Departments

Community Services

Consumer Protection

Consumer Protection : Advice from The Bucks County Consumer Advocates

November 2006

Q. I just received an email from the National Credit Union Administration. Basically it said that due to new security measures my account access will be limited. They want me click on their link and fill out an information sheet. They are asking for a lot of personal and financial information. I do have a credit union account. Should I respond to the email? C.H., Newtown

A. No. Never respond to any email that asks for information. We contacted the National Credit Union Administration and discovered they have received numerous calls in reference to this email. It is a scam that is called phishing. The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) states that they do not ask credit union members for such personal information. If a member has responded to the email link and provided their account number, pin number and other personal information they should contact NCUA immediately. The link goes to a false website. You should send the entire email message to Phishing@ncua.gov. Similar emails have been sent in the past and will undoubtedly be sent in the future. Any email that asks for specific information or has a link provided should always be viewed as suspect. There is an agency called The Internet Fraud Complaint Center, (IFCC), they deal with all internet transactions. Any suspicious emails or internet fraud should be reported to them at www.ic3.gov.

Q. There is an e-mail that is going around my office about a scam. The scam artist asks you to call and when you call back you are charged $2,425.00 a minute on your phone bill. Is this for real? J.L., Holland

A. There is a scam where you receive a message on your answering machine or an e-mail telling you to call a phone number with an “809”, “284”, “876” area code to collect a prize, find out about a sick relative, or someone in your family died or has been arrested. These area codes are actually connecting you outside the U.S. to Canada or the Caribbean. Once you place the call, you are connected to a lengthy recorded message, or a pay per call service with a hefty up front fee all intended to keep you on the line as long as possible while the clock ticks and the charges mount. The scammer’s foreign phone company then bills you via your local phone company. Although the amount per minute being charged has been exaggerated, consumers still want to be careful. Check any area codes before returning calls. Also, if you do not otherwise make international calls, ask your local phone company to block outgoing international calls on your line.

Q. I just bought a new used car. The dealer’s offer for my old car was way too low, so I kept it. The car runs well, just has lots of miles. I thought I would give it to a charity. The Kidney Foundation has a program for donated vehicles. Can you tell me anything about it? C.S., Chalfont

A. The Kidney Foundation is a legitimate charity and their Kidney Car Program is a very good one. Before consumers donate any goods or monies to charities make sure the charity is registered in the state. You can call the charity registration office at the Pennsylvania Department of State at 1-800-736-0999 or go to the website www.dos.state.pa.us. Also check out the rating of the charity by using www.guidestar.org or www.give.org. New IRS rules apply to the tax benefit that a donor may receive so it would be wise to call the IRS or your tax preparer. This charity has a very easy step by step process that will explain everything from the title transfer to the vehicle pickup.

Q. I decided to start my Christmas shopping early, because I do not have a lot of money and it will take me a long time to pay off everything. I was thinking a layaway program may be best for me considering my money problems. I have never used a layaway program and I am not sure how it works. Can you give me any advice? M.B., Bristol

A. Layaways can be a good idea when you want to get your shopping out of the way and do not have the money. Before you start shopping and using a store’s layaway, get the specific information about their layaway policies. These policies can vary from store to store. Ask about their return policy. Some stores only give you a store credit if you want to return an item. Some stores may charge a service fee for returns. If so, ask how much the fee is. Find out if there is a minimum payment that is required. Ask how much time you will have to pay for the items and when the payments are due. Check if there is a penalty for late payments. Ask if there are any charges added to the purchase price, for example, service fee or layaway fee. If you are not happy with any of the store’s conditions, you may want to try another store.

Department of Consumer Protection /
Weights and Measures
Michael D. Bannon
Director
50 North Main Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
Phone: 215-348-7442
Fax: 215-348-4570
Canny Consumer Hotline 1-800-942-2669