!

President Bill Clinton (Democrat)

Who can forget President Bill Clinton appearing on national television to sincerely swear, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman!"  At first it was just his word against hers, and who would believe a lowly 22 year old intern rather than a United States President?  That is, of course, until a certain infamous blue dress turned up.  Eventually, even a president can be humbled enough to admit that he really did have an "improper relationship" with Monica Lewinsky.  It must have just slipped his mind.

Governor Mark Sanford (Republican)

In 2009, from June 18 until June 24, the governor of the state of Georgia disappeared.  Not only did his wife not know where he was, Georgia State Law Enforcement had also "lost" him.  He did have the forethought to tell his staff that he would be hiking on the Appalachian Trail; however, he did not answer calls to his cell phone and he didn't even call his family on Father's Day.  Surprise! It turned out that he was not in Appalachia at all.  Instead, he had flown to Argentina to be with Maria Belen Chapur, a woman whom he called his "soul mate."  It appears that he had forgotten all about the woman he had been married to for 20 years!  As a consequence of his disappearance and affair, his wife left him, he had to resign as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association, and he had to reimburse taxpayers for some of the public money he spent on trips to see his Argentinian lover.  Did he really think that no one would miss the governor of a state if he left the country for almost a week?

There are plenty of other stories that can be told about political lies, of course, and I am sure more will be mentioned in the months ahead!

You may also be interested in reading:

Politician John Edwards
Common Lies Men Tell Women
Misinformation about Affordable Healthcare Act

You are reading from the blog:  http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

Official government photo of Representative Weiner was courtesy of www.wikipedia.com/commons

Above information is from various news reports and sources, including news coverage on ABC news.  Exact dates and similar details were confirmed on Wikipedia.

Credit Fraud and Identity Theft During your Vacation

You are all packed, the tickets are purchased, the room is reserved and you have arranged for a rental car.  You lock up your house, tell your neighbors you'll be gone, and you take off for a wonderful vacation to an exotic location.  You have been organized and prepared thoroughly for your trip.  Right?  Maybe not.  There are still some risks that you may not have planned for.  How are you going to protect your credit while you are gone?

You may be on vacation, but the people who plot to steal your identity and use your credit are definitely hard at work.  While you are making all the other arrangements for your trip, there are a few additional steps that are recommended by the AARP Bulletin.  Don't feel bad if you haven't thought of doing these things.  I haven't done most of them, either; but I am going to change my ways from now one!

Preparing for Travel Before You Leave Home

Tell your credit card companies that you will be gone.  All of the credit card companies have fraud departments.  If you alert the companies, they will be realize something is wrong if you are in Hawaii, and your card is being aggressively used in Pittsburgh!

Stop your mail and newspapers.  You do not want it to be obvious that you are gone, and you do not want people to go through your mailbox looking for credit card offers and enticing financial statements they can use to steal from you.

Don't announce your trip on Facebook until you are back home.  You can share your travel pictures with your friends, once you have returned home.  Do not do it in advance.  If there are people who need to know you will be gone, email them or contact them privately.  Do not broadcast your travels to everyone. (I will have to restrain myself, and stop posting those vacation photos until I get home.)

Travel Safety at Your Destination

Use only safe ATMs at your destination.  The best ATMs to use are those in a bank lobby.  They usually have security cameras, and are less likely to have skimmers and similar devices attached to them. (I have even used an ATM is a busy Las Vegas casino.  I am absolutely not going to do that in the future!)

Do not use hotel computers to access bank and financial data.  Someone could have installed identity theft software on a public computer, and you would have no way to know.  This is also true when you use the free Wi-Fi at your hotel.  You are on vacation.  Enjoy it! (Yep, you guessed it.  I have checked my bank accounts on hotel computers.  Definitely a no-no.)

Be suspicious of phone calls from the desk clerk.  If you are called on the phone in your room and asked to give the front desk your credit card information again, don't do it.  Instead, go down to the front desk and confirm that it really was them calling.  Then, give them the information in person.

Don't take your checkbook on vacation.  It is unlikely that you will be writing checks and, if your checkbook is stolen, it could be misused and create a huge headache for you. (Why do I carry it with me all the time?  No one even takes out of state checks anymore!)

Beware of pickpockets and muggers.  Take only a minimum amount of identification and credit cards with you.  Do not carry your Social Security card.  Men should keep wallets in an inside jacket pocket or similar safe location and women should carry purses with straps that cross their chest.  In addition, have a phony wallet that you can hand over to a mugger.  It should contain a few dollars and some old hotel room keys.  (I love the idea of a phony wallet.  How clever!)

Travel safe, and don't put either your identity or your credit at risk.

You may also want to read:

Online Dating Scams
The Scam that Promises to Fix Your Credit
Cybercrimes That Use Poisoned Computer Search Results

You are reading from the blog:  http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

Photo courtesy of http://www.morguefile.com/

Stopping Lottery Scams and Cheaters

Lotteries are known to have existed since at least the Chinese Han Dynasty between 205 and 187 B.C., when they were used to finance major government projects.  European cities had lotteries as early as 1445 A.D. to raise money for their towns.  The first recorded official federal government lottery in Europe was held in 1566 to raise money for the country of England, under Queen Elizabeth.  With so many lotteries being held over the past two thousand years, there have been many lottery cheaters and a wide variety of creative lottery crimes and scams.  These crimes continue today.

Lottery Scams and Cheaters

There are various scams that people have conceived in an attempt to temporarily cheat the lottery system.  Here are a few common examples:

Advance Fee Fraud - People receive an email congratulating them on winning a lottery (that they don't remember entering.)  Then they are asked to send in money to cover the taxes or fees.  Of course, there is no prize, and the victims end up sending their money off to a stranger who keeps it.

Winning System Frauds - Sometimes dishonest people will promise to increase your odds of winning. If you pay them, they will sell you their computer software or tell you their secret.  In other cases they promise to buy tickets in other countries where the buyer supposedly has a better chance of winning; of course, they mark up the price, often doubling it, in order to get those tickets for you.  In either situation, your odds of winning are still low, and you can end up wasting a lot of money trying to find the right "system."

Stealing Lottery Tickets - Sometimes lottery cheaters are not so creative.  They simply steal lottery tickets from acquaintances or relatives who have won, and turn the tickets in for the money.  This leaves the rightful owner in the awkward position of proving that they are the ones who actually bought the ticket.

Cheating Store Clerks - In a number of cases, a lottery ticket owner takes his ticket back to the store where he bought it to see how much he won.  The store clerk may tell him the truth; however, sometimes the store clerk will tell the person he lost, or only won a small amount; then the store clerk keeps the ticket for himself, and cashes it in.  This is simply another version of stealing a lottery ticket from the rightful owner.

Just this week, Yahoo News reported on such a case in Newport News, Virginia.  A man had been buying his lottery tickets at the same gas service station convenience store for a decade, and trusted the clerk.  When she told him that he had won only $40, he believed her.  However, when his son, who knew the numbers he always played, called to congratulate him on his $600 winnings, he was stunned.  He returned to the convenience store and was told by the clerk that his ticket had been lost.  The man reported the situation to the Virginia Lottery, and the store clerk has now been indicted on felony larceny charges.

How to Protect Yourself From Lottery Cheaters

Once you know the tricks people play in order to cheat you, the solutions are obvious:

Do not send money in order to win a prize ... ever!

Do not waste money trying to improve your odds.  Accept the fact that your odds are low, and play your numbers for the enjoyment.  Just don't overdo it.  Never spend more money than you can afford on any type of gambling.  There are no sure things, and far too many people have lost all their savings because they were convinced there was no way they could lose.

Do not leave your lottery tickets lying around where they can be easily stolen by visitors to your home.  Even trusted friends or relatives may sometimes be tempted. 

Always check your numbers yourself, at home, before you take the ticket to a store to be redeemed.  Lottery results are usually announced on local television stations, as well as printed in the local newspapers.  In addition, all state lotteries post the results on their websites.  Never rely on the store clerk to tell you the truth, even if that sweet clerk seems friendly.  Most scam artists can be extremely friendly, in an attempt to win your trust.  You have to look out for yourself!

You may also want to know about these other dangerous scams:

Online Dating Scams
Computer Virus Scams
Online Used Car Scams
Phony Contest Winner Scam
The Scam that Promises to Fix Your Credit

You are reading from the blog:  Lies and Liars

Photo of old lottery tickety courtesy of http://www.morguefile.com/

Computer Virus Scams

The other day I was sitting at home, quietly working on my computer, when I received a call from a foreign sounding man who insisted that he was calling from the Microsoft Help Desk, and they had a detected a virus on my computer.  "It is degrading your hard drive as we speak," he said.

I was skeptical.  We had our computer thoroughly gone through by an computer expert a couple of months ago, and he had upgraded our anti-virus program, and made several other changes to protect our system.

The man on the phone kept trying to get me to go to a site where he could "show" me the virus that was on my computer.  I told him I would not do it, but asked if there was a phone number where my husband could call him back.  He gave me a phone number, but told me that I should not wait.  I needed to do something right then.

I told him that I felt suspicious.  I even told him that I write a blog about scams and lies, and I was not about to rush into doing anything on my computer, simply because a stranger had called and was telling me to.  The part about the blog did not phase him.  (I guess this blog is not that scary, yet.)  He continued to push me.

Then, I asked him if my husband or our computer technician could call back and handle it.  The minute I said the words "our computer technician," he hung up on me.

When my husband came home, he called the number that had shown up on caller ID.  It took him to a company that sells anti-virus programs.  My husband is convinced that the man on the phone was trying to get me to go to a website that would either show a phony virus on my computer, or would download a virus to my computer.  Then, he would sell me an anti-virus program to "fix" my problem. I am so relieved that I did not fall for it.

My husband was so infuriated, that he reported the phone call, my conversation with the salesman, and the phone number to the Federal Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://complaint.ic3.gov/.  This government agency shares information with other law enforcement agencies, both federal and local.  Hopefully, the governement will be able to shut them down.  Of course, since the man sounded foreign, there is a good chance that he was calling from another country.  In that case, there is very little the that our law enforcement agencies can do.  We just all have to be suspicious any time we receive calls like that.

Since I initially wrote this, two people I know have also had the same phone call.  In one case, the man listened patiently to the entire explanation as it was enthusiastically given by the saleswoman on the phone.  He was told that the Microsoft Help Desk had identified a virus on his computer, and he needed to go to a certain website to see it.  When the saleswoman was finished, my friend calmly informed her that he didn't even own a computer!  Obviously, these people are just making random phone calls!

If you have had a similar experience, I would like to hear about it.  If you have ever had the Microsoft Help Desk actually place an unsolicited call to you, I would like to hear about that, too.  In addition, you may want to contact the Federal Internet Crime Complaint Center.  We need to band together to put a stop to these types of fraudulent sales techniques, whether they originate in the United States or other countries.

You are reading from the blog: http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

Photo courtesy of:  http://www.morguefile/

Baby Boomer Retirement: The Bankrate List of Worst States for Retirement

Baby Boomer Retirement: The Bankrate List of Worst States for Retirement: Often there is an article on my other blog, Baby-Boomer-Retirement, that also fits well with this blog on Lies and Liars.  We have all heard the old sayings about how statistics can lie.  This week's blog post about retirement may be one of those times.

Recently I ran across an interesting news story from Bankrate, Inc., entitled "10 Worst States to Live in During Retirement."  Their list included many states that had been listed by other retirement advisors as some of the best places to retire.  How could this be?  What could cause such as sharp difference in opinion?  In particular I was concerned about the fact that the Bankrate list included virtually every state in a broad swath across the south, from New Mexico to Georgia.  Could all these places really be terrible places to retire?

I was skeptical, as I want everyone who reads this blog on Lies and Liars to be.  We cannot take statistics at their face value, and we cannot simply say that 1/5 of the United States is a terrible place to retire.  I looked for the deeper meaning in those statistics.

Rather than simply repeat the entire Baby-Boomer-Retirement post here, I will just include a link so you can easily switch over by going to:  Baby Boomer Retirement: The Bankrate List of Worst States for Retirement.

Read the article for yourself, and see if you agree with Bankrate, or if you think they used their statistics a little too hastily.

You are reading from the blog:  http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

Photo of Southern porch courtesy of http://www.morguefile.com/

Online Dating Scams

Online dating has made it possible for single people to meet new men and women, and perhaps find that wonderful partner they have been dreaming of.  In fact, I know of several couples who met, fell in love, married and now have children as a result of online dating websites.  These sites offer great possibilities for new relationships.  However, they also make it possible for scammers to take advantage of naive or lonely people.

Online Dating Dangers

While many of these swindlers are very good at conning other people, there are a few signs that should make you skeptical about your new romance:

They quickly tell you a sob story about how their family died in an accident, or they have a sick relative.

They offer to come visit you, but they don't have enough money.  Another version of this story is that they are at the airport, bus or train station, on their way to see you, and their credit card was mysteriously declined.

They are in the military and they need money for special papers in order to visit you.  (No such required papers exist.)

They want to skip the dating website, and communicate with you directly by IM or email.  They could be trying to get access to your computer.

They send attachments in their emails.  These could contain viruses.

They have heavy foreign accents.  They could actually be a scammer working from another country.

They want a lot of personal information.  This could be a ploy to steal your identity.

Recent Research on Dating Scams

Dating scams are a bigger business than you may realize.  Approximately 100,000 Americans will $800 million to romance scams this year.  The loss of this money can be devastating to most of the victims.  Some people are known to have lost nearly all their retirement savings to these fake romances.

If you are interested in reading more of the recent research on the subject, you can find the report at:

https://comparite.ch/romancescams

The author also highlights the romance scam hot spots around the country, where this problem is the worst, and gives additional tips on ways to identify potential romance scams.

In the meantime, here are some ways to protect yourself.

 
Online Dating Self-Defense

There are a number of steps you can take to reduce your chances that you will be hurt by someone you meet online.  These are actions you can take privately.  Taking these actions will reassure you and help you feel more comfortable about enjoying the experience of meeting potential future partners.  These steps will not guarantee that you still won't run into a bad apple once in a while.  However, they increase your odds of having a positive outcome. 

Use paid online dating sites.  People who participate in these sites have to use a credit card, which cuts down on the number of predators.  Some sites even run criminal background checks on their members, now.

Talk to them on the phone before you ever meet them. Someone may seem smooth on the computer, but their story may be full of holes when you talk to them on the phone, and ask a lot of questions.

Be very slow to give out any personal information such as where you live or work, or your last name.

Meet them in a neutral location several times, until you feel comfortable with them.  Invite them to group events, where there will be other people around.

Avoid long-distance relationships.  The person could be much further away than you realize.  Scammers try to work from long distances, often other countries, because they are less likely to be caught.

Make use of the websites that are available to catch scammers.  Here are some of them:

Tinyeye.com (upload their picture and see where else on the internet it has appeared)

Romancescams.org (see if they have scammed others)

Pigbusters.net (another site to see if they have scammed someone else)

Google.Lo (cut and paste portions of their emails into Google, and see if the same words show up on any scam websites.)

While none of these measures can guarantee that you will be free from a romance scam, they will go a long way towards cutting the odds that you will become another victim.

You are reading from the blog:  http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

Graphic of heart courtesy of: http://www.morguefile.com/

The Government Will Not Pay Your Utility Bills

When the utility bills are piling up, air conditioners are running at full power, and people are short of cash, it is easy to to be tempted to grasp at every offer of help that comes along, especially if that help is supposed to be from either the President of the United States or the federal government.  Unfortunately, scammers are well aware of how vulnerable people can be when they are worried about money and feel desperate.  Without any guilt at all, these criminals spring into action and take advantage of as many people as they can.

A New Scam

A new scam is sweeping the nation, and thousands of people have already fallen victim to it.  According to an Associated Press news release dated August 13, 2012, people are receiving automated phone calls, text messages, and even flyers informing them that there is a new government untility program that will pay for up to $1,000 worth of your personal utility bills, whether it is your electricity, gas, water, cable or phone.  All you have to do is contact this organization, and provide your Social Security number and other personal information to confirm your identity.  Some of the personal information they ask for can include your credit card and checking account numbers. 

Once you have turned over your personal information, you will be given a bank routing number and checking account number that you can use to pay your utility bills.  The numbers initially work, so the victims believe they have benefited from a government program.  Unfortunately, after the payments are processed a few hours or days later, the payment does not go through and the swindle becomes evident.  The victims still owe money to the utility companies, but the swindlers now have your Social Security number and other personal information that they can use however they want.  It's unbelievable that there are so many different swindles out there, but there are!

Thousands Have Been Tricked by this Scam

How many people have been affected by this scam?  Initial reports are that about 10,000 New Jersey customers of Public Service Electric and Gas were scammed; so were 2,000 people in Louisiana and Texas, 2,000 in the Tampa, Florida area; 1,500 in the Carolinas, and 300 people in Mississippi.  The scam continues to spread across the United States.

Often, the phone call or text message begins by saying that "Obama wants to pay your utility bills."  It can also use other approaches such as, "You qualify for a new government program to help with your utility bills," or even "You may qualify to receive help on your utility bills."  Any messages along these lines are a complete hoax.  There is no such federal program.

How To Get Legitimate Assistance With Your Bills

If you truly have a low income, and you are having trouble paying for essential utilities, such as electricity or gas, many utility companies have special charitable programs that can help you.  Occasionally these programs are mentioned on your utility bills, or on flyers that come in the envelope with your bill. You need to contact them, however, at the phone numbers listed on your bills.  The utility companies will not send out mass texts to everyone in your city announcing the assistance they have available.

How to Avoid Being the Victim of a Hoax 

The Better Business Bureau consistently warns people to never give out your personal information to someone who calls you, unless you have made the initial contact and you are absolutely certain that you know the person or company to whom you are talking.  If you are worried about a business, check them out with the Better Business Bureau to make sure they are legitimate and do not have an unusual number of complaints against them.  Be suspicious of anyone who asks you to give them your personal information.

Finally, one more word of warning.  There is no federal program that will pay your utility bills, nor are there plans for one.  Anyone who sends you an e-mail or text, or leaves a message on your phone, is only running a scam.

Source of AP Report:  http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/07/thousands_fall_victim_to_utili.html

You are reading from the blog:  http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

Photo courtesy of http://www.morguefile.com/

Jerry Sandusky and Penn State

As a blogger about lies and liars, today's FBI report on the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse case at Penn State requires a prominent spot in this series.  Jerry Sandusky was convicted a few weeks ago of abusing a number of young boys while working as a football coach at Penn State University.  Today, the FBI released an exhaustive report about the case.

People who commit crimes such as child abuse typically lie without hesitation about their behavior.  Not only do they lie to others, but it appears they even lie to themselves, and often convince themselves that they are not doing anything wrong.  Either they think society is too up-tight, or they convice themselves that the children were behaving in seductive ways toward them, rather than the other way around.  Whatever they believe in order to justify their behavior, they protect themselves by creating a smokescreen of lies.

What is much more surprising is that other people often lie in order to cover up cases of child sexual abuse.  Unfortunately in this case, it appears that Jerry Sandusky was not the only one telling lies about what was going on at Penn State.  When FBI Director Louis Freeh released his report today, July 12, 2012, he indicated that everyone from the college adminstrators to the school's janitors kept Sandusky's behavior a secret, often because they feared the power of the football program and the coaching staff.

The FBI did not come to this conclusion lightly.  They interviewed 430 witnesses and read 3.5 million emails and other documents before releasing today's report.  In one quote, the FBI report says, "In order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at the university -- Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley -- repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse."

Regretably, even though there had been several complaints made to the coaching staff and college administrators about possible incidents of child abuse and inappropriate behavior by Jerry Sandusky, nothing was done.  In fact, at the FBI news conference for the release of the report, FBI Director Freeh commented about the "total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State."

Parents continually instruct their children to tell someone if they are ever touched inappropriately.  Teachers and others who work with children are required by law to report any incident of suspected child abuse.  At Penn State, even when reports were made to those who were in authority, the complaints were ignored.

Source for quotes and factual information: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/12/freeh-report-penn-state-coverup-joe-paterno-jerry-sandusky_n_1667727.html?ir=College

Your comments are welcome.

You are reading from the blog:  http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

Photo of Penn State courtesy of www.wikipedia.com/commons

You Can Avoid Online Used Car Scams

This may come as a surprise to a few of you, but people who sell used cars do not always tell the truth about those vehicles!  Shocking, I know.  We have often heard jokes about used car salesmen, and surveys have frequently listed them near the bottom of lists of trustworthy individuals.  Many of us are cautious when we approach a used car lot.

However, this post is not about the people who try to sell you a car on a neighborhood lot, where you can kick the tires, look under the hood, and take the car for a test drive.  This post is about that wonderful market for trading goods and services ... the internet.

According to the article "Buyer Beware" in the July/August 2012 issue of AAA Westways Magazine, online transactions involving automobiles are increasingly becoming a problem.  Between 2008 and 2010, 14,000 complaints were filed with the Internet Crime Complaint Center about online car selling scams.  This complaint center is a partnership between the National White Collar Crime Center and the FBI.  According to FBI estimates, the victims of of online used car scams lost $44.5 million during that same three year period of 2008 - 2010.

Examples of Online Used Car Scams

There are many different approaches scammers take in trying to trick people into sending money to a fraudulent website.  Here are a few examples.

The buyer bids on a car, and afterwards receives an e-mail saying that they had the highest bid.  They are then given instructions on how to wire the funds to the seller, who turns out to be a foreign criminal.  There is no car, and no refund.

The buyer purchases a car and then is instructed to send the money to an "escrow service" that will transfer the money once the car has been received by the buyer.  Unfortunately, it is not an escrow service, and the owners of the website simply keep the money and never ship the car.

A phony auto dealer has a website that advertises cars.  Buyers are told to send deposits to hold the car they want.  The dealership doesn't exist.  Once again, no car and no refund.

Other Problems With Online Car Sales

Even if the seller is not a criminal who is planning a complete fraud, the online buyer of a used car can end up disappointed.  Sellers are not always completely honest, and the car could have dents or other problems that are not disclosed to the buyer.  If you think that the car of your dreams can only be found online, you may want to take a few steps to protect yourself.

How to Avoid Problems Buying Cars Online

If you really want to buy a car online, there are a few precautions you can take that may save you from problems.

1.  Purchase a manufacturer-certified preowned car from a new car franchise.  For example, you should be able to buy a pre-owned BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen or similar car from a distant dealer and have few problems.  However, you do need to remember that the cars are used, and will not be in perfect condition.  On the other hand, at least you will know that the car really does exist!

2.  You can buy the car through eBay and use their Buyers' Vehicle Purchase Protection plan.  However, this is only designed to protect you from major fraud.  It doesn't make up for the fact that you are not seeing the car in person, and it could have undisclosed dents or similar problems.

3.  You can pay $125 to a company called Inspect My Ride.  They will go and look at the car for you.  However, they do not do a complete inspection to confirm that the car is in excellent working condition, and you are not guaranteed that the car will live up to your expectations.  All you will really know is that the car actually exists, and is not a complete wreck.

4.  Finally, you can follow the advice written on the Craigslist website.  They suggest that you "deal locally with folks you can meet in person."  According to them, this will eliminate 99% of scam attempts.  It is certainly something to think about!

To stay informed on a regular basis about other lies, scams and hoaxes, follow this blog at: http://lies-and-lairs.blogspot.com/

Photo courtesy of http://www.morguefile.com/

The Lies Teens Tell Their Parents

Like millions of other parents around the world, I have raised teens, and I know I have been lied to.  In fact, I would be very foolish to think that I could possibly raise children to adulthood without having them lie to me from time to time.  Fortunately, none of their lies turned out to be dangerous or life threatening, and they all seem to have grown up to be open and honest adults (at least as far as I can tell).  Accepting that teens lie to their parents is just being realistic.

If you want to find out the common lies that teens are telling, sign up for a Twitter account.  If you are unfamiliar with Twitter, you are able to pull up Tweets about a certain subject by putting a hashtag (#) in front of a word.  For example, if you wanted to read all the Tweets about candy, you would just put #candy in your Tweet, and you could get a list of recent Tweets about candy.  However, if you want to hear about teen lies, the hashtag parents really want to use is this one: #LiesIveToldMyParents.  That's right ... it says Lies I've Told My Parents.  Teens are using this hashtag and phrase in Tweets about actual lies they have told.  Wow!  They are just making it so easy for us to learn more about them than we really want to!

According to a 2008 New York Times article that is quoted by the Huffington Post in their July 5, 2012 article, "Teens Lying To Parents: Kids Share Common Lies On Twitter," there are several topics that teens are most likely to lie about.  Here's a quick list:

What they spent their allowance on
Whether they have started dating
What clothes they put on after they leave the house
What movie they went to, and who they were with
Alcohol and drug use
Hanging out with friends their parents don't like
What they do after school when their parents are still at work
Whether or not a party was chaperoned
Whether they have ever ridden in a car with a drunk driver

I work at a high school, and I can vouch for the fact that kids show up at our school every day dressed in clothes that would horrify their parents.  I've seen girls pop into a school restroom, and come out dressed in a totally different and much more risque outfit!  However, my 81 year old mother has told me that in the 1940's her own mother would not allow her to wear blue jeans.  Despite that strict rule, my mother bought the tightest boys' jeans she could squeeze into, and then put them on the minute she was away from the house.  Sometimes she would even wear the jeans with the legs rolled up under her mid-calf length full skirt.  Then, she just pulled the skirt off the second she was out of site of her mother. Things haven't changed much in 70 years!

I also hear the high school kids talk a lot about drug and alcohol use, and I am sure their parents don't know what they are doing.  I am also certain that this has been going on for many years, too.

Recently, an anti-drug group has been running an ad on television here in California.  In the ad, a teenager who is obviously using drugs makes the statement, "My mom is addicted to denial."  I think a lot of us parents are addicted to denial.  In fact, perhaps that is the only way we can survive the teen years!  However, doesn't that mean we are just living with a lie?

Many lies you can continue to overlook.  As parents, we all know that we have to pick our battles carefully.  Is it really the end of the world if your kids spend their allowance on junk food or some wasteful trinket?  However, even if you choose to overlook many of the lies you hear, you should still be aware that your teens are lying.  Maybe a young teen is just embarrassed to tell you they have a boyfriend or girlfriend; maybe they are afraid of disappointing you; perhaps they are trying to prove that they are independent and grown-up.  Whatever the reason for the lies, watch for trends.  If they lie constantly about their friends and where they are spending their time, it could be a sign of a more serious problem.  You can't live in denial forever ... even if all of us would like to!

You are reading from the blog http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

Photo courtesy of http://www.photoxpress.com/

Common Lies Women Tell Men

Recently, I wrote another blog post called "Common Lies Men Tell Women."  Within a day it was my most popular post, ever, on this blog.  At the time, I promised to write another one about the lies women tell men; well, I didn't want to be caught in a lie, so I thought I better not postpone it too long!

When I did an internet search on the lies that women tell men, I was startled (let's say shocked) by all the lists that are out there.  I certainly had plenty of suggestions to work with, a few written by women, but most written by men.  Here are some of my favorites, along with my comments:

My List of Lies Women Tell Men

It was on sale (I put this on top, because I've used it myself)
I'll be ready in a minute (or two, or three or ...)
I weigh ___ (Even my husband of 41 years doesn't know!)
Last night was the best ever (Maybe its the truth; maybe not)
That was delicious (If you cooked it, she's telling you how she actually feels!)
I'm not mad at you (If you think she is, she probably is.  Find out why.)
I'm just not ready for a boyfriend right now. (She's not interested.  Move on.)
I don't mind going Dutch treat. (Yes, she does. If you want her, you better pay.)
I love your friends / family.  (She's too insecure to tell you what she really thinks.)
I'm fine.  (If you think there is a problem, there is.  She doesn't want to talk, yet.)

Most Frequently Mentioned Lies

Of these, there were two items that came up over and over again.

The first one was "I'm just not ready for a boyfriend right now."  If a woman tells you that she is not ready for a boyfriend right now, she probably just isn't interested in you.  There's no point in pushing yourself on her, because it is going to push her away even more.  As one of the articles said, "Move on, Dude."

The second lie that was mentioned on several lists was "I don't mind going Dutch treat (or splitting the bill)."  If a man is interested in a woman, he probably expects their relationship to lead to her doing lots of nice things for him.  If he isn't prepared to buy her dinner and/or a movie a few times a month, she is eventually going to get tired of paying her own way.  Don't ask her to go Dutch, and still expect her to treat you as if you are God's gift to women!  If you are a student on a tight budget, look for some free activities, plan some picnics, and come up with some ideas you can afford.  Just don't ask her to pay her own way.  Her budget is probably tight, too!

You are reading from the blog:  http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

Photo courtesy of:  http://www.morguefile.com/

Ten Popular Lies

Isn't it interesting how some lies become so commonplace and overused that they actually become popular?  Lies that my parents would never have spoken, are now everyday expressions we have all heard.  Even when we don't use these lies ourselves,  we hear these statements all the time, even on the news or in movies.

Since I am always on the lookout for good lies, this morning my Infobarrel feed revealed an article that was written by another writer, DesperateJournalism.  His article is called "Top 10 Lies that Are Good for Business."  It is a delightful look at some of the lies we have all heard.

I don't want to give away all of the lies that he mentions in his article.  However, some of the ones you may have heard are: 

I have read and accepted all terms and conditions
I did not have sexual relations with that woman
It's not you, it's me

There are seven more in the article that I'm sure you have heard before, too!

Unfortunately, when a lie becomes too popular, no one believes it anymore.  Therefore, even if you have read all the terms and conditions, no one actually believes that you did!  Look at the lies I listed in my article, "Common Lies Men Tell Women."  Most smart women don't believe them anymore.  We just accept them as popular lies that guys use!

Think about some of the lies that you hear people say so often that you never believe them anymore.  I know that I simply roll my eyes (privately) when I hear people say "No problem," or "I would love to do that for you."  We all like to think we aren't creating problems for others but, of course, when we ask a favor it is always a hassle for the other person.  They are just too nice to say so!

You are reading from the blog:  http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

Photo courtesy of http://www.morguefile.com/

Common Lies Men Tell Women

Most of us agree that we all lie at one time or another.  In fact, one of the most popular posts on this blog is the one entitled "Everyone Lies."  However, even though we all understand that, at the same time we don't like to be the one who is lied to.

Men lie to women, and women lie to men.  The topics of their lies may be different, but they lie to each other none-the-less.  This blog post is about the lies men tell women.  You be fair, you may also want to read "Common Lies Women Tell Men."

According to an article from Cosmopolitan.com called "Top 10 Lies Men Tell Women," the average guy lies about six times a day.  (Remember, we'll talk about women's lies, soon!).  Here are some of the common lies, as well as my own comments about each one:

Lies Men Tell Women

I'm Stuck in Traffic (which means he is running late.)
It Wasn't That Expensive (I don't waste money on expensive toys!)
I'm on My Way (Yeah, right!)
I Didn't Have Too Much to Drink (Problem drinkers always say this.)
Sorry, I Missed Your Call (I didn't want to talk when you called.)
My Cell Phone Battery Died (Ditto)
I Had No Signal  (Ditto ... they can't use the same lie all the time!)
No, Your Butt Doesn't Look Big in That (One very smart lie!)
This Will Be My Last Beer (Don't be fooled by this one!)
Nothing's Wrong, I'm Fine (I don't want to talk about it.)

Of course, everyone really does get stuck in traffic once in a while, or the battery on their phone dies, but if it happens too often he is probably lying at least some of the time.

In addition, there are times when all of us feel like avoiding a conversation, especially if we think it is going to be a serious one.  Not answering the phone, or saying that you are fine, are two ways that we all avoid those types of conversations.

Bottom line: It's still true that everyone lies.  It is wise for us to accept that fact, rather than fight about it.  At the same time, it is simply naive for a woman to believe all those lies.  So smarten up, girls, and realize when he is lying.  You don't have to get mad about every lie; but you don't have to believe them, either!

Dangerous Lies

On the other hand, if you think that the man you love is lying to cover up an affair, an addiction, alcoholism, criminal activity, mental illness or serious problems, these are not the types of lies that you can simply overlook.  If you believe that anything like that is going on, you may need to encourage him to get professional help, or you may need to see a therapist yourself.  There are some lies that are much too big to ignore.

You are reading from the blog:  http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/

Photo courtesy of http://www.morguefile.com/