Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The benefits of using Cross Cut Shredders

Today we have a guest blog post to share with you from Chris at http://www.shreddingmachines.co.uk/


The benefits of using Cross Cut Shredders 

Identity Theft is a buzz word in today’s World with endless mailings and adverts telling you to shred sensitive information that you don’t need (remembering to keep documents required by the tax man) and to take out an ID Theft insurance policy. Doing these, they lead you to believe, will protect you from ID Theft and let you lead a happy scam-free life.

However what they don’t tell you is that not all shredders will keep your information secure. When purchasing a shredder you need to choose between a “Strip” or “Cross” cut model. Strip Cut (or Ribbon Cut) models shred your documents into long strips of a certain width (depending on the model). If someone had the time and patience they could piece together your document and read the contents. Cross Cut (or Confetti/Particle/Crypto Cut) models shred your documents both length and widthways leaving you with small particles that look like confetti. Depending on the security level of the machine you could end up with between 300 and 1500 tiny pieces of confetti from each piece of paper that you shred. This makes the final information much harder to piece together for a potential criminal. Can you imagine trying to join together pieces of confetti only a few millimetres in width and length to recreate a document, particularly if that document has been shredded along with others?

Any shredder owners out there will tell you how annoying it is to constantly empty the bin of your shredder. Fortunately Cross Cut shredders will cause the shredded waste to compact into the waste bin more than Strip Cut models meaning that the bin has to be emptied less frequently. This all seems to mean that Cross Cut shredders are the best thing since sliced bread, however, as with everything; they do have some disadvantages as well.

The first of these (and probably the most important) is that due to higher manufacturing costs, these machines are usually more expensive than the equivalent strip cut models and in some cases can be over double the price. Another drawback is that the higher the security level of the machine (and therefore the more shredded pieces you get from each piece of paper), the fewer sheets can be shredded at one time. An office level Strip Cut machine may be able to handle 30 sheets at once, but an equivalent Cross Cut model may only be able to handle half as many, meaning more time spent standing at the shredder and less time doing something constructive!

Unfortunately the downsides don’t end there. Due to the special nature of their cutting blades, Cross Cut shredders need to be oiled with special lubrication oil on a regular basis to prevent the machine from jamming or shredding even fewer sheets per pass. A busy office would find it necessary to oil at the start of every day, although occasional home users can get away with only doing so once every month. The final downside can be found out by trying to empty a Cross Cut shredder into an outside bin whilst it’s windy outside. Having done this myself I can confirm that the result is a disaster! Waste sacks can also be purchased but this will further increase the cost.

Fortunately there is help with these costs as UK users can visit ShreddingMachines.co.uk where you will find various special offers that give you Free Shredder Oil and Free Waste Sacks (on certain models) so that the cost of switching to a Cross Cut shredder is reduced. They have some of the lowest prices in the UK around and a unique Shredder Wizard will help narrow down the machine that would meet your individual needs.

Non-uk users looking to buy a shredder could check out the wizard to choose your model (as most models are available across the world) then do some research in your home country to find the best price.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Better Business Bureau Tips for Consumers - June addition

The BBB sends out tips for consumers, and here is their June addition.

BBB Advice on Avoiding Wedding Scams

Love is in the air as many couples prepare for their long-awaited wedding day this summer. When preparing for the big day, the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) advises people to proceed with caution when it comes to buying a wedding dress online, choosing a photographer and selecting a wedding planner. Doing so will help you ensure your wedding goes off without a hitch.

Asking for referrals and doing a little research can make a big difference in helping your special day go smoothly. Last year alone, the BBB received more than 970 complaints against wedding-related businesses. Services like wedding planners, bridal shops, car or limousine rentals, DJs, wedding photographers, florists, and jewelers all made the list. Many of the common complaints were centered on the company’s unwillingness to honor cancellation and refund policies after a deposit had been paid.

From choosing a florist to picking out the perfect wedding gown, more and more couples are opting for online retailers. While most venues have the brides’ best interest at heart, it’s important to recognize the danger signs before shelling out hard-earned cash to unreliable businesses.

“With the cost of today’s wedding averaging around $28,000, you want to make sure you get everything you pay for,” said Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of the BBB. “It’s important to do your research before securing your wedding vendors and paying any upfront fees.”

The BBB recommends couples consider the following when planning for their special day:

Research all online vendors. When choosing to go with an online retailer for your wedding services or products, start with a trusted site rather than shopping with a search engine. Search results can often lead you to unscrupulous websites or phishing scams.  Also, look for the BBB seal and other widely-recognized “trustmarks” on retail websites. Click on the seals to confirm they’re valid. Confirm that your online purchase is secure by looking for the “s” after “http” in the URL or the lock symbol in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Be sure to check the company out with the BBB at www.bbb.org before doing business with them. 

Review all terms and conditions. Whether you’re dealing with an online firm or a brick and mortar store, review the terms and conditions of the contract carefully. What are the company’s refund and exchange policies? What is their cancellation policy?  What happens if the company can’t hold up their end of the bargain?  Who will perform the service on your special day? Be sure you understand your rights as a consumer before doing business with the company. 

Keep documentation of your order. For online orders, save a copy of the confirmation page or e-mails confirming the order until you receive the item or service and are satisfied. If you’re dealing with a company representative in-person, be sure to get all details in writing, including specific dates, products, prices, cancellation and deposit policies and signatures from both parties.

Pay with a credit card. Credit cards offer consumers the added protection of disputing any charge over $50 within 60 days of the purchase. Most established businesses accept major credit cards, so use them whenever possible, including payment for deposits Shoppers also have dispute rights if there are unauthorized charges on the card, and many card issuers have “zero liability” policies if someone steals your card number and uses it. Never wire money.

Consider purchasing wedding insurance. Wedding insurance can cover a range of prospective problems including vendor no-shows, cancellations, inclement weather, military deployment, medical emergencies, travel delays and more. Many policies start at $200 and can potentially save you thousands of dollars.

For more consumer tips you can trust, visit www.bbb.org/us/bbb-news.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Breaking down what MN HF0343 will really do for you

I know that a lot of you who read this blog and come to our website do so because you consider yourself the “average consumer” and know you can come to us to get the real information on things, without all of the legal or technical terms that only end up confusing you even more.  Recently I told you about Minnesota Bill HF0343, but let's look at it even closer.

Yes, you can do a search for Minnesota Bill HF0343 and find the online information, which allows you to read the bill text as it was introduced. Let me save you the time of searching . . . just click here and here for the State's information on this Bill.  Unless you have a background in law, you might read this and say “So what does that really mean, for me?”

In 2007 the MN Department of Alcohol and Gambling started a website called http://www.mnscams.org/ Why is the Department of Alcohol and Gambling even interested in scams and fraud? When Minnesotans were becoming victims of Lottery Scams, they began to reach out to the Minnesota Department of Alcohol and Gambling for assistance. In the video below you can watch an in-depth report on the great lengths that Minnesota law enforcement went to in order to track down these scammers.



This Bill would give the Department of Alcohol and Gambling greater power to subpoena and increase the variety of variations of these scams that the Department would have power to then go after.

This Bill will focus in on money transmitters, like Western Union and Money Gram, would have to have a anti fraud program, including a background check of agents and employees. This will raise the bar for these companies, and force them to look at the way that all of their authorized location are operating, and if one of those location are not upholding the rules and standards set forth, the company can be held accountable. If you have read up on scams and fraud, you have heard the stories of the employees working in a variety of businesses that have “turned a blind eye” to the fact that there are fraudulent transactions filtering through their company only to say “there is nothing we can do about it”. Even worse, there are cases when the employee is actually profiting from the scam.

In 2009 the FTC investigated Money Gram on charges that it allowed their system to be used for fraudulent activity. Money Gram ended up paying $18 million to settle.  According to the FTC, Money Gram was aware of the issue and turned a blind eye to the problem. There are many variations of the scams, and while businesses that carry out wire transfers do normally have information about these scams on their websites or on the bottom of their transfer forms, in very small print, these are normally not things that the average customer will see before they become a victim. This Bill will force for more attention to be put on this issue on the defensive side by spotting the warning signs and helping the customer to see them also. Really, it is about good customer service.

The part of this Bill that I am most impressed with is the portion that addresses that the money should go to who you designate on the form, and that they must pick it up where you designate. Now this might sound obvious . . . of course you want the money to go to the person you intended for it to go to, and to where you sent it, but it is not that simple. Right now, if I send money via wire transfer to Joe Schmo in Dallas, Texas and someone else knows the Wire Transfer Number and the Secret Question and Answer, they can pick up that money in any location in the world without having to show valid identification.   The Better Business Bureau pointed out this fact in one of their warnings on this type of scam.

How is this possible?!?!?! Well, here is the reasoning behind this “loophole”. What if my friend Joe Schmo had his wallet stolen, so he did not have any valid identification with him that he could show, and he needed that money to pay his bills. Joe would need a way to “prove” that he knew about the wire transfer and that it was intended for him. If I give him the Wire Transfer Number and tell him what the Secret Question and Answer are, he will now have that information, right? Problem solved. Wrong! Now you have just created a NEW problem. What if someone who is not Joe gets a hold of that information? They too can now go and pick up that wire transfer anywhere in the world, and once the money is picked up the transfer cannot be reversed . . . the money is gone.

The scammers understand this, and they use it to their advantage. They can use a pretend name and tell you that they live within the United States. They can tell you that you are sending the money to someone that is their accountant, client or shipping company . . . whatever fits their story that they have used to bait you into this scam. All of the warning signs of a scam alert you to sending money overseas, but you are just sending money to a shipping company in New York, so what do you have to worry about. This Bill would help to close that loophole and require that your money is only being sent to who you designate and that they are where you designate that they are.

It is sad that the scammers know all of this information better than the average American, but this is why these scams work so well. Besides the truth about how the money transfer businesses work, another point that the scammers seem to be better educated on than the average American is how the check clearing process works.

This is why we at Scam Victims United have been working since 2002 to educate people on scams and fraud, and especially the real way that wire transfers and check clearing works. Education is the key to fighting these scams, and you can sign our petition asking for the creation of Scam Education and Awareness Programs.

http://www.change.org/petitions/create-scam-education-and-awareness-programs

Monday, June 6, 2011

Survey

I put out the request for people to take a survey the other day, and it seems like there was a "glitch" in the system that would not allow some people to complete the survey.  I spoke with the person in charge of the survey and it has been fixed.  The survey can be accessed here.

http://survey.scamresearch.info//43356/lang-en

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Survey on Scams and Fraud


A post-graduate researcher has asked us to help them with a survey they are doing.  I have personally taken this survey and feel it is safe for all of you to take, otherwise I would not even ASK for your help.  It does NOT ask for any personal information at all, just some questions on your feelings and thoughts on different real life situations.

Here is a link to the survey
http://survey.scamresearch.info//index.php?sid=43356&lang=en

And here is a link to some more information on the person doing this research if you are interested
http://scamvictimsunited.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=6529

Thank you for your help!  Please spread the word to other scam fighting websites that you know.