Identity Theft scams continue to flourish on the web. One that you need to be aware of and beware of is any site that seems to be selling high-demand items (digital cameras for instance) at a much lower (almost unbelievable) price than you can find on other sites or the manufacturer's site.
Often the victim's are told to pay nothing until they receive the merchandise. The person behind the scam uses the victim's name and a credit card number belonging to another person to purchase the item at a legitimate site.
Once the item is shipped, the victim then authorizes his credit card to be billed or sends payment directly to the scammer. The scammer has now put you in the position of being in receipt of stolen merchandise while they get away with your money.
Another scam that still seems to be working is being contacted through e-mail by someone claiming to be from your credit card company, your internet service provider, Paypal, or Ebay.
The scammer will send a message stating that your account information needs to be verified because their files were hacked into, their database crashed or they believe that someone has tried to steal your account information and they want to verify your information in order to protect your account. The con artist then uses the information supplied to "verify" your account to run up fraudulent charges.
NEVER give personal information to a company, such as AOL or Ebay, that already has it. If you are suspicious about being contacted, contact the company yourself before giving out any personal information.
I have three major credit card accounts that I've had for many years. The other night I was reconciling my monthly statements and noticed a large discrepancy in the APR's (annual percentage rate) I was paying on these three accounts.
My first card, card "A", has an APR of 8.9%; card "B" has an APR of 9.9%; and card "C" has an APR of 17.9% -Ouch ! I knew I had to see what I could do about this"out of range" interest rate on card "C". So I considered a couple of options.
One choice would be to transfer or switch the balance on card "C" to a new card with a lower APR. This would be very easy to do since I had received several pre-approved credit card offers earlier in the week. They included "convenience checks" that I could use to payoff that high APR credit card, thereby transferring that balance to a new account.
I decided against this option however because I didn't really want to add another account to my credit profile. Your credit score, that "magic number" that establishes your credit-worthiness to merchants can be affected negatively by having too many accounts.
So instead I decided to contact the issuer of credit card "C" to see what they could do about that 17.9% APR which seemed so out of line with my two other credit card accounts. I reasoned this was the better of the two options before me since I've already established a relationship with this company; a relationship which included many years of on-time payments which reflects positively in my credit profile with the credit bureaus.
I called the 800 number and talked to a very a nice gentleman. I explained to him the reason for my call; two other credit card issuers offered me a much more reasonable interest rate and so I'd like to see what his company could offer to me.
I wasn't surprised when he replied that he could lower my current rate from 17.9% to 15.9%. Since the credit card company makes a profit from the interest rate they charge I didn't expect to be offered the best or lowest rate right off the bat. I prepared myself to have to do a little negotiating.
And so I reminded him that my account was in good standing and had been for many years now. I had not made any late payments and always made more than the minimum payment due.
Again he informed me that the best he could offer was a rate of 15.9% that would be good until August 2003. So now not only was I not feeling like I was getting a very good deal but this new rate would only be a "promotional" rate !
I remained calm and friendly, knowing that yelling at him or telling him what a "lousy" company he worked for would be counterproductive to my end goal - a lower and better APR for this account. I thanked him for his time but told him I didn't feel this was a very good offer.
And then the "magic" happened. He asked if I would like to speak to an account manager and that perhaps they could better assist me. I thanked him for his time and assistance and was then transferred to an account manager.
I explained my dilemma to her and reasoned with her that as a good customer I expected a much better rate. She empathized with me and then offered to upgrade my account to their platinum status which carried an APR of 9.9% ! In addition, the platinum card offered many more benefits and had no annual fee. She also assured me that this was a "contract rate" and not a promotional rate. I would keep the same account number so I would not be opening a "new" account but simply upgrading my current account status.
Next time you are reconciling your monthly statements take a close look at the various APR's you are paying. If you notice a disparity in the rates you are paying, call your card issuers and negotiate a better rate. My persistence paid off. Be persistent - it can pay off for you too !
Sue is a homeowner and pays her mortgage and other bills on time like a good credit consumer. Sue's on-time mortgage payments are reflected in her credit score profiled by the three major credit bureaus; Equifax, Experian and Trans Union.
Joe on the other hand is a renter, who wants to buy his first home in the near future. He pays his rent on time every month as well as his phone and utility bills. Joe is also a good credit consumer but his on-time payments are not reflected in his credit profiles. Why? Because the major credit reporting agencies are not set up to track this type of payment and therefore they are not reflected in Joe's credit score. Chances are good that Joe's credit score will be lower than Sue's because his on-time rent payments go untracked by the credit bureaus.
As a result Joe will be quoted a higher interest rate and higher fees to his lender when he applies for his first home mortgage. Seems a bit unfair doesn't it? The good news for Joe and other renters like him is that the credit reporting system is about to change.
In a recent Chicago Tribune article, reporter Kenneth R. Harney points to the creation of a new national credit bureau whose "sole mission is to track the payments that nobody else tracks." The new credit reporting agency PRBC (Pay Rent, Build Credit) wants to build credit files on as many as 10 million renters nationwide over the next 5 years.
According to PRBC's founder and chief executive Michael Nathans, the new bureau will earn revenue by selling supplemental credit reports to lenders. CitiMortgage, Inc., one of the nation's major home lenders, is already a subscriber of the new service.
Some other highlights of PRBC's service include:
- 24/7 access to online files by consumers, free of charge. - Consumers must give permission to have their files accessed by lenders. - Consumers can input up to 36 months of documented on-time payments. - They accept payment histories from phone, credit and debit cards so long as the source (merchant) can send a date-stamped electronic receipt of payment. - Many consumers who bank online can have their payment information recorded by PRBC once the bureau becomes fully functional
PRBC can benefit not only renters but also young and minority borrowers who have little or no credit history with the traditional bureaus. "We think we can help create equal credit opportunities for everybody who deserves a a prime rate loan, " Nathans said.
Consumers can register for free with the new bureau online at http://www.payrentbuildcredit.com.