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Health and Fitness Displaying items by tag: Department of Commerce and Insurance
Health and Fitness Displaying items by tag: Department of Commerce and Insurance
Displaying items by tag: Department of Commerce and Insurance
With the start of the new year, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance’s Consumer Affairs division is kicking off “Don’t Get Scammed in 2012.” Through the campaign, the department hopes to prevent consumers from falling prey to schemes. The 2012 “Don’t Get Scammed” calendar (http://1.usa.gov/AhoK3P) and similarly themed brochure (http://1.usa.gov/u5UCUY) are filled with information on a variety of scams.
One of the scams consumers should be aware of this month are diet scams. During the New Year’s holiday, you probably saw ads that claimed you could lose 30 pounds in 30 days, block the absorption of fat and carbs by taking a pill or melt away pounds by wearing a patch. If those ads sound too good to be true, they just might be.
“I urge consumers to use caution and to do their research before responding to any of these ads,” Consumer Affairs Director Gary Cordell said. “When it comes to weight loss, there are no shortcuts or quick fixes. Don’t fall for any ad that promises results that are too good to be true.”
These types of ads seem tempting because one of the most common New Year’s resolutions remains to lose weight, the quicker the better. However, scores of consumers have found many miracle weight loss products’ promises to be empty. Weight loss is a result of exercising regularly, cutting calories and eating nutritional foods, not a result of just taking a pill or wearing a patch. Even when miracle diet scams don’t prove to be dangerous, choosing to rely on pills, patches, creams and other gadgets to lose weight prevents millions of people from seeking weight loss programs that could really help them lose weight.
Some of the top miracle diet scams include:
metabolism-boosting pills based on herbal ingredients,
fat- and carb-blocking pills,
herbal weight loss teas,
diet patches, jewelry or other products worn on the body,
and body wraps or “slim suits.”
The new year and credit
The start of the new year is a good time for you to request your free credit report. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. To request a free copy of your report, visit https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp.
Consumer Affairs (www.tn.gov/consumer/) is a division of the Department of Commerce and Insurance (www.tn.gov/commerce/), which works to protect consumers while ensuring fair competition for industries and professionals who do business in Tennessee. www.tn.gov/commerce/, @TNCommerceInsur (Twitter), http://on.fb.me/uFQwUZ (Facebook), http://bit.ly/ry1GyX (YouTube)
Published in
Health and Fitness
As people increasingly turn to online social networking sites to interact with one another, so have con artists who lurk in the virtual shadows with shady investment deals to pitch to unsuspecting investors, the Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) Securities Division advises.
The Securities Division cautions investors to make sure they know who they are doing business with when considering investments pitched through “friends” on social networking sites. “Just because someone has ‘friended’ you online does not mean that person is your friend when it comes to investing,” Securities Division Assistant Commissioner Daphne D. Smith said. “The person behind the profile may be deliberately mimicking your likes and interests to lure you into a scam.”
Con artists have launched “affinity fraud” schemes for years by targeting victims through such traditional offline social networks as community service groups, professional associations or faith-based organizations. Scammers infiltrate groups of individuals connected through common interests, hobbies, lifestyles, professions or faith to establish strong bonds through face-to-face contact and sharing of personal interests before launching their schemes.
The rise in popularity of websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, eHarmony and other online social networks and communities has made it easier for con artists to quickly establish trust and credibility. “Crooks peddling scams increasingly are logging on to find investors and their money,” Smith said.
Social networking websites enable scammers to gain access to potential victims through their online profiles, which may contain sensitive personal information such as their dates or places of birth, phone numbers, home addresses, religious and political views, employment histories, and even personal photographs.
“A con artist can take advantage of how easily people share background and personal information online by using this information to make a highly targeted pitch to “friends” within that social group,” Smith said.
The alert advises investors to watch for red flags common to online investment schemes, such as promises of high returns with no risk, operations based offshore and requests for payment through e-currency websites.
The alert also offers tips on how to protect against fraud in social networking:
protect your personal information;
search the names of all persons and companies connected to the investment being offered;
beware of the use of testimonials from “satisfied” investors;
obtain a prospectus;
don’t take the word of a salesperson;
and – most important – contact TDCI’s Securities Division to determine if the investment and the person recommending it are properly registered.
“Take time to check out the investment yourself, and remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” Smith said.
For more information, contact the Securities Division at 1-800-863-9117 or
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
The Department of Commerce and Insurance works to protect consumers while ensuring fair competition for industries and professionals who do business in Tennessee. www.tn.gov/commerce/
Published in
Money
Spring storms, especially tornadoes, can damage our homes. The Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) would like to offer storm-affected consumers some tips for interacting with insurance companies and selecting contractors:
As soon as possible after an event affects your home, contact your insurance carrier or your agent. Locate a copy of your policy and read through it. Make a thorough inventory for your adjustor of all of the items missing from or damaged in your home. Take pictures, if possible, of all damage – inside and outside, from several angles – to get full documentation before any repairs are made. Secure and protect your property against further rain or other damage as much as possible without making permanent repairs, so that the adjustor can see and document the full extent of the damage, Keep receipts for expenses of protecting your property from further damage. Follow the claims-filing procedure set forth in your policy. If there is a dispute, follow the company’s dispute process. Many larger companies have quick-response teams that come into areas of heavy damage to process large numbers of claims as quickly as possible. Others will not send someone out unless you call them. Call your company to be sure. Call TDCI with insurance issues at 800-342-4029 or its Consumer Affairs division hotline for non-insurance issues at 800-342-8385. Tennessee’s Board for Licensing Contractors has found that unscrupulous, unlicensed contractors like to take advantage of homeowners anxious to rebuild after disasters. Be sure to hire only licensed contractors and check them out with the Board. Consumers may verify a license status by calling 800-544-7693, or may check TDCI’s website for various trades at http://verify.tn.gov.The Department of Commerce and Insurance works to protect consumers while ensuring fair competition for industries and professionals who do business in Tennessee. www.tn.gov/commerce/
Published in
Local News
