Hundreds of scams target consumers every day. Among them are phantom debt, fake lotteries, work-at-home, credit repair, and fake utility bills, to name a few. But, all scams have one thing in common: a scammer who wants to take your money. What is the most frequent method they use to do that? The Better Business Bureau (BBB) says contrary to popular belief, it’s not the Internet.
“Scams and different types of fraud are a major threat facing consumers,” said Dennis Horton, director of the Rockford Regional Office of the BBB. “And more and more frequently, the scammers are plying their trade the old-fashioned way — by telephone.”
The National Consumers League (NCL) reports that nearly 43 percent of their complainants say they were first contacted by a scammer by phone. Next on the list was the Web at just under 31 percent, email 16 percent and snail mail at 7 percent.
“This phone trend is particularly troubling,” noted Horton, “because it opens an especially vulnerable population — the elderly — to greater risk.”
There is another trend in the NCL study worth noting — a change in how victims report sending money to a con artist. Previously, wire transfer has been the method most often used. However, today, credit cards are used more frequently. That’s good news, because when the fraud is discovered, the victim has a better chance of recovering their money by filing a dispute with their credit card company.
• Know who you’re dealing with. If a company or charity is unfamiliar, check it out with the BBB. Fraudulent operators open and close quickly, so the fact that no one has made a complaint yet doesn’t guarantee the company or charity is legitimate. Ask for advice about the type of pitch you received and the danger signs of fraud.
• Some telemarketing pitches are blatantly fraudulent, and you should know the signs. It’s illegal for telemarketers to ask for a fee upfront if they promise or claim it’s likely they’ll get you a credit card or loan, or to “repair” your credit. It’s also illegal for any company to ask you to pay or buy something to win a prize, or to claim that paying will increase your chances of winning. And it’s illegal to buy and sell tickets to foreign lotteries by phone or mail.
Other danger signs of fraud may he harder to recognize. They include: pressure to act immediately; refusal to send you written information; use of scare tactics; demands to send payment by wire or courier; demands for payment of taxes or customs fees to claim a prize; requests for your financial account numbers even though you’re not paying for something with them; promises to recover money you’ve lost in other scams, for a fee; claims that you can make lots of money working from home; and refusal to stop calling when you say you’re not interested.
• How you pay matters. If you pay for a transaction with cash, checks or money orders, your money is gone before you realize there is a problem. Paying by credit card is safest because you can dispute the charges if you don’t get what you were promised.
• Be prepared when you answer the phone. Think about the advice you’d give someone else about how to detect fraud, then follow that advice yourself. Use caller ID or an answering machine to screen calls. Don’t hesitate to hang up on suspicious calls.
Is it an enviable position? No, but the Blackhawks have been here before and they know how to get the job done.
Nine times before under coach Joel Quenneville the Hawks have trailed a playoff series 2-1. In the five times they’ve taken Game 4 to even the series they’ve gone on to win it, including 2013’s triumph over the Boston Bruins for the team’s fifth Stanley Cup.
Defenseman Johnny Oduya is expected to play tonight despite suffering an “upper body injury” in Game 3.
And tonight they’ll get the boost of 40-year-old defenseman Kimmo Timonen returning to the lineup, replacing Kyle Cumiskey, to help bolster a back line that is feeling the burden of some heavy playoff ice time.
“I’m really excited,” Timonen told reporters after Wednesday’s morning skate. “It’s been a long couple weeks here and I’ve been working out hard just to hope I get this chance to play one more, or more games, and it looks like that moment came today.”
The Hawks could certainly use the depth. Their top four defensemen tasked with guarded goalie Corey Crawford have racked up some big minutes so far in these playoffs.
Duncan Keith leads the way with more than 620 minutes through 20 games, but Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson have totaled over 500 minutes and Johnny Oduya is on their heels with 495. Jonathan Toews leads forwards with 423.
Oduya is expected to play despite suffering an “upper body injury” during the second period of Game 3, just one of a few Chicago defenders who’s spent time in the trainer’s room this series.
“The guys take care of themselves to a different level,” he said. “They prepare for the excitement and importance of the next game. They find ways when they’re ready to compete, whatever is in front of them.”
What’s in front of them is a Tampa Bay Lightning squad on a two-game winning streak being backed by goaltender Ben Bishop, whose mystery ailment has become one of the running story lines of the Finals.
Bishop left Game 2 for undisclosed reasons with under 10 minutes to play and during Game 3 was visibly favoring his left leg, having trouble covering his crease as the Hawks wasted chance after chance to gain the advantage in the series.
He was on the ice for the Lightning’s morning skate Wednesday but didn’t make the lineup for tonight’s game. Andrei Vasilevskiy will get the nod in goal after he closed out Game 2 for Tampa Bay in Bishop’s absence.
The Hawks will counter with another switch to their forward lines with Kris Versteeg expected to replace Bryan Bickell who was brought into the team for Game 3.
Versteeg has averaged over a half-point per game during his playoff career and said that he’s ready to “go out there and play my game.”
If he can provide any sign of life for the Blackhawks’ top lines it will be a welcome sight. Toews and Patrick Kane have continued to struggle against an aggressive Tampa Bay defense.
But there were positives to take from the top two groups in Game 3 as Brandon Saad and Brad Richards scored Monday night with Marian Hossa assisting on both.
And Versteeg is confident he can build on his teammates’ performances tonight to help get the series back on level terms.
“I thought the first two games there was glimpses of it,” he said, “but I really look forward to trying to get my entire game to where it should be.”
If the Blackhawks can get this series to 2-2 tonight they’ll feel right back where they should be, too.