Creative People Lie More Often

Businesses are always encouraging their employees to be more creative.  Frequently, they even hold seminars to help their employees "think outside the box."  While it is true that some of the best innovations come from people who are able to tap the creative areas of their minds, there may be a downside that employers might not appreciate.

According to an article in the May, 2015 issue of Reader's Digest Magazine, "Why We Bend the Rules," a researcher at Harvard named Francesca Gino, and one at Duke named Dan Ariely decided to see if they could determine if people who were more intelligent were more likely to be dishonest.

What they discovered was that being smarter didn't make you more likely to cheat; however, being creative did.

Why would being creative make you more likely to cheat?

Apparently, creative people are more likely to "retell" or "reframe" a story to make themselves look better, especially if they have done something wrong.

Just training someone to be more creative can make them more likely to cheat!!

When people are primed with words that encourage them to be creative, such as telling them to be flexible, novel or imaginative, they are also more likely to cheat more at games ... and perhaps in other ways.

So, before you decide to encourage your employees to be more creative, you may want to think about the potential consequences!

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

Photo credit:  Photo of Laguna Beach sculpture taken by author, Deborah-Diane.  All rights reserved.

The Big Fraud behind "The Big Short"

Did you or someone you know lose a job, business, home or money in their retirement accounts during the Great Recession that began in 2007?  If so, you know that the losses continued to affect people around the world for the next decade, or longer.

Millions of Baby Boomers lost so much money in their IRAs and 401(k)s that they had to postpone their retirement ... if they were able to retire at all.

If you want to understand the fraud behind the Great Recession, and the actions that need to be taken in order to prevent it from happening again, either read the book or watch the movie, "The Big Short."  The movie, in particular, explains in terms that nearly anyone can understand how it all started. 

Background Information About The Big Fraud Behind "The Big Short"

After the Great Depression in the 1930's, Congress passed the Glass-Steagall Act.  The purpose of this act was to prevent another collapse in the banking system, such as the one that occurred during the Depression.

While there were many aspects to Glass-Steagall beyond what is mentioned here, an important one was that stock brokerage firms and banks were required to be completely separate.  Banks needed to be conservative and stodgy, sticking with low-risk investments.  Brokerage firms had more restrictive rules to follow, such as limiting the amount of stock that could be purchased on margin, but they could take more risks than banks.

Beginning around 2002, the Glass-Steagall Act was dismantled.  Banks and brokerage firms were allowed to merge and buy each other, creating large banking institutions like Lehman Brothers that were considered "too big to fail."

Once banks and brokerage firms were connected and other financial rules were weakened, new types of investment products were created.  Banks began to package mortgages into bundles that their brokerage departments could sell like stocks.

Simultaneously, the conservative rules banks had previously followed before approving mortgage loans also began to be relaxed.  More "Ninja" loans, which stood for mortgages offered to people with No Income No Job, became available. 

At first these bundles of mortgages were good investments, since they were primarily made up of AAA mortgages.  However, these bundles of mortgages began to contain more and more of the BB or Ninja loans.  These loans had a high default rate.  When enough of the borrowers of those loans defaulted, the entire bundle of mortgages became worthless.

This is where the fraud came in.  The investors were not told that they were buying bundles of mortgages that contained a high percentage of Ninja loans.  Instead, they were told their investments were made up almost entirely of AAA loans. 

Sooner or later, these investments were bound to collapse ... but only a few people recognized that this was on the verge of happening.  Those who did see it coming shorted these investments ... hence, "The Big Short." However, when it happened, the losses brought down several of the big banks ... so many, in fact, that the world's economies almost certainly would have collapsed if the banks had not been rescued.

This created a ripple effect that brought down more than the big banks.  Billions of dollars were lost in the stock market.  Jobs were lost.  Defaults on mortgages accelerated. With higher unemployment and money lost in the stock market, people could not afford consumer goods.  The auto industry and related businesses began to collapse.  As these industries got in trouble, unemployment spiraled up, and the economies spiraled down.

Most of us know that it has taken close to a decade for the economy to recover ... and it is still very fragile.

Now that you understand the background, you will appreciate "The Big Short" even more, whether you watch the movie or read the book.  It is well worth the two hours, especially if you never want to see anything like this happen again!


See the trailer of "The Big Short" at:  https://twitter.com/thebigshort/status/668881794112946176

Photo courtesy of "The Big Short" on Twitter.

#TheBigShort #InvestmentFraud #GlassSteagall

Police Cameras and Lying Criminals

There has been a great deal of publicity lately about the need for police to wear body cameras.  There are many advantages to requiring the vast majority of police officers in major cities to wear cameras.  Both honest police officers and law-abiding members of the public believe it is a good idea.  Criminals, however, may find that it will be much harder for them to get away with lying.

Advantages for Police Officers

Between the use of dash cameras in their cars and body cameras, the police can more easily defend their use of reasonable force.  In fact, they can often show that force was necessary in order to restrain a suspect who was on drugs, violent or refused to comply with lawful police requests.

Advantages to Law-Abiding Citizens

The police cameras will also make it easier for people to expose police officers who use excessive force, especially when force has been applied to people who have dropped their weapons, are already handcuffed or have complied with similar police requests.  In cases like this, it is valuable tool that the arrested or compliant citizen can use to prove that they were treated unfairly.

Disadvantages to Lying Criminals

The best use of body cameras, however, is that it will make it easier in some cases for the police to prove that a criminal was breaking the law. For example, they will be able to prove that a criminal assaulted them, tried to run them over in a car, or was driving dangerously or breaking other laws.

There is another advantage that lying criminals may not think about.  Sometimes, when criminals are first arrested, they may blurt out things before they have had time to think up a good lie or talk to an attorney ... and it is all recorded.

On Halloween 2015, for example, a man drove a U-Haul truck the wrong way on a one-way street, crashing into a crowd in downtown Los Angeles, injuring eight people.  The first thing he blurted out was that he had smoked a marijuana cigarette before getting behind the wheel.  He was immediately arrested at the scene for felony driving under the influence charges.  It will be very difficult for him to go back later and say that it happened because of a pot-hole or because a dog ran in front of his vehicle or some other ridiculous lie.   

The body cameras have become an extension of cases when people have called 911 to report that their drugs, illegal weapons and similar possessions have been stolen.  Of course, in those cases the police are more than willing to show up to help them locate the drugs or guns that they have already admitted to possessing!

Fortunately, criminals who are on drugs at the time of their arrest (and many are) are often not thinking clearly at the time of their arrest.  While they may think that body cameras will protect them from excessive force, they often forget that they can also be used against them.  It has just become much more difficult for criminals to get away with lying ... and that benefits the rest of us!

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

Photo credit:  www.morguefile.com

 

Political Lies and Lying Politicians - 2015

If there is one thing we can almost always count on during the political season, it is that the politicians are going to stretch the truth, distort the truth and downright lie ... not occasionally, but almost continually.  In the fall of 2015, here are some of the lies we have been hearing, and I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceburg.

Carly Fiorina's Misleading Claim Against Planned Parenthood

During the September 17, 2015 Republican debate on CNN, Carly Fiorina looked straight into the cameras and gave a convincing and graphic description of an aborted fetus she claimed to have seen on a hidden camera video taken at a Planned Parenthood clinic.  The problem is that there are NO scenes such as the one she described on any of the hidden camera videos that were taken in Planned Parenthood facilities.  It just didn't happen.  It is possible that she confused it with another video of a miscarriage in a facility that had nothing to do with Planned Parenthood, but no one is sure.  FactCheck.org verified that this scene was not related to Planned Parenthood and, so far, the Fiorina campaign has not refuted it.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chapman/ct-carly-fiorina-donald-trump-hewlett-packard-perspec-0920-20150918-column.html

Hilary Clinton and Top Secret Emails

Hilary Clinton has been widely criticized for using a server in her own home as her email provider during the term she served as Secretary of State.  She has insisted that there were no Top Secret emails that were transmitted using her personal email.  However, she apparently overlooked a few.  While the vast majority of her emails were not labeled Top Secret, the special panel that is reviewing her emails did find at least two that were labeled Top Secret at the time she sent them.  Oversight ... or a lie?

http://dailycaller.com/2015/09/08/special-review-confirms-hillary-clintons-email-had-top-secret-information/

Trump Criticized Gov. Scott Walker for Having a Huge Deficit in Wisconsin

While Trump may have believed that Wisconsin had a $2.2 billion deficit while Scott Walker was governor, as he claimed in the CNN Republican debate, in truth the state is required by law to have a balanced budget and the state actually was able to provide tax cuts to its citizens.

Trump Lied About Not Wanting Casino Gambling in Florida

During the CNN debate, Jeb Bush brought up the fact that Donald Trump made a $50,000 donation to his gubernatorial campaign and sent lobbyists to Florida in an attempt to get casino gambling approved in Florida.  Bush insisted that he could not be bought and Trump was not successful in his attempt to get casino gambling.  Trump claimed that Bush was wrong and he had not tried to get casino gambling in Florida.

However, it is a well-known fact that Trump actively pursued a deal to put casinos on tribal land in Florida, but he failed, partially because Bush did not support him in this quest.

Donald Trump vs. Dr. Ben Carson on Vaccines

Donald Trump repeatedly made the claim while running for office in 2015 that vaccines cause autism.  Dr. Ben Carson, who is a pediatric doctor and also a presidential candidate, disputed the claim, referring to a number of large studies that have proven there is no relationship between vaccines and autism.

Eventually, Trump backed down and simply said that it would be better if inoculations were spread out more.  Dr. Carson agreed and they seemed to compromise on the issue, but it was only after Trump had spread this misinformation around the country.

Other Trump Exaggerations and Errors

While nearly all the politicians who are running for president seem to be stretching the truth, Donald Trump has made the most statements that could be considered exaggerations, at the very least.  Here are a few of those statements, along with the truth:

"Our real unemployment is anywhere from 18 to 20 percent."  PolitiFact tried to reproduce his numbers.  The highest recent formal unemployment rate is 10.6 percent and even when they used alternative methods and stretched it as much as possible, they could not get it past 16 percent, and that seemed a "considerable stretch."

"Last quarter ... our Gross Domestic Product ... was below zero."  In truth, our GDP is in the trillions of dollars, nowhere near zero.  Growth in GDP is sometimes below zero, but that is not unusual to have happen in a quarter.  In fact, it has happened 42 times in the past 68 years.

To be fair, observers are uncertain whether Trump has intentionally lied about some of these issues or if he simply did not understand the information and, consequently, misinterpreted it.


http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2015/sep/17/fact-checking-second-gop-presidential-debate/

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2015/jun/17/fact-checking-donald-trump/

There are sure to be more political lies in the coming months, so look for more articles on this topic during the 2015-2016 political season!

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

Photo credit: morguefile.com

How Crooked Investment Advisers Lie to You

How do you know if that nice investment adviser is telling your the truth?  Is he a reliable source of retirement planning advice, or is he a fraud who is only trying to get control of your money or receive a large commission?  

The sales person may have a nice office, dress well, drive an expensive car and look successful.  They may seem confident and knowledgeable ... experts in a variety of types of investments.  They will probably also come prepared with lots of facts and figures that sound impressive.

Best of all, they have a great investment idea and, because they like you and want to help you out, they will let you in on it.  This all sounds wonderful, but is it?

Who is Most Like to Fall for a Crooked Investment Adviser?

According to FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, consumers who have investment experience are more likely to fall for fraudulent deals.  They have also found that men are more gullible than women (sorry guys).  Often, the victims of fraudulent investment deals are the very people who feel confident that they understand the risks and the complexities of the deal, and they are sure that they have made a great decision.  It is not unusual for victims to be shocked and go through a period of denial and disbelief before they finally begin to see the truth.


When to Be Suspicious of an Investment Sales Pitch

What are some clues that you are about to fall for a dishonest sales scheme?  Often, according to an article called "Five Misleading Investment Pitches" in the March, 2015 AARP Bulletin, the sales person will make one of the statements shown below.

*  "I can guarantee you a high return," "Other people are already making 25% a year," or "This investment consistently performs better than the market."  No one can guarantee you an abnormally high rate of return and anyone who does make such a guarantee is breaking the law.

*  "You can trust me because I'm a good, active member of your church (temple, club, etc.)."  Unfortunately, con men cheat their friends and acquaintances the most frequently ... and then beg for forgiveness when the truth comes out.

*   "This investment is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission."  This should be an immediate red flag because the SEC does not vet investment products.

*   "I specialize in putting senior citizens in conservative investments."  What this usually means is that they sell costly annuities and similar insurance products at free lunches.

*   "I only earn money from commissions."  This statement often puts pressure on friends who want to help out by giving their investment business to their favorite friendly sales people.  The statement is intended to generate sympathy and is surprisingly effective at getting people to buy low quality investments because they want to be helpful. 

DO NOT FALL FOR ANY OF THE ABOVE SALES PLOYS!

Be suspicious of any deal that is not being handled by a reputable company or that is not commonly available to the general public.  Get second and third opinions from other companies and compare what they have to offer carefully.  Read the fine print thoroughly.  Discuss the investment you are considering with other astute investors.  Use the internet to see what is being said on the internet about that investment.  In other words, do your homework before turning your hard earned money over to someone else.

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

Photo credit:  Morguefile

Outrageous Scams that Target Senior Citizens

It is absolutely reprehensible that there are scams that specifically target senior citizens.  Unfortunately, the scammers know that many senior citizens are lonely, friendly, helpful, easily confused and, in some cases, have slight dementia, which makes it difficult for them to determine whether or not they are being told lies.  Most of these scams take place by phone.  While many senior citizens refuse to accept calls from strangers, others can find themselves victimized by a simple phone call.

Bill Collector Scams

For example, if someone calls and tells them that they have "forgotten" to pay a bill and the collector says that they are just trying to help them out by calling them personally, a senior citizen is much more likely than younger adults to give the collector their debit or credit card information over the phone.  The phony bill collector may also take a threatening tone.  They may claim that the victim's electricity or cable will be cut off if they don't pay their bill over the phone immediately.  The senior citizen may be embarrassed to think that they forgot to pay a bill.  They may be afraid that others will think they have dementia or that they are not capable of handling their personal affairs.  This fear may be stronger than their natural sense of suspicion.

Charitable Scams

Another type of scam is the charitable scam.  Someone from an official sounding charity may call the home asking the senior citizen to help feed poor people in their neighborhood.  Again, the senior citizen may provide their credit or debit card information because they want to be helpful.  The truth is that they have no idea if the person placing the call actually belongs to a charity.  The senior citizen may also find that they get charged far more than they expected.  Once again, they may be too confused or embarrassed to question the charge.

According to the newspaper for my retirement community, here are other current scams that are targeting senior citizens:

Medicare Fraud - The scammer gets the senior citizen to give them their personal information, including Social Security number, birth date and Medicare information.  Then, the scammer may use this info to bill Medicare for phony medical procedures and keep the money for themselves.

Funeral and Cemetery Scams - In these cases, the scammers read the obituaries, attend funerals and tell the relatives that the deceased person owed them money.

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs - Prescription medicine can be a major expense for some of the elderly.  As a result, some of them attempt to purchase their prescriptions online.  Sadly, what they receive may be fake and the senior citizens can end up not having the medications they need.  This can be a life-threatening scam.  The television show, "Sixty Minutes," has featured the issue of counterfeit prescription drugs at least twice in 2015.  However, people still fall for this scam, because they sometimes have trouble paying for their drugs.

Anti-Aging Products - Although we all know there is no fountain of youth, far too many people hope that they will maintain their youth, strength, appearance or virility, if they can just find the right combination of creams and supplements.  Often they buy things that will not help them at all and, in some cases, may actually bring them harm.

Telemarketing Sales - Scammers know that the elderly are twice as likely as younger adults to buy products over the phone.  Unfortunately, most of the time they don't even need these products.  In some cases, they pay for the items they buy, but never receive them.  In other cases, they receive an item that is not worth anything close to what they paid for it.

Lottery / Prize Scams - In these scams, the senior citizen is called and told that they have won a large prize, such as a trip or cash.  However, they are told that first they must pay the taxes on the item they won.  This is against federal law.  No one should ever have to pay up-front in order to receive a prize.  If someone asks you to do this, you know that it is a scam.

The Grandparent Scam - This is one that has been covered on this blog several times.  This occurs when a teen calls and either is crying and begging their grandparents to send them money OR they are screaming in the background while someone else says the teen has been kidnapped and the grandparents need to send money to get them released.  In either case, it is a horrifying scam.

Being forewarned is forearmed.  We all need to educate ourselves about these scams in order to protect ourselves from being the victim of the next scam.  When in doubt, get your friends or other family members involved, too.  People are less likely to fall for a scam if they discuss these phone calls with other people.

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

Photo credit:  www.morguefile.com

Fox News Tells More Lies Than Other Cable News

When you flip on the news, who should you believe?  Apparently, all the major cable news stations tell lies, or at least make misleading statements, during some of their news reports.  According to the Tampa Bay News PunditFact report, this is why it is wise to check important stories by obtaining the information you want from more than one news source.  If several news sources are telling basically the same story, there is a good chance that it will be mostly true. (Do I sound cynical?)

When PunditFact checked the "factual" information reported by several major cable news companies, they discovered some interesting results.  Here is the percentage of the time that the companies gave out information that was "mostly false," "false" or "pants on fire false."  In other words, the last category showed the number of times that they were telling flat-out, intentional lies that were intended to deceive the public.

Percentage of Lies Told on Cable News

Fox News:   60% of the time

MSNBC:    48% of the time

CNN:          18% of the time

This means that, of the three, the information on CNN was more accurate than the information provided on either of the other two cable news stations they studied.  However, even with CNN, there were some stories that were not completely accurate.  This is why it is a good idea to verify your information by using other news sources ... as many as possible.

Here are a few examples, provided by PunditFact, of the misleading or absolutely untrue statements that they found were made by employees of Fox News ... along with my personal incredulity that they actually believed they were reporting facts:

*  "The term Redskins was historically a term meant to show respect."  (Didn't they ever watch a Western when they were kids?)

*  "Liberals have figured out a way to ban conservatives from Facebook."  (My conservative husband and a number of my conservative friends from across the country are on Facebook, and they frequently promote posts by well-known conservative politicians.  Therefore, I personally know that this is patently untrue!)

*  "A claim was made by one reporter that a woman died because of Obamacare, because Blue Shield pulled out of California."  (My husband and I live in California and both my husband and my daughter have Blue Shield insurance.  I also know that this is completely untrue.)

Looking for more examples and details?  You can use the link below to check out the statistics and the specific lies that PunditFacts has determined were told on Fox News.

Just remember, they aren't the only news source that doesn't always tell the complete truth.  They are just the worst.

MSNBC came in a close second.  Isn't it a shame that we have to worry that our news may be fiction?  It is becoming more and more difficult to get unbiased news reports.


Source:

http://americablog.com/2014/07/punditfact-fox-news-wins-battle-false-cable-network.html

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

Photo credit:  Morguefile.com

Expensive IRS Audit Scam Targets Taxpayers

Once tax season is over each year, many people are in danger of falling victim to an expensive IRS audit scam that could cost them thousands of dollars.  This scam can happen at any time of year.  The people who are most vulnerable are people who have some concerns about whether or not they paid their taxes correctly in the past ... which means that almost everyone is a potential victim.  The vast majority of people have some concern that they may have made a mistake on a return at least once in the past.

On January 22, 2015, the ABC Nightly News featured a news story about this IRS scam.  In this scam, residents of the United States receive threatening phone calls that appear on their Caller ID's to be from the Internal Revenue Service.   Apparently, about one out of one hundred people who receive one of these calls will succumb to it, often loosing a thousand dollars or more.  In fact, this scam has already cost American taxpayers over $14 million that authorities know about ... and the amount is growing monthly.

The way it works is that the taxpayer receives a very aggressive phone call.  They are threatened with jail if they do not immediately purchase pre-paid cards in amounts large enough to cover the owed "tax."  Then, they are told to call a phone number they have been given and tell the phony "IRS agent" the numbers on the back of the pre-paid cards.  Once they do that, the money is gone ... forever.

What You Should Know to Avoid the IRS Scam:


1.  The IRS NEVER makes threatening phone calls.
2.  The IRS will NOT call and threaten to put you in jail.
3.  The IRS usually corresponds by mail, although they may occasionally call with a simple question.  When they do, they will NOT ask for your Social Security number or other personal information.
4.  The IRS will NOT ask you to make an immediate payment over the phone.
5.  The IRS will NOT ask you to send them the numbers of pre-paid cash cards; nor will they ask you to give them a credit card number or a bank account number over the phone.

If you do get a call like this, hang up.  If they used a phone number that showed up on your caller ID, write it down.  Anytime something like this happens, call your local police or sheriff's department, as well as your local IRS office.  Report as many details as possible everywhere you can.

You need to know, however, that the call probably came from a foreign country and you have almost no recourse. If you fall for it, once the money is gone there is no way to get it back.  The caller will probably never go to jail.  Your best defense is to play it smart and not fall for the scam in the first place.

Anytime you get a questionable call about your taxes, you need to hang up and call the IRS directly ... or contact your tax preparer and ask them to help you.  If the IRS does have a legitimate question about your taxes, you will be much better off if you place the call, rather than discuss your personal information with a stranger who calls you.

Remember, it is always wise to be skeptical when you receive a phone call from a stranger.  You never really know who is calling you.

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

Photo credit:  www.morguefile.com

Tricked into Downloading Malware!

Believe it or not, if you get malware on your computer, the chances are very good that you downloaded it yourself!

Of course, you didn't download the malware intentionally.  Instead, a smart scammer tricked you into doing it.  Even your security and anti-virus software may not protect you from these types of viruses and malware, since you download it yourself.  Scammers have gotten extremely sophisticated.

How Scammers Trick You Into Downloading Malware

So, how do they do it?

First, they advertise free games, programs, videos or music.  You may see the promotions in an email, on social media or as an advertisement.

Next, when you try to open these items, you get a message that says you do not have the right software or that you need a software upgrade in order to get the free programs to work.

Naturally, you do a search to find the right software.  In the case of a video, they may suggest that need to add a special viewer or something else to your media player.  When you find the software or viewer, you download it.  No problem.  In fact, the games, programs, videos or music you want to use works just fine, so you are sure that everything you did was legitimate.

Unfortunately, this is not true.

When you downloaded the software, you may have also downloaded malware that can steal your private information or allow them to secretly use your computer for cybercrime!  You will have no idea this is happening.

Even when the crimes they are committing are not that serious, its possible that you may have inadvertently downloaded spyware that will allow them to sell your information, interests or search history to someone else.

How to Avoid Downloading Malware

First of all, think about this issue.  Any legitimate company will provide you with games, videos, programs and music that uses mainstream software.  They would not want to limit their customer base by requiring you to download anything special.  If a company says that you need to download something extra in order to get their items to work,  DO NOT DO IT!

Second, if you do need new software, only download it from legitimate sources like Microsoft or Apple.

Third, use anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date.  I also recommend that you use malware protection, too.  I like HitmanPro, but there are others.  HitmanPro was the only software that was able to remove some malware that I accidentally downloaded on my computer about a year ago.  (Yes, I'm speaking about this topic from experience, since I have fallen for these tricks myself.  I kept seeing an ad that told me I needed to update my Flash Player.  I clicked on it and, a few days later, I discovered that I had malware on my computer.  It cost me nearly $100 and hours of my time to get rid of it.)

Finally, keep your software and operating system up-to-date, as well.  The newer everything is on your computer, the less susceptible it is to malware ... although nothing is perfect.


Source:

http://www.scambusters.org/virusdownload.html

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

Photo credit:  Photo taken by author, Deborah75; all rights reserved.

Brian Williams Misremembered Incident in Iraq War

In early February, 2015, highly respected NBC anchorman, Brian Williams, was caught in a major lie going back to 2003, when he and a news crew were imbedded with the army's 159th Aviation Regiment at the beginning of the Iraq war.

For more than a decade he had told members of his "Nightly News" audience, as well as late-night television host David Letterman, about his near death experience when the helicopter he was in was forced down after it was fired upon by rocket propelled grenades.

In late January, 2015, Williams went so far as to honor a veteran who, he claimed, had ensured his safety after the helicopter they were in was forced down.

According to military personnel who were actually on the helicopter that was forced down, the one that Brian Williams was flying in did not arrive on the scene for almost an hour after the damaged helicopter was forced down.  At that time, Brian Williams came up and questioned crew members about what had happened, since he had not witnessed the events himself.

However, Rich Krell, the pilot of the Chinook helicopter that was carrying Brian Williams and his film crew, confirmed that Williams was telling the truth when he said that his helicopter was hit by small arms fire from the ground.   It is possible that Williams, not being a military person, may have been frightened and confused by the two types of attacks on the helicopters.  Krell also said they had to drop off their cargo after having received fire, which is the reason they arrived so late after the other Chinook was forced down.  Later, Krell has also backtracked a bit, admitting that, due to the number of missions he flew, he is having trouble remembering the details of this specific one ... which is quite understandable.

Williams has apologized on air for misleading people and explained that he "misremembered" the incident.

The biggest issue many people have with the situation is that Brian Williams is not an ordinary guy who is prone to exaggeration ... like your old Uncle Nick.  Instead, he is a respected journalist whose honesty may no longer be trusted.  How can we have confidence in his reports on major news stories, when he cannot even honestly retell an event from his own life?

On the other hand, a substantial number of people do not consider it important whether or not Williams told the exact truth, especially since the incident happened so long ago and there seems to be several versions around, with several of the participants having a hard time remembering exactly what happened that day.

Meanwhile, NBC News President Deborah Turness announced on February 10, 2015 that they had suspended Brian Williams without pay for the next six months.  Lester Hold will substitute for Williams as the NBC Nightly News anchor.  After six months without pay, it will be interesting to see if Brian Williams remains with NBC, perhaps in a different capacity, or if he will move to a different news organization ... perhaps working behind the scenes.

In President Turness' letter, she said, in part:

“While on Nightly News on Friday, January 30, 2015, Brian misrepresented events which occurred while he was covering the Iraq War in 2003. It then became clear that on other occasions Brian had done the same while telling that story in other venues. This was wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in Brian’s position.  As Managing Editor and Anchor of Nightly News, Brian has a responsibility to be truthful and to uphold the high standards of the news division at all times.”

All I can say is ... I agree!

As a result of this scandal, Brian Williams lost at least $5,000,000 in income, half of his $10,000,000 a year salary.  In addition, other stories that he has told over the years have been called into question, further hurting his credibility.

It will be months before we know if he will ever return to the anchor desk and read the evening news again.  In a recent survey, about half of Americans polled said that they thought he should return after his punishment is over; the other half thought he should not.  NBC has a lot to consider over the coming half-year suspension.


For more information from CNN about this incident:

http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/05/media/brian-williams-iraq/index.html

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

Photo credit:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brian_Williams_2011_Shankbone.JPG

Malware and Viruses on Internet Sites

Shouldn't internet sites be held responsible for checking their advertisers and blocking those ads that carry malware and viruses?  Why should computer users feel like the internet is the Wild West?  Shouldn't the sites be liable for some of the malware that they let through?

Approximately a year ago, I got a nasty piece of malware on my computer.  When I called McAfee and spent hours trying to restore my computer ... which was only possible after I had also installed HitmanPro ... the technician that helped me said that I had probably picked up the malware when I had clicked on an ad on one of the websites I use.

Wait a minute!  Have you ever tried NOT to click on some of those ads?  Often they pop up just as you are scrolling down the page and your cursor happens to roll over them.  It can be almost impossible to avoid every single ad.

My reaction to this piece of information was to install AdBlocker on my computer, too, and I use it on many of the websites that I use.  However, while it is a big help, it doesn't prevent all ads from showing up.  In addition, I know that, without advertising, many websites would have to close down.  They rely on the advertisers in order to operate.

While I realize that advertising revenue is important, I feel that these websites have a responsibility to make sure that the ads they show are not going to install a virus or malware on the computers of their readers.

Recently I read about a similar danger in an ad that is being run on Facebook.  Here is the relevant information from Scambusters:

http://www.scambusters.org/cybercrime.html

In their report, Scambusters suggests that readers be careful not to fall for the "free $100 Amazon gift card, thanks to an offer that’s just popped up on your Facebook page."  Apparently, there is no gift card.  However, if you click on the link or share it with your friends, you will be "spreading a scam that phishes for personal info or plants malware on your — and their — PCs."

If Scambusters knows about this fraudulent offer, then Facebook must know about it, too.  Consequently, why doesn't Facebook remove it?

It seems to me that internet sites are not doing an adequate job of monitoring the ads that appear on their pages.  They receive revenue from many of these ads, of course.  It's time they stepped in and made sure the ads are trustworthy and are only there to promote legitimate products or companies.

Consumers need to let these websites know exactly how they feel ... even if it means they boycott some websites until they clean up their advertisers.

If we are ever going to feel safe on the internet, it can only happen when the professionals who run the sites take some responsibility for protecting the consumers.

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

Photo credit:  Photo taken by author, Deborah-Diane; all rights reserved.

How to Prevent Medicaid and Medicare Fraud

A growing problem among senior citizens is Medicare Fraud.  Dishonest people can steal your Medicare information and use it to let other people obtain medical treatment in your name.  Criminals have been known to even purchase drugs for their own use or to sell.  This type of Medicare fraud and medical identity theft can cause serious problems for innocent people when they visit a doctor or they try to fill a prescription, only to discover that someone else has already used their benefits.  For example, a pharmacy may refuse to refill a prescription for painkillers if they believe you have already filled it recently.  Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent this from happening to you.

Steps to Prevent Medicare Fraud

*  Do not carry your Medicare or Medicaid card around, except when you will need it for a visit to a doctor, hospital or pharmacy.

*  Never give your Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security numbers out over the phone to a stranger.  Legitimate agencies will never call you and ask for your number; government departments will never contact you to sell you a product.

*  Carefully examine your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) and Part D Explanation of Benefits (EOB) for mistakes.  Make sure they do not list things like:  visits to doctors you did not see, services or treatments you did not get, double billing, or drug purchases you did not make.

*  If you see suspicious activity on your MSN or EOB, you can report it to the Senior Medicare Patrol.  They have a website at www.smpresource.org and they can put you in touch with the proper authorities in your state.

Don't become a victim of Medicare Fraud and don't let someone else misuse your information.

In addition, if you have an elderly relative, you may want to help them out by checking any paperwork they receive from Medicare. It could save them, and you, a lot of problems later on.

Resources to help you:

www.smpresource.org
www.stopmedicarefraud.gov

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

Photo credit:  wikipedia.org/commons

The Terrifying Kidnapping Hoax

A couple of years ago I wrote a post about the crying teenager hoax.  This is a scam in which a young person calls you in tears and pretends to be your child or grandchild.  They are crying so hard that it is difficult to make out what they are saying.  However, it is clear that they need you to wire them money right away in order to solve their problem.

You can see that article here:  http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com/2012/06/crying-teenager-phone-hoax.html

Now the scammers have stepped up the intensity of the calls to make them even more terrifying, so people are much more likely to rush to the bank and wire the money to the caller as quickly as possible.

It is called the Kidnapping Hoax.

These people have dropped to a new low.

Instead of a crying teenager, you get an ominous phone call from a person who claims to have kidnapped your child or grandchild and threatens to kill them if you do not send them money quickly.  In the background, you can hear what sounds like a child's voice crying and screaming "help me" or "don't hurt me."  Sometimes there are sounds that indicate the child is being beaten.  From what I have been told, the phone calls are truly heart-rending.

You can imagine how much your adrenalin would kick in if you received a phone call like this.  It would be hard to think straight.

Don't fall victim to this hoax.  If you EVER think someone you love may have been kidnapped, call the police.  Don't try to handle anything like this on your own.

Once you get the police involved, immediately write down everything you can remember about the call ... the phone number that showed up on your caller ID, any background noises you heard, whether the caller sounded like a man or woman, whether the teen voice in the background sounded like it was male or female, etc.

In addition, you will want to call all your relatives and, without alarming them, confirm that they are all OK.  You can even tell them that you received a "strange call" that you suspect was a wrong number, but you wanted to make sure it was not from them.  Doing this will put your mind at ease that your loved ones are alright, until the police can take over.

Do NOT wire money to these people.  It will only encourage them to keep committing this fraud and making these terrifying phone calls to other potential victims.

The only way to truly stop this type of crime is when people stop falling for it.

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

Photo credit:  www.morguefile.com

Teens Fall for Instagram Comments Scam

Have you heard about Instagram Comments Scam?  Recently I saw a report about the frightening danger posed by those ads you occasionally see in the comments section of various articles that you read online.  They are particularly prevalent under the celebrity photos that are shown on Instagram, prompting authorities to call it the Instagram Comments Scam, but the same idea applies to other sites, as well. 

You know the ads that I am referring to ... the ones that advertise things like: "you can earn $2000 to $10,000 in a few minutes" by contacting the phone number that they give you.

The "Good Morning America" segment on which I saw on this story demonstrated exactly what happens if you make that phone call.

Apparently, the person will tell you to purchase a few of the reload packs that people use to reload pre-paid debit cards with cash.  Then, they explain that you should give them the security pin number on the back of the reload packs and, in return, they will hack into the company computer system and add "zero's" to the amount of the reload pack.  In other words, they will add a zero to a $200 card and make it worth $2000.  Of course this is illegal, but apparently teens, in particular, have been tempted by the idea of quick cash and have fallen victim to this scam.

Unfortunately, once the scammer has the security pin number, the criminal can simply steal all the money you have on the card.  They are more than happy to take your $200.

To make matter worse, they know that the majority of people who fall for this scam will never report it, because they don't want to admit that they were trying to cheat the reload card company.  So most of the time the financial loss remains a secret.

Estimates are that teens are falling for this type of fraud by the thousands.

This is a really frightening scam.  Don't be the next victim and don't let your teenager fall for it, either.  Make sure they know that this is illegal and that the person most likely to be hurt is not some "anonymous corporation," as they think.  The teens themselves are the ones most likely to end up losing money in this fraud!

I also feel that sites like Instagram need to do a better job of policing the comments that are left.  Any comments like this should be automatically deleted and the writers should be banned from the site.  Site owners have a responsibility to not let known scams flourish on their sites.

Source: "Good Morning America," ABC television network, August 20, 2014.

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

Photo credit:  Morguefile

Creepy Cosmetics You Do NOT Want to Use

We all like to look our best and, in an attempt to do that, many women use a variety of cosmetics.  However, do you really know what is in those products?  Are these actually substances that you would want to put on your skin ... particularly your face?

According to the website Consumer Savvy Tips, some of the ingredients that are used in cosmetics can be absolutely disgusting!  Listed below are some of the worst:

Creepy Cosmetics Ingredients

*  Cow Dung - while it isn't in your makeup yet, it is already being using in Japan and it will be coming to the United States and other countries, soon.  You can bet they are not going to list it on the ingredients label, either, without changing the name to some fancy chemical term.

*  Ambergris - this sounds like a pretty name, something that you wouldn't mind using.  In truth, it is actually whale vomit and it has already been used for years in perfume and some creams.

*  Caviar - it's expensive, so it must be wonderful, right?  Do you really want raw fish eggs on your skin?

*  Placenta - prized for its protein ... but do you really want to rub it on your face?

*  Chemicals whose names you cannot pronounce.  While this was not on the list of substances mentioned by the Consumer Savvy website, I often wonder about the idea of rubbing all these different unknown chemicals on my skin, especially when I have no idea what they actually are. 

* Poisonous substances that contaminate your makeup, such as arsenic or high levels of lead.  A surprisingly large amount of makeup has been contaminated with bacteria and other substances that are never listed on the ingredient lists ... often because they are not supposed to be there in the first place.  Do you really want to rub these things on your skin every day?

*  Formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, is found in about one in five cosmetic products, often listed under the names DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, sodium hydroxymenthylglycinate and bronopol.  Check your makeup and see if you find one of these substances listed in the ingredients.

You should also know that our FDA has only banned about a dozen toxic chemicals from cosmetics, while the European Union has banned over 1300.  That's something to think about!

The good thing about the Consumer Savvy article is that it also offers some practical suggestions for natural substances that you can use on your skin and hair, such as avocado, beer, tea bags (which I have used), mint, limes, etc.  These are great alternatives and you can read more about them here:

http://www.consumersavvytips.org/the_real_truth_about_your_cosmetics.html

For more information, look for: "13 Things The Beauty Industry Won't Tell You," Reader's Digest, August 2014

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

Photo credit:  www.morguefile.com

Do NOT Buy Phony Affliate Websites

Recently I heard about an elderly man who wanted to earn money from home.  He had no experience with affiliate marketing or online writing sites and he did not believe he could set up a website by himself.  Consequently, he spent $4,000 to purchase an affiliate site from a company that promised him he could make money selling products off his own website.  When he couldn't figure out how to use the site, he showed the site to a friend of mine who is knowledgeable about computers and earning online income.  She was shocked to discover how much he had paid for a very basic website that simply advertised products for a drop shipper. 

The site was not worth anywhere near what the man had paid for it.  My friend said there was so much work to be done to fix it that she would have to charge him for her time.  In addition to what he has already paid, plus the fee she will have to charge him, the man will also have to pay an ongoing fee to the company that hosts the website.  In other words, he has already spent thousands of dollars and he will continue to pour more money into this site ... not knowing if he will ever sell a single product!

To make matters worse, the "drop shipper" who handles the merchandise for him is simply turning around, entering the orders on Amazon and having Amazon ship the products.  The drop shipper plans to charge the man who purchased the website an additional $37 a month to handle this fairly simple process.  In addition, because the drop shipper marks up the prices, the prices on the website are significantly higher than the prices on Amazon ... which means it is even less likely that the man will have any sales.

When my friend saw how badly this man had been cheated, she said that she plans to redesign the website and eliminate the drop shipper so he can order the products directly through Amazon himself.  However, there is still no guarantee that he will ever successfully sell anything and it is highly unlikely that he will ever recoup the thousands of dollars he spent.


As my friend said, "scammers are very clever at their trade - they prey on vulnerable people who are trying to better their lives."  They take advantage of people who do not know how to earn money on the internet on their own without getting ripped off.

There are far too many disreputable companies out there who work day and night to lure people in with promises of training and ongoing support ... which virtually disappears as soon as the clients send in their money to purchase a website. 

When my friend was discussing this situation on an online forum, another writer said that she, too, had been scammed by a company called Your Own Store.  This buyer said that she had paid $9000 to buy an affiliate website that could not possibly have ever generated enough money to earn back her investment.  She pointed out that she was computer literate and a school teacher, yet she still fell victim to this scam.  The owners of the company assured her that they would train her and give her all the help she needed.  However, all they did was teach her what are known as "blackhat" techniques ... which means trying to attract customers in ways that are not acceptable by Google and can ultimately get your site in trouble or even cause them to close it down.

In this woman's case, she worked for three years to try to reach the goal they set for her of 250 visits a day in order to earn a passive income.  She worked constantly to try to achieve that goal, without success.  Eventually, the company shut down her site because she could not afford to pay them the monthly fee to maintain her domain.

When she filed a complaint with authorities and learned more about the company, she discovered that the company had sold hundreds and hundreds of these sites and not one person had made a profit.  To add insult to injury, the principals of the company were able to take millions of dollars in profit and disappear.

The women who told me about these two incidents said that they were extremely upset that so many new people continue to be cheated in this way.  We were discussing this on a forum where writers share information about InfoBarrel and Hubpages, two legitimate affiliate sites that let you write reviews of Amazon products and earn commissions.  In sites like these, there is no cost to join, no ongoing expenses and no outlays other than the effort involved in writing your reviews of Amazon products ... which can include books, movies, video games, electronic equipment, kitchen accessories, toys, etc.  Your reviews might or might not be successful and earn you much money.  However, whether you earn anything or not, you have not spent money in order to try to sell products and earn money.

In addition to InfoBarrel and Hubpages, there are other legitimate websites where writers can earn money writing reviews about Amazon products.  These include DailyTwoCents, and Writedge.  While the income may not be large, especially at first when you have only written a few reviews, at least you will not be losing money.  In addition, your income will grow as your library of reviews increases.

Some experienced online writers also eventually develop their own websites or blogs and write product reviews on them.  A blogger blog, for example, can be set up for free and, if you have already become an Amazon affiliate through another site, you can write reviews on it and earn money at no cost to you!

Another site where thousands of people earn a couple of hundred dollars a month is Bubblews.  Participants only need to write short articles (about 100 words long) about their community, their lives, their hobbies, or their opinions and they can earn money from these short articles. 

Before investing any money to buy an online business, check out the legitimate sites that allow you to earn money without paying a fee.  If someone tries to sell you a website, don't fall for their lies.

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

Photo credit:  Photo of cat at computer is property of author, Deborah-Diane; all rights reserved.

Beware of Fake Businesses You Find on Google Searches!

I was stunned to hear about this shocking scam.  When you Google a business by using a keyword such as plumbers, electricians or locksmiths, you may actually be given the information of a fake company that doesn't really exist.

When you call the number given in the ad, you could be calling a legitimate local company or you could be calling what is known as a boiler-room operation that may be thousands of miles away.  If you happen to get one of these phony companies, they will give you a reasonable quote, but the person they send out may not even be licensed or work for a local business.

Once the service provider shows up, they will suddenly find more work that needs to be done or "special circumstances" that require them to charge much more than the original quote.  You already have them there, so you will probably end up paying the additional fees.

 

These unscrupulous people flood Google Maps with hundreds of fraudulent listings in every city.  This allows them to trick thousands of consumers into using unlicensed, low-quality or overpriced service providers.

How to protect yourself:

!.  Get a recommendation from another source such as AAA or a friend.  Don't rely solely on Google!

2.  Do another type of Google search on the name of any company you consider using ... combined with the word "scam."  See what information pops up about this company.

3.  Ask for a written estimate and the state license number of the company.

4.  Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if the company is listed and if they have any unresolved complaints.

Whatever you do, don't simply assume that if a company pops up in a Google search, it is legitimate.  You could simply be seeing a advertisement that anyone put online!

Source of the information on this scam:

Bottom Line/Personal

http://www.scambusters.org/fakecompanies.html

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

Photo credit:  Photo of the cat and computer was taken by author, Deborah-Dian; all rights reserved.

Do You Believe the IRS Lost its Emails about the Tea Party?

As someone who is registered as a non-partisan, I try to look at both political parties with a skeptical eye.  In the 2014 open California primary, I voted for five Republicans and five Democrats, for a variety of elected office.  I do not have a vested interested in either party, other than hoping that they will remain honest (which may be a pipe dream).

I am also old enough to remember the Watergate scandal and the missing 20 minutes of dictaphone tape that were supposedly erased by Nixon's secretary.  I was a young legal secretary at the time and, along with several other secretaries, I tried to re-enact the way that tape was supposedly erased, as described by the secretary.  We decided it was absolutely ridiculous that anyone could maintain such an awkward position for so long.  There was no way that the Watergate tape was accidentally erased.

As a result, I am very skeptical of the latest government scandal involving missing IRS emails.  Supposedly, IRS employee Lois Lerner had her computer crash in 2011.  She was the head of the IRS division that handled the tax exempt status for groups and is accused of having unfairly delayed the applications of organizations that were known to lean towards the Tea Party.  Some of the applications were delayed by as much as a year, a crucial delay during an election year.  The missing emails covered a two year period between 2009 and 2011. 

Now the IRS has asserted that they also lost emails on other computers that crashed, including the computer of Nikole Flax who was the chief of staff for Lerner's boss.

Doesn't that seem like an incredible coincidence?

This is especially disconcerting since all IRS emails, as well as the emails of other government departments, are supposed to be stored "in the cloud."  Apparently, these particular emails were not properly handled or saved.  This seems especially hard to believe since the emails were written over a two year period.  Really?  None of them were properly saved over a period that lasted that long?

If an individual made the same claims to the IRS, they would not believe us.  Why should we believe the IRS?

I'll be interested to hear what you believe.  Please feel free to leave a comment below.

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

Source:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/lawmakers-irs-lost-emails-tea-party-probe-24175196

Despicable Scams Affecting Senior Citizens

It is bad enough that there are criminals around the world who seem to spend all their time trying to cheat Americans out of their hard-earned money.  What makes these crimes even more horrifying, however, is the fact that one out of three scam victims is over the age of 65!   The number may actually be higher, in fact, because senior citizens often do not tell anyone that they have fallen victim to a scam.  They are either too embarrassed or they do not want their children to take over the handling of their money.  Consequently, many of these crimes go unreported.  Both the AARP and the National Council on Aging are trying to inform people of these issues in the hope that fewer seniors will become victims. 

Common Scams Against the Elderly

Online Dating:  If you put your profile on a dating site, be cautious if, after weeks or months of pleasant messages, the person you have connected with online begins to express a need for money.  They may say they want the money so they can afford to visit you or because they have a medical or personal emergency.  Frequently they will ask that you send the money in a wire transfer.  American women over the age of 50 are the most common victims of these scams.  They lost a reported $34 million in 2012, while American men lost approximately $5 million.  It is believed that many more cases go unreported because the victims are too embarrassed to tell anyone.  Each incident costs the victim an average of $10,000.

Sweepstakes:  Beware of letters, emails and phone calls announcing that you have won a contest or sweepstakes, especially one that you do not remember entering.  If the contest administrators ask for money to pay them money in advance to cover taxes, insurance or other fees, it is almost certainly a fraud, since honest contests are not allowed to do this.  Call your local sheriff's office or county prosecuting attorney's office.

Phony Charities:  I have repeatedly listed on this blog that people need to thoroughly vet any new charity before they make donations to it.  Never give your credit card information to someone who comes to your door or calls you with a charitable request.  Be skeptical of any charities that you have never heard of.  Check them out with the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, CharityNavigator.org, or a similar charity evaluator.  Otherwise, stick to charities that you have dealt with in the past and trust, such as your religious organization, the Red Cross, United Way, the Salvation Army and similar well-known non-profits.

Home Repair Scams:  These scams happen most often after a major catastrophe that damages homes in your neighborhood; however, they can happen at other times, as well.  Someone may show up at your door offering to repair your gutters, fix your driveway, replace roof shingles or make other home repairs.  They can cheat you in one of two ways: either they ask for an upfront fee and then disappear; or they make shoddy repairs and keep asking for more and more money to fix new "issues" they find (or create).  Get recommendations for contractors from your friends, neighbors or insurance company before you use anyone.  Make sure they have a contractor's license.  Never hire anyone who unexpectedly shows up at your door.

Grandparents Scam:  Two personal friends of mine have fallen victim to this scam.  Both of them were intelligent women who never thought they would fall for something like this.  Both of them discussed the situation with their husbands before sending money.  One of them is married to a retired Deputy Sheriff and even he was fooled.  In this scam, a upset "grandchild" or other relative calls, desperately begging for money and sobbing at the same time, so it is hard to recognize their voice.  Think you would not be fooled?  People in the United States have reported losing $110 million a year to this scam ... and many more may not have reported it!  We have already told our children and grandchildren to not get their feelings hurt if they call us and ask for money and we call other relatives to verify the story before we respond. 

Healthcare Thieves: This has been going on for a long time, but it is expected to become worse for a while because so many people are confused about the new Affordable Care Act.  A stranger, pretending to be a consultant, may offer to help you get free medical supplies or to help you understand changes to your insurance.  What they are really trying to do, however, is steal your identity, get medical care under your name, and leave you with the bill.  A woman here in Orange County, California, where I live, was arrested a few years ago for stealing another woman's medical identity and using the other person's identity to get several elective surgeries, including cosmetic surgery!

Investment Scams:  Unfortunately, these types of crimes did not end with the arrest of Bernie Madoff.  I have known several people who have fallen for these types of smooth-talking crooks.  One elderly couple we know lost nearly all their savings and were stunned when they discovered that "the nice young man" they trusted had actually stolen from them. This scam may start with a free-lunch seminar or some other special program set up under the guise of helping seniors find "low-risk" investments. People can be wiped out before they realize there is a problem.  Once again, stick with major investment firms, you bank or advisers whom you know very well.

If you believe you have been a victim of a thief or scammer, contact your local police department, sheriff's department or the prosecuting attorney's office.  Keep any evidence you have that will help them identify the person behind the scam.

Other scams that often target senior citizens are counterfeit drugs, funeral scams, anti-aging products, and deceitful practices involving financial services such as reverse mortgages.  Always discuss major outlays of money with other family members as well as trusted financial advisers.

Bottom line:  Be careful.  Be skeptical.  Rely on all those years of experience that have kept you safe during your younger days.  You do not want to give away your hard-earned savings to criminals.

Whether you are already retired or about to retire, you may also enjoy reading the information on my retirement blog.  It contains information about where to retire, financial planning, medical concerns, changing family issues, etc:

http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Sources of information about scams:

http://www.ncoa.org/enhance-economic-security/economic-security-Initiative/savvy-saving-seniors/top-10-scams-targeting.html

AARP Bulletin, Fall, 2013.

Photo is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

Scam Alerts for 2014

Every year, crooks from around the world go out of their way to try to find new ways to cheat people out of their hard-earned money.  The type of people who initiate these scams can range from local small-town contractors to international terrorist groups.  These people can also try to cheat us in a multitude of ways.  They may make a personal appeal, use a robo-call phone system, or go on a computer phishing expedition.  They might put a virus on your computer.

However they attempt to cheat us, we want to be prepared and know about the variety of tricks they may choose to use.  Here are some of the scams you need to watch out for in 2014:

Scam Alerts

*  If you used a credit or debit card in a Target Store anywhere in the United States in late November or the first half of December, 2013, you need to watch your statements carefully.  A foreign group was able to steal 40,000,000 credit card numbers.  It is possible that some PIN numbers were also captured.  Many of the cards are already for sale on international websites. To avoid problems, you may want to change your PIN number and/or ask that your card be replaced.  In addition, you should watch your statements carefully to avoid fraudulent charges.  If you are especially concerned, you may also want to enroll in a credit monitoring service to make sure your account information is not used to open new accounts.

*  According to the Federal Trade Commission, more people are defrauded by people promoting weight loss products than any other product category.  Talk to your doctor and read independent reviews before trying any miracle drug or supplement that claims it will help you lose weight easily and quickly.

*  Illegal or incompetent contractors often try to take advantage of people after a major weather event, such as an ice storm, hurricane, tornado or floods.  They may simply show up at your door and claim that your homeowner's association sent them, or that they were working on other homes in the neighborhood and noticed that your home needed work, too.  They may ask for large deposits, but do little or no work before they disappear.  Ask for referrals before hiring any contractor and verify, verify, verify.

*  Watch out for phony subscription invoices in your email or mailbox.  If someone other than the publisher contacts you about renewing a subscription, contact the publisher to make sure it is legitimate.

As always, be skeptical of any unexpected contact by a stranger ... whether that contact is in person, through a phone call or an email.  Scammers use a wide variety of ways to trick you, and you do not want to be their next victim.

In addition, you may want to follow a website such as this one in order to stay up-to-date on new scams that are going around.  An educated consumer is much less like to be tricked!

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

Photo of damaged home is courtesy of www.morguefile.com