Quik Tip Tuesday: Avoiding Fake Check Scams
It’s an unfortunate fact — some checks just aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. And how’s this for a sobering statistic — millions of Americans fall victim to fake checks every year and lose between $3,000 and $4,000 each.
In tough economic times such as these, small business owners don’t want to get stuck for $4.00 — let alone adding a few zeros to that amount. Fortunately, there are some precautions that you can take in order to insure you aren’t left holding the bag.
While this first one should be obvious, it certainly bears repeating — be cautious about accepting checks (even cashier’s checks) from people you don’t know.
When selling goods or services on the Internet, consider online payment systems or escrow services rather than accepting checks. In the past, you could configure your account settings with Paypal in order to prevent buyers from using online checks; however, I have received several this year despite those settings. I phoned Paypal’s customer service department to gain some clarification on this, and was told the following:
Users CAN specify they wish to block e-checks for payments accepted through their own websites, as well as through eBay. However, if the buyer is sending you money from an electronic invoice, or via the “SEND MONEY” tab of their account, they may send you an e-check despite your payment preferences. The only way around this if you were to have a purchase link or “remit a payment” link on your site that would bypass this glitch.
Call or visit the bank on which the check is written to determine its authenticity before accepting or depositing the check.
Avoid using funds before a check clears. Banks may be required to make funds available before a check has cleared, but it can take up to several weeks before a check actually clears.
Never accept a cashier’s check for more than your selling price to pay the excess to a third party identified by your customer. Despite the fact that this is an often-used tactic that has been given lots of coverage in the media, consumers still fall prey to this scam even today. Don’t let it happen to you!
The Consumer Federation of America’s Fake Check Task Force provides additional online resources at www.fakechecks.org and at www.consumerfed.org/fakecheckscams.
Fighting Fake Checks
If you think you’ve received a counterfeit cashier’s check, official check or money order, contact the issuing bank to report receipt of the check and to verify authenticity. Look up the bank contact information because the information on the check is probably fake.
To look up a bank’s official Web site or address, visit www2.fdic.gov/idasp/main_bank find.asp. In addition to contacting the appropriate bank, contact the following authorities:
General scams-Call the Federal Trade Commission at (877) FTC-HELP or file a complaint at www.ftc.gov.
Internet-based scams-Submit a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
Mail-based scams-Call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at (888) 877-7644 or file a complaint at postalinspectors.uspis.gov.
If your complaint involves a national bank and you cannot resolve the problem with the bank, visit HelpWithMyBank.gov to submit a complaint.
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June 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
I don’t know about you, but the headlines in the news don’t exactly give me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Here in the Midwest, many towns have been hit hard by the fallout from the automotive industry. Many businesses in our area are direct subcontractors — and their recently announced closings have left literally thousands of people without a job.
These days, it isn’t enough just to have a degree, or years of experience under your belt. The bottom can drop out of a market — any market – at any time, and you could be left picking up the pieces.
Just about every day I receive emails from folks who are looking for a way to support themselves on the web. It’s times like these that spawn a whole new breed of internet entrepreneurs — ones that are determined to never let themselves, or their families, be vulnerable again.
Unlike many starry-eyed newbies that head to the web in the modern-day equivalent of the gold rush, you know that there are no real shortcuts.
There are, however, some opportunities that far exceed others. And I’d like to highlight one that you may simply be overlooking.
Do You Have a Way With Words?
If you answered “yes” to that question, keep reading.
What you may not know is that there is a little-known, yet highly-lucrative market for those with a talent for the written word. The direct-response industry represents $2.3 trillion dollars annually — and writers are being handsomely paid to create the same letters that land in your inbox each and every day. I’m talking about letters that persuade you to donate to charities, take out trial magazine subscriptions, and purchase all manner of products and services.
These letters earn millions of dollars for the companies that send them – and
anywhere from $40,000 to $200,000+ per year for the people who write them.
How do I know? Because I’ve written some of them.
Freedom to Set Your Own Hours & Rates
There is something incredibly liberating about knowing that you no longer have to
punch a time clock. You can work as much or as little as you wish — and still enjoy the financial freedom that others can only dream about.
If you don’t consider yourself “a writer,” don’t worry — you can still take advantage of these unprecedented opportunities. If you are able to write in a simple, conversational style, and follow some simple techniques, you can claim your share of the lucrative freelance writing niche — a niche that can eliminate the stresses of the daily headlines for good.
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April 21, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
There are things you can do year-round to help save the environment. It is common knowledge that reducing the amount of paper used and the amount of time we spend in our cars is important, but many don’t know how easy and inexpensive these steps can be.
According to http://www.TheDailyGreen.com, Americans consume about 700 pounds of paper per person per year-everything from napkins and take-out boxes to gift wrapping and cardboard. So how can we reduce our impact on the environment? One way is through technology.
Although some people go so far as to advocate e-mailing wedding invitations or Christmas cards instead of sending paper ones, there are some more subtle ways you can help reduce your environmental impact and still save time and money. Here are a few ways technology can help:
Help your team go paperless. Many companies use expensive technology to manage the amount of paper they use but there are free options available for everyone. Free online storage sites like Microsoft Office Live Workspace can help your team go paperless. They provide an easy way to keep track of your Little League schedule or the car-pool rotation and give you the ability to update items in real time. There is no need to print out schedules, because everyone can log on to see if there are updates.
Online research saves time and money. In today’s economy, everyone is looking for a deal, and getting the most out of your money often requires research. With the prevalence of retail Web sites, you can now research online instead of driving around town to compare prices. Researching online saves you time and money and reduces the amount of time you spend in your car.
Download software instead of buying a box. Advances in technology and improved Internet speed have made it easier to download software for your computer than to drive to a store to buy the same thing in a box. This helps reduce packaging waste.
One popular software download is Microsoft Office 2007 (www.store.microsoft.com). According to research, one digital download of Microsoft Office is equivalent to saving the emissions from one gallon of gas; 10 million digital downloads are equivalent to 13,008 cars not driven for one year.
Use your computer’s power management tools. Use the power management tools in your computer’s control panel to select energy-reducing settings. If you and nine of your friends do this, it becomes the equivalent of taking one car off the road. Another way to reduce your computer’s energy consumption is to stop using screen savers and instead blank your screen. This will save energy and extend the life of your monitor.
These are just some of the ways technology can help reduce your impact on the environment. If we all do our part, together, we can make every day Earth Day.
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April 21, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Change has become America’s motto for dealing with a turbulent economy, and few things are changing more rapidly than our attitudes toward commuting to the office every day.
Not long ago, workers usually had to receive special permission from management to work from home for a day or two. Now, according to a new survey, managers often support “remote working” even more strongly than employees do.
The study, from Microsoft, was designed to assess which small-to-midsized U.S. cities are leading the trend toward remote working. In the markets surveyed, San Diego led the way, followed by West Palm Beach; Buffalo; Salt Lake City; Raleigh; Oklahoma City; Nashville; Charleston, S.C.; Greensboro, N.C.; and Hartford-New Haven.
The cities were measured on several criteria:
• Number of companies with remote-working policies
• Level of managerial support reported by workers
• Level of co-worker/peer support reported by workers
• Percentage of workers believing their job can be completed from home
• Percentage of workers using remote-working programs.
Employers, it seems, are becoming fans of remote working for a number of reasons. For one, working from home frequently increases productivity. At home, workers often have fewer distractions and do not lose minutes-or hours-tied up in traffic jams on the way to work.
Moreover, the costs for a company to maintain employees in an office have been increasing-everything from air-conditioning expenses to leasing rates.
With more people working remotely and using the office only periodically, office space can be shared and expansion needs are often reduced.
Technology is also contributing to the growth in the number of remote workers. Solutions from companies such as Microsoft now allow businesses to set up remote-working operations efficiently and safely.
Systems such as Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista and Microsoft Unified Communications are designed to enable workers to connect to the office from home and have access to all the same applications that they would have in the office.
Also, Windows Vista BitLocker Drive Encryption is said to thwart any attempt to hack into information on a laptop computer that is stolen or lost. BitLocker prevents a thief from removing and booting up the hard drive and locks up the system’s information if someone tampers with it.
Using technology to work from home is no longer a luxury. It’s a strategy that is helping many companies make employees happier and lower costs. For more information, visit http://www.microsoft.com/midsizebusiness/gameplan/.
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April 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Do you have an idea for a great invention? If so, a new piece of legislation — or, rather a warmed-over version of a proposed policy package — may be of particular interest to you. The Patent Reform Act of 2009, recently introduced in Congress is an attempt to change the U.S. patent law — by hoping to pass a package that didn’t go over when it was introduced in 2007.
A patent is a property right — a quid pro quo for invention disclosure. Issued by a government, it provides an inventor with the right to control the use of his or her invention, and for a limited time exclude others from making, using, selling or importing a patented invention without the inventor’s permission.
The system was was envisioned by the Founding Fathers “to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.” (U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8)
The proposed changes would transform the U.S. system from granting patents on a “first-to-invent” basis to the European-style “first-to-file” system. Many contend this would lead to a race to the Patent Office and unfairly favor large corporations-with their armies of attorneys-over small inventors. It’s also said apportionment of damages and other changes would weaken the patents and make it easier for offshore copycats to bring pirated goods into the U.S.
Such a move simply flies in the face of common sense — not to mention it does little to protect the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of America.
This could have serious consequences for American jobs and the country’s competitiveness in the global economy. Critics think these proposed changes will diminish many of the protections offered by the current law and discourage innovation and venture investment, and make it even more difficult to enforce a patent.
According to Alexander Poltorak, General Patent Corporation’s chairman, a national expert on the U.S. patent system and author of two books on intellectual property, “The Patent Reform Act of 2009 will undercut domestic industry and hurt independent inventors-the very backbone of American ingenuity.” Poltorak added,
“This bill will devalue patents-the currency of a knowledge-based economy-and will consequently weaken the incentive to innovate. It will stifle innovation and entrepreneurship.” Dr. Poltorak is the founder and president of a nonprofit organization, American Innovators for Patent Reform (AIPR).
Polotorak isn’t alone. Organizations that oppose various aspects of the bill include the AFL-CIO, Patent Office Professional Association, the American Bar Association, IEEE, Innovation Alliance, the National Association of Patent Practitioners, National Small Business Association and many other groups.
If you feel strongly about this issue, I urge you to contact your senator or congressional representative. To learn more, visit the AIPR website at http://www.aminn.org.
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