South Carolina Department Of Consumer Affairs Issues Warning About Voter Registration Scam

With only days left to register to vote, the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) urges all eligible South Carolinians to complete their voter registration in time, but to be wary of possible scams.

The deadline for registering to vote in the November 4th, 2008 General Election is Saturday, October 4, 2008.

Consumers should consider the following before completing their registration at any place other than their local Election Commission. Scammers will stop at nothing to steal personal information, and voter registration provides another opportunity to do just that.

Scammers are always looking for sensitive information. Consumers may receive e-mails that offer simple online registration or ask for registration confirmation or corrections. Some consumers may even receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the election commission or a similar government agency. These are scams. After providing sensitive information, consumers unknowingly release a malicious virus onto their computer. Not only is their personal information now publilc knowledge, but the scammer now has access to the consumers’ financial accounts, online transactions, and identity! Finally, the consumer may think they have registered to vote, only to show up at the polls and realize their vote will not count.

Legitimate voter registration forms will NEVER require you to provide financial information of any kind. South Carolina residents will be required to provide their social security number and proof of residency in order to register. Citizens who wish to register to vote should register in person at their county board of voter registration; or they may download a form, complete it, and mail it to their county board of voter registration. All registration forms must be completed and sent via mail or delivered in person. Consumers should personally deliver or mail their registration forms. DO NOT rely on a third party to handle this important step for you. Consumers who receive e-mails or phone calls from persons claiming to be from the election commission should immediately delete the e-mail or hang up the phone!

Consumers can protect their information by choosing to register on their own and not responding to suspicious offers.

For more details on how to register, or to download the proper registration form, consumers can visit the South Carolina State Election Commission at http://www.scvotes.org.

For more information, contact the Public Information Division at (803) 734-4190, 1-800-922-1594, or online at www.scconsumer.gov & click on Live Chat.

SCDCA Warns You About House Stealing- It's Not An Urban Legend

House stealing sounds like an urban legend, but it happens.

The combination of two popular rackets, identity theft and mortgage fraud. House stealing can sweep your home right out from under you.

Here’s how it generally works:

First – The con artists start by picking out a house to steal. Often it’s a house that appears abandoned, although there have been cases where the owner was simply on an extended vacation.

Next – They assume your identity,  getting ahold of your name and personal information, and use that to create fake ID’s, social security cards, and other documents.

Then – The theives go to an office supply store and purchase forms that transfer property.

Finally – After forging your signature and using the fake IDs, they file these deeds with the proper authorities, and lo and behold, your house is now THEIRS.

There are some variations on this theme:

Con artists look for a vacant house – say, a vacation home or rental property – and do a little research to find out who owns it.

Then, they steal the owner’s identity, go through the same process of transferring the deed, put the empty house on the market, and pocket the profits.

OR- the fraudsters steal a house a family is still living in …. find a buyer (say someone who is satisfied with a few online photos) …… and sell the house without the family even knowing.

In fact, the rightful owners continue right on paying the mortgage for a house they no longer own.

The ensuing mess can take years to straighten out.

House stealing is still a relatively rare crime, but if you own uninhabited properties or will be away from your home for an extended period of time it is something to keep in mind. Keeping good records in a safe, secure place, as well as periodically checking public records on your property are the best defense.

Want To Cut The Spam Out Of Your E-mail Diet?

Follow these six simple steps from scambusters.org

1. Use a separate e-mail address when you post messages to any public forum; such as newsgroups and mailing lists. Never use your personal e-mail address for this purpose or you’ll be flooded with spam.
2. Consider acquiring multiple e-mail addresses for different purposes. This helps you to identify different sources and senders and lets you filter more effectively. For instance: You may have one for personal use for friends, family or colleagues that is never used to request information or to subscribe to newsletters, discussion lists, etc. Another might be used just for sales inquiries or orders, or for making online purchases. This can be arranged through you ISP, web host or through any number of online e-mail service providers.
3. Subscribe to services online that provide you with disposable addresses that can be deleted, if they begin to attract spam messages. This works because the disposable e-mail address actually forward to a real e-mail address of yours. The software lets you track which addresses are getting spam, and you can just resubscribe using a new spam-free address.
4. Remove your e-mail address from your website. If you list or link to your e-mail address you can expect to be spammed. Address-harvesting robots will spider your site and extract them. So remove them wherever possible and use web-based forms instead. This will drastically cut down the amount of spam you receive, if you have a website.
5. NEVER buy anything from a company that spams. Don’t visit their sites or ask for more information. If you respond to their spams, you’re encouraging them to continue spamming – they only need a tiny fraction of responses to be profitable. There’s another reason not to buy anything from a company that spams: over 95% of spam offers are scams! In fact, not responding to spam is the single most effective way to not get scammed on the Internet.
6. Filter your e-mail. Using filters is key to managing your e-mail effectively. It may take a short time to figure out how to do this, but it’s definitely worthwhile.

SCDCA Warns Midlands Neighgorhoods About Door-To-Door Book Scams

Despite the heat, scammers are still pounding the pavement looking for their next victim.

The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) recently received a tip from a local resident about a scam that has crisscrossed the country and is now knocking on Midlands’ doors….literally. The scam, which swept an Irmo neighborhood, is not likely to disappear immediately. Consumers should be suspicious about the following scenario and any other “sales pitches” like it.

A door-to-door salesman approaches a house and attempts to interest the resident in books (or other products) that he is selling. The sales pitch is convincing. The salesman describes efforts to raise funds to support a trip to England to play in a soccer tournament. Upon his return, the young man will begin training at Annapolis as a naval cadet. The sales pitch cleverly includes the names of neighbors nearby. The more pitches the salesman makes in the neighborhood, the more names he is able to collect. By the time he reaches your home he may refer to half a dozen of your closet neighbors, making his story sound legitimate.

Underneath the sophisticatd details, order receipts, and “neighborly name dropping,” the pitch and the sale are a scam. You pay for the books upfront, but never receive the goods. The salesman, who claimed to live in your neighborhood, suddenly disappears, but not before your check is cashed.

Consumers should be cautious about door-to-door sales. SCDCA recommends consumers collect education and promotional materials to review before purchasing a product or service. If the product or service will not be available immediately upon payment, consumers should not make the purchase without a reliable means to track the salesman and the order. Furthermore, consumers should always avoid upfront payments of the entire amount due when dealing with door-to-door products or services.

For more information, contact the Public Information Division at (803) 734-4190, 1-800-922-1594 (toll-free in SC), or online at www.scconsumer.gov & click on Live Chat.