You may already be a winner!

I know you are all winners given your involvement with the Women's Scholarship program and your desire to improve your skills, education, and employment.  However, there are many criminals that prey on people who want to improve themselves but who might not know the warning signs of fraud.  Often, the con artists promise big winnings to trick people into sending money that will never be seen again.  I supervise educational programs that warn consumers - like you and me - about the latest scams and how to avoid getting defrauded, and that is why I wrote this column.  You have been working too hard to be set back by a rip off or a scam.  Here are a few tips to help you protect yourself and your family. 

Choose a loan or credit card wisely.  Many ads and websites say they guarantee loans or credit cards, no matter what your credit history.  If you apply but you're asked to pay a fee before you get any money, stop and check out the company.  Check with your state attorney general, listed in the government pages of your telephone book.  Find out whether that lender is really registered to do business in your state.  It is illegal for companies doing business in the US by phone to promise you a loan and ask you to pay for it before they deliver.  Only a criminal will ask you to pay a fee for the promise of a loan or credit card.  Find out more about how to manage credit at ftc.gov/credit.

Watch out for ‘Fake Check' Scams.  Fake Check scams can occur in many situations.  If you get an unusual request to send money, check it out before you act.  This can happen if you're selling an item online or in the newspaper and a scam ‘buyer' sends you a check for more than the purchase price, and asks you to deposit the check and wire back the extra funds.  Or a criminal outside the U.S. sends an email, or contacts you in a chat room and asks you to cash a money order and wire back the funds.  If you deposit the check and quickly wire money you may be in for a big shock.  By law, banks must give you access to your deposits in a few days, before they know if a check is good.  When the bank gives you money it does not prove the check is good.  If you send money and it turns out the check was fake, you must repay the bank for all the money you sent.

Be sure you know who is calling.  In one new scam, the caller starts talking but doesn't say his name.  He'll just say "Grandma, it's me" and ask you to wire money because he's out of town and had an emergency.  Other scam callers claim they are police or emergency officers.  They say your friend or loved one had an accident or was arrested and needs you to wire money immediately.  They hope you are so worried that you won't stop to think.  But before you wire money, check on your friend or loved one.  They are probably safe at home.  To reduce unwanted calls, get your home phone and cell phone listed on the national do not call list.  Go to http://www.donotcall.gov/ or call toll free: 1(888) 832-1222.

Thanks for taking the time to become an informed consumer and protecting yourself and your family from fraud.  And remember - you already are a winner!