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Advertisement Subscribe Give a Gift Customer Service Games Win Promotions Video Digital Edition JOIN FREE Sign In with Facebook Sign In TRY: Pasta • Best Haircuts • Quick Dinners Food & Recipes Home & Organizing Diet & Health Beauty & Anti-Aging Family & Relationships Homepage > Family & Relationships > Money & Budgeting Holidays Product Reviews Connect with GOOD HOUSEKEEPING Would You Fall for These Scams? By Kelli B. Grant Comments 0 0 Like •• Special Offers Advertisement Fast-Cash Con No. 3 When you're told money is coming your way The phone rings, and the caller informs you that you are the lucky recipient of some funds. The exact pitch can take various forms — stimulus bucks from the IRS or a free gift card from your credit card company are popular ploys, says Gary Brown, director of communications for the New York State Consumer Protection Board. In order to process your reward, though, the caller says he'll need some personal financial information to make sure he's reached the correct individual. You guessed it: The subtext here is to collect your credit card and/or bank information and then make unauthorized purchases. The thieves may also aim for your Social Security number so they can steal your identity, too. DON'T MISS THESE: Style Yourself from Home: Virtual Dressing Room The Layered Look That is Perfect for You Protect-yourself plan Never offer up personal or financial information during a call you Easy Bathroom Decorating Ideas didn't initiate, says Brown. (The IRS, for example, does not initiate contact by phone or by e- 5 Best Haircuts of All Time mail.) Worried you're missing out on a legit phone pitch? Ask for the information in writing. A Haircuts that Make You Look Younger company on the up-and-up will be happy to supply it. And if they already do business with 30 Best Drugstore Cosmetics Under $25 you, as they claim, they should have your address on file. Celebrity Pixie Haircuts Fast-Cash No. 4 When you want to earn cash for shopping Bethany Mooradian of Seattle was thrilled to accept a "secret shopper" assignment in which she'd help evaluate a bank. All she had to do was open an account, deposit a check she'd be mailed, and then transfer most of it elsewhere. "I set up an account," says Mooradian, "but quickly closed it. It just seemed off." Mooradian still notices (though never signs up for) a Review: The Best Hair Thickening Shampoo 8 Tricks for Putting Off a Haircut Haircolor: Tips, Tricks & Ideas The Hottest Short Haircuts 100 Holiday Hairstyle Ideas Hollywood's 15 Shortest Marriages Ever 33 Ways to Make Your Eyes Look Bigger version of the same scam: postings that ask shoppers to "test" a wire-transfer service by Beauty Street Style: Fall 2011 cashing a check sent to them — for, say, $2,500 — and wiring back, say, $2,000. What To Wear To Work This Winter Such check-fraud scams take advantage of laws requiring your bank to offer temporary credit for deposited checks within five days of deposit, even though, says Weisman, it can take weeks for the funds to clear — or bounce, as is usually the case with these fake checks (but PRODUCT REVIEWS by then, the cash the victim wired is long gone). Protect-yourself plan True secret-shopper gigs — where companies reimburse you for purchases at your favorite stores and restaurants if you assess their customer service — are 20 Best Toys of 2011 The winners of our fourth annual best to... Read More few and far between. Don't fall for unsolicited e-mail invitations or respond to newspaper ads for such programs. Scam-Proof Yourself Laptops for Every Student The five models that aced our tests Read More Don't Click: Following unsolicited links that arrive in your e-mail may download malware, which can log your keystrokes — catching account numbers and passwords as you enter them — or just send you to a spoof website (one that looks like a familiar site but is actually a ploy designed to steal your information). Sleep on It: Many scams have a limited-time-only element to them. If you are told you Best Low-Fat Potato Chips Which low-fat chips are best? Read More need to decide ASAP, don't do it. A legit offer will allow you to take your time and ask questions. Beef Up Computer Security: Make sure you have security software that updates VIDEO OF THE DAY automatically. Check out symantec.com or mcafee.com for options. Help! I've Been Scammed First, don't be too hard on yourself. Even the savviest of consumers can fall for these ruses. Next: Take action. Report the scam File a police report with your local precinct, and send a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (ftccomplaintassistant.gov) and your state attorney general (to find yours, go to naag.org). Investigators may be able to track down the perpetrator. Don't shell out any more cash Many scammers double back to victims, posing as groups that help recover lost funds, warns Levin. Naturally, they ask for a fee up front and then dash away with more of your cash. Be wary if you receive this kind of unsolicited offer of help. 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