DSEF & BBB: Navigating New Technology – Why is This Model Better Than That One?

DSEF & BBB: Navigating New Technology – Why is This Model Better Than That One?

By Howard Schwartz

I bit the bullet a few weeks ago and went shopping for a tablet. I decided my smart phone was fine for many purposes, but I was finally able to justify getting a tablet to watch videos and read articles without torturing my eyes. The print seems to get finer as I grow older. I don’t need my technology to constantly remind me about that.

Reading consumer reviews about the different makes and models only served to confuse me.

Online reviews were numerous but not very specific. Customer reviews were based largely on brand preference and price – not performance.

Just when I thought I knew what I wanted, I went to a retailer to check it out, I was told “That model isn’t as good as the others.”

As I continued my research, it seemed that I was getting closer to finding the best device at the right price when tech-smart employees told me “I personally prefer the XYZ with the 10 inch screen.” I figured I could make a decision with a few more visits to stores for the recommendations of employees who use these devices.

I have been working with computers since 1995, and realize the learning curve is constantly evolving. However, I only started to understand which model and brand would be appropriate for me once I asked an obvious question I neglected to ask earlier: “Why do you prefer this particular device?”

The answers were revealing. One clerk said his choice was because of brand loyalty. Another said his store had a great price on a particular model and that’s what drove his decision. The last one I asked showed me the difference between my two top choices and explained that one of them had a lot of storage space, but the other model’s screen was less jerky and the model was faster than the others. He showed me and I agreed.

It’s a lot easier to choose a dessert in a restaurant. If you ask a waiter or waitress which is their favorite, one might recommend the peanut butter cupcake because they love peanut butter. Another might steer you towards the chocolate cake because of their love of chocolate. However, when we as consumers tread on unfamiliar territory, it is important to understand the details of why a product or service is better, and in the case of home improvements, why one design is different than the others, and why it is best choice.

DSEF and the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) foster honest and responsive relationships between businesses and consumers—instilling consumer confidence and advancing a trustworthy marketplace for all.

About the Better Business Bureaus
As the leader in advancing marketplace trust, Better Business Bureau is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Every year, more than 87 million consumers rely on BBB Business Reviews® and BBB Wise Giving Reports® to help them find trustworthy businesses and charities across North America. Visit www.bbb.org/us for more information.

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Today’s Highlighted Video from the DSEF: Earnings Claims

Today’s highlighted video from DSEF:

Can’t see this? Click here: http://youtu.be/qHI4JbU28sE

Do you know what the DSA Code of Ethics says about earnings claims?

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DSEF & BBB: Facebook Page Owners – Beware of New Phishing Scam

By Caitlin Vancas

If you’re the owner or manager of a company or organization’s Facebook Page, you may be the target of a new phishing scam. Phishing emails are being sent by scammers alleging to be from “Facebook Security.”

This phishing scam attempts to trick Page owners into initiating a “Fan Page Verification Program.” Users are asked to share their Facebook Page’s URL, login credentials and create a 10-digit number as a “Transferring Code.” See a screenshot of this scam.

After providing the requested information, the scammer has been given the ability to post spam and malicious links to your Page followers. Why are Facebook Page owners being targeted? Pages usually have more followers than private users AND fans of the Page are more likely to click on posted links, trusting the source.

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Becoming a Money Wise Woman

We have only to examine a few statistics to understand why it’s important to become educated on financial issues and begin planning our futures now. Between raising children and taking care of parents, women are losing an average of 14.7 years from the workplace. A woman who is out of the work force for one year must work five years to recover lost income, pension coverage and promotional opportunities. In spite of our best intentions, between the 43% divorce rate and the fact that women tend to live seven to ten years longer than men, the reality is that if we aren’t already, most of us are going to be the sole person responsible for our financial security at some points in our lives.

Marcia Brixey

Women are by nature, caretakers. We take care of our children, husbands, partners, grandchildren and parents. We take care of everyone, but ourselves. But, ladies we need to be proactive and make an investment in ourselves. The investment we make now will determine our quality of life both financially and personally in the years ahead.

I wrote this in my first Kitsap Sun article – Becoming a Money Wise Woman in January 2003. Although 10 years later the statistics are still much the same, Money Wise Women has provided thousands of women with the tools and education to live financially healthy. More than 6,600 women have attended 70 Money Wise Women Conferences in Washington, California, Idaho and Oregon since November 2002.

Several years ago Money Wise Women joined forces with the Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF) to educate and empower women on their financial and business goals through the Money Wise Women Teleseminar Series. The free teleseminars (thanks to DSEF’s sponsorship) cover a variety of topics relating to finance and business. Topics include investing, credit reports, credit card debt, goal setting, time management and much more.

Each monthly listeners have the opportunity to listen live to my interview with powerful women who are experts in their field. We tape the teleseminar allowing women to listen and learn at their leisure in the comfort of their own home. Upcoming Money Wise Women Teleseminars include:

Treating Your Business Like a Professional with Deb Bixler
May 7, 2013
A Single Woman’s Guide to Retirement with Jan Cullinane
June 11, 2013
Calling All Super Complainers with Michele Corey
July 9, 2013
A Man is Not a Financial Plan with Candace Bahr and Ginita Wall
August 13, 2013
Business in the You Economy with Tara Gentile
October 8, 2013
Communicating with Many Generations with Jennifer Fong
November 12, 2013

If you’re ready to get financially healthy and/or take your business to the next level visit Money Wise Women Teleseminar website – www.moneywisewomengetsmart.com to listen to past teleseminars and sign up for upcoming teleseminars.

“Whatever you think you can do or believe you can, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it.” Goethe

About Marcia Brixey

During her 26 years working for the Social Security Administration Marcia Brixey met thousands of women who experienced financial difficulties resulting from a personal crisis – husband’s death, divorce, illness or loss of a job. In August 2002 she founded Money Wise Women Educational Services to ensure every woman is financially articulate, confident, secure and independent. Today she hosts and speaks at Money Wi$e Women Conferences throughout the Western United States. Marcia also hosts the popular Money Wi$e Women Teleseminar Series. She is the author of The Money Therapist: A Woman’s Guide to Creating a Healthy Financial Life (Seal Press). Ms. Brixey regularly blogs for Money Wise Women and Forbes.com.

Ms. Brixey’s been the featured speaker at numerous conferences including the Women’s Money Conference in Reno and Las Vegas; Central California Women’s Conference in Fresno, CA; Prudential Financial Stepping Out Conference in Santa Clara, CA and Chicago IL; Choice Hotels Convention in Orlando, FL; Oklahoma Society of CPAs Invest in Herself: Journey to Financial Freedom Conference in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, OK; Washington State Employed Women in Vancouver, WA; Today’s Woman Expo in Boise, ID; Invest in Yourself Strategies for Women Conference in Costa Mesa, CA; and Northwest Women’s Show, Seattle WA and Portland OR. She’s also spoken at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI.

Marcia is a former columnist for The Kitsap Sun newspaper, which serves the Kitsap Peninsula in Western Washington. She has been a guest on Northwest Afternoon (Seattle, KOMO TV), View from the Bay (San Francisco, ABC affiliate), Good Day Sacramento, About the Money (Seattle, PBS affiliate) and Sonoran Living Live (Phoenix, ABC15 TV). Marcia’s been interviewed on numerous radio shows and featured on CBS Report of the Week with Brian Banmiller. Marcia’s print media appearances include Quick and Simple, Redbook, Family Circle, Reader’s Digest, Ladies Home Journal, Puget Sound Business Journal, Seattle Woman Magazine, and US News and World Report. She is a member of the My Own Business Institute Advisory Panel. Ms. Brixey received the 2006 YWCA Woman of Achievement award in Kitsap County.

Marcia was inspired to take early retirement from her public relations job with the Social Security Administration in August 2002 after reading the quote “Our purpose in life is to find our gift, perfect it and give it back to others”. Ms. Brixey’s experience with the Social Security Administration includes District Manager, Supervisor, and Public Relations Specialist. She graduated from California State University, East Bay with a B.S. degree in Business Administration.

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DSEF & BBB: Understanding Your Credit Score

According to Experian’s 2012 State of Credit study, the national average credit score increased from 749 to 750. In addition, the average credit scores of Pennsylvania residents are above the national average, ranging from 758-773 depending on the city.

Your credit score can help lenders measure your financial risk when applying for credit cards, credit lines and loans. Higher scores generally equate to higher credit worthiness.

Your BBB offers the following tips for understanding and boosting your credit score:

Pay bills on time. On average, more than one-third of your credit score is based on payment history. Bills that end up going to a collection agency can drop a credit score as much as 100 points. Consider activating an automatic electronic payment schedule with your bank so payments won’t be late. Pay credit cards before they’re due. Promptly pay traffic or parking tickets and library fines and keep all payment records.
Maintain low credit card balances. Generally, another one-third of your credit score is based on the amounts you owe; often expressed as a “credit utilization ratio,” it is the percentage of the credit limit used. Keep purchases down to less than 25% of the credit limit at any time, even if the bill is paid off in full every month.
Limit your number of credit cards, including retail store cards. Typically, the length of credit history accounts for 15% of your credit score. Opening several new cards within a short period of time can hurt your score by lowering the average age of open accounts. Lenders worry about those who borrow more money than they can repay.

In order to detect fraud and fix potential errors that can affect your credit score, monitor your credit reports for free on a consistent basis by usingwww.annualcreditreport.com. Free reports through this site from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion show credit transactions, but not your actual credit score, which you can pay a fee to receive. For more helpful tips on managing credit, visit www.bbb.org.

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DSEF & BBB: Tips for Securing Your Mobile Device

DSEF & BBB: Tips for Securing Your Mobile Device

By Amy Fowler

Better Business Bureau is urging consumers to take steps to secure their mobile devices in order to protect themselves from identity theft and malware.

According to a survey released by The Pew Research Center in January, almost half of all American adults now own smartphones. The same survey found that 17 percent of all consumers use their mobile device as their primary means of accessing the internet.

Smartphones can be a treasure trove for hackers. Through apps and mobile browsers, people store personal information like passwords, bank account information and credit card numbers in addition to their contacts and other information.

However, a survey conducted in part by the National Cyber Security Alliance, found that more than one quarter of cell phone users are not aware of common security threats to smartphones and more than half do not know enough about mobile phone security to decide whether or not they need it.

BBB urges consumers to remember that a smart phone is no different than a desktop or laptop computer, in that it is vulnerable to the same hackers, malware, spyware and viruses.

Here are a few practical tips from BBB to secure your mobile devices:

Lock your phone. If your phone is lost or stolen, your personal information is at risk. Add a security code to your phone to prevent thieves from accessing your data. Then set your device to lock automatically when not in use for a specified time.
Update your operating system. Those alerts on your smart phone that tell you to update your apps and operating system are more than just a minor annoyance. These updates close security loopholes and other backdoors hackers can use to access your phone without your knowledge.
Beware of unknown apps and links. Do not download any apps or click on links in your email or social media pages without first researching their source. They may contain viruses, malware or spyware that can compromise your personal data.
Avoid unsecured Wi-Fi. If you choose to connect to an unsecured or public Wi-Fi network, do not enter any passwords or access any personal data. Bad guys can use such networks as an easy means to hack your device.
Turn off Bluetooth. Bluetooth creates a wireless connection between your phone and other devices or phones. If you are not actively using an enabled device, such as a headset, make sure your Bluetooth is turned off.
Check your permissions. Check all of your apps to see what data they are accessing and revoke permissions for information those apps don’t need to properly operate. Check your phone’s owner’s manual or contact your wireless provider for directions on how to do so.
Report missing devices. If your phone is lost or stolen, immediately report it to your wireless carrier and have the device disabled.
Back up your data. Make sure you have a backup of all the apps and information — especially important photos or other irreplaceable items — stored on your phone in case it’s lost, stolen, hacked or damaged.
Pay close attention to your phone bills. Unanticipated, sudden increases in data usage can indicate a problem. In addition, third-party content providers sometimes add erroneous charges to bills for apps or services the consumer never authorized. In addition, keep an eye out for strange texts and disrupted service. They can be red flags that indicate your phone has been hacked.
Erase old phones completely. If you’re selling, donating or recycling your old phone, ensure all your data is completely erased and the phone is returned to factory settings before letting it out of your possession. There are online tutorials to teach you how to do this, or your wireless provider can walk you through the steps.
Shop with caution. When shopping online with your mobile device, take the same precautions you would with a desktop or laptop. Look for the “s” in the “https://” in the address bar and research sites at bbb.org before providing any personal information or credit card numbers.
Consider mobile security. Many sources offer antivirus or other security apps for your phone. Research them thoroughly before choosing which is right for you.

Blog / News

DSEF & BBB: Will You Have to Pay a 4% Surcharge for Using a Credit Card?

DSEF & BBB: Will You Have to Pay a 4% Surcharge for Using a Credit Card?

By Caitlin Vancas

Did you know that every time you make a credit card purchase, the store you are buying from pays a fee to the credit card company? Did you also know that as of this week, PA merchants are able to pass along up to 4% of these credit card interchange fees to customers?

All but ten states (CA, CO, CT, FL, KS, ME, MA, NY, OK, TX) are allowing merchants the option to incur these new surcharges. Luckily, if a business does decide to add a check-out fee for credit card users, it must be clearly posted near the door of a physical store location or on the website for web transactions. Customer receipts must also clearly state any additional costs to consumers using a credit card. Purchases made by debit and pre-paid cards will not be impacted.

According to the National Retail Federation, merchants are unlikely to begin surcharging for credit card use. What do you think? Your BBB recommends asking stores you frequent about any additional costs that may be incurred if you pay using a credit card. If a merchant does not follow the rules about alerting consumers to these fees in their store or website, notify BBB and the FTC. Click the links for more information about the surcharge on Visa and MasterCard’s websites.

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DSEF & BBB: Facebook Graph Search: The Good, The Bad & The Opportunity

DSEF & BBB: Facebook Graph Search: The Good, The Bad & The Opportunity

By Rachel Harner

Facebook graph search. Have you heard of it? Probably, but do you know what it is? Facebook graph search is a new feature, in an ever-growing list of Facebook changes, which rolled out to a select few last week. According to Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, graph search will join News Feed and Timeline as the third pillar in the Facebook structure.

Where a typical search engine would give you a list of links relevant to your query, graph search delivers people, pages and photos already available on Facebook to your fingertips. To maximize results, you’ll want to customize your search using language Facebook understands, such as “friends who work at my company and like to ski.”

Here are a couple practical examples: Are you new to the area and experiencing back pain? Search: Chiropractors in Phoenix my friends like. Are you planning a trip across the pond and want some tips on local hotspots? Search: Friends who have been to London, England.

While innovative, graph search has raised privacy concerns. Many of us probably do not think about the consequence of our actions when liking a page or filling out the “About” section of our profile, but that information will now be searchable in a myriad of ways. If you are looking to keep your information private, triple check your privacy settings now that anything set to “public” will be even easier for others to find. And remember, if you don’t want people to know about it, don’t put it on social media. (Click here for an informative article by the Electronic Frontier Foundation that will help you keep your information private.)

On the other hand, graph search could provide huge advantages for businesses and marketers currently on Facebook. Engaging with customers on social media is a great business practice, and now companies will have more opportunity to get brand content in front of consumers who are intentionally looking for someone in their area of expertise. Graph search will also allow businesses to form well thought out searches to reach targeted demographics.

Do you want to be among the first of Facebook’s billion+ users to get Facebook graph search? Click here to be placed on the waiting list for the beta version.

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DSEF & BBB: 6 Tips For Safe Mobile Banking

By Jerri Stroud

Banking through your mobile phone is catching on fast, with a third of U.S. cell phone users expected to try mobile banking over the next year.

But how safe is it? What happens if you lose your cell phone or if someone steals it? Can they empty your bank account simply by tapping their smart phone against yours?

The BBB advises consumers to be smart about mobile banking, and these six tips can help:

Install antivirus applications on your mobile device to protect yourself from viruses or malware when you download other applications or content.
Keep your passwords, personal information and bank account numbers private. Don’t share them with anyone unless you initiate the contact and you know you are dealing with your bank or its mobile application.
Don’t save passwords, personal identification number (PIN), answers to secret questions or account numbers on your device. Make sure you use strong passwords, which include numbers or symbols in addition to letters.
Set your phone or other mobile devices to require a password when they are powered up. Never set the device to automatically log in to your bank account.
Don’t respond to text messages asking for your banking information. Assume that any unsolicited text message is fraud. Your bank will not contact you by sending a text message.
Notify your mobile service provider and your bank if your phone is lost or stolen.

For more consumer tips or to check out a company’s BBB Business Review, go to www.bbb.org.

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DSEF & BBB: “Bait and Switch” Coupon Scams Promise Savings, Deliver Spam

DSEF & BBB: “Bait and Switch” Coupon Scams Promise Savings, Deliver Spam

By Emily Patterson

Searching for coupons online is an easy way to save money. Unfortunately, it’s also an easy way to give your name and contact info to scammers. Be sure to verify a coupon deal is real before sharing your information.

How the Scam Works:

You need to make a purchase, but you hope to save money by finding a coupon online. A Google search turns up dozens of websites. Most of the online coupons promise a modest 10%-15% discount. But one offers a significantly better deal: 50% off your purchase.

You click the link, and the website looks official. It uses the logo of the business. It asks you to enter your email address and telephone number, promising that your coupon will be sent to you.

When you complete the form, you may be taken to a promotion for an unrelated (and untrustworthy) product. It may be anything from car loans to pharmaceuticals. Other sites do provide fake coupons to print, meaning that consumers don’t know they were scammed until the store clerk rejects their coupon.

This “bait and switch” is a way for unscrupulous businesses to collect names and contact info for resale. If your information is sold, you will start receiving spam calls, text messages and/or emails to the contact information you provided.

How Can I Tell Fake Coupons from Real Ones?

It is easy to copy a business’ logo and make a fake coupon look real. Identify fake coupons by the following warning signs:

It’s the only website with that great deal. If most websites offer a code for 10% off, a 75% off offer is likely a scam.
Be wary of all high value offers. A promo for a $500 gift card is nearly always fake.
Look for legal language and expiration dates. Online coupons need to match manufacturer requirements.
Never pay for coupons. Don’t be tricked into paying for something that’s actually free.
Watch for “bait and switch” tactics. This scam offers you online coupon codes and, once you agree, requires you fill in a form with personal information.
If you suspect that a coupon is fake, check it against this list. The non-profit Coupon Information Center maintains a li st of fraudulent coupons.

For More Information

To find out more about scams, check out the new BBB Scam Stopper.