If you have lost your credit card or fear it may have been stolen, notify the issuer of the card as soon as possible. Under US law, once you have notified the credit card company that your card is lost or stolen, you are not responsible for unauthorized charges. Your liability for charges on a lost or stolen card is limited by law to $50.

Although many people are aware of this, still unscrupulous scamsters may try to sell you credit card loss insurance protection. Using telemarketing schemes to sell worthless insurance, these scamsters can cost consumers dollars to protect what is already protected by law. Often they will tell people that the law has changed, and they are now responsible for all unauthorized charges.

The best defense you have against scam artists is knowledge. When you hear someone telling you something that doesn’t agree with what you know, be on your guard. Read your credit card agreement and know the terms of your account and procedures for dealing disputed charges. List your phone number on the National Do-Not-Call Registry. Remember, never give out your account number, social security number or any other personal information over the phone unless you are sure of the business that you are dealing with.

The Governors of the US Postal Service have approved another hike in the price of a stamp, raising the cost of a First-Class Stamp from 39 cents to 41 cents. At the same time, they approved the issuance of the “forever” stamp.

The “forever” stamp will sell at the 41 cent one-ounce letter rate but will remain good regardless of any future price changes. The value of the “forever” stamp will always be the one-ounce letter rate, and can be used on any future one-ounce letter mailing without extra postage even if the rate has increased.

If you still write letters and send them snail mail or if you still pay some or all of your bills by mail, this might be a no-brainer of an investment. The “forever” stamp costs the same as a regular postage stamp but will be good even if you use it ten years from now. Chances are you will still be paying bills ten years from now and it’s certain that the price of postage will go up in that time.

High interest “tax refund anticipation” loans are popular with many people who need money fast. But they are most popular with people living on 4 Indian reservations in South Dakota.

Some of these loans are taken out prior to even preparing tax returns, in December, and based on paycheck stub information which they use to calculate the anticipated refund. Many use this as a way to get extra money for Christmas and later must go back and pay the preparer up to $150 additional to file their taxes.

The IRS has decided to block tax preparers who offer free services through the IRS Free File program from offering refund anticipation loans, but the same tax preparers offer them at their branch offices.

Tax refund anticipation loans popular on state’s reservations

Consumers are getting more savvy and more suspicious according to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.

The Eddie Haskell approach of flattery doesn’t appeal to consumers and is more likely to lose the sale than seal it. Consumers are wary of salespeople who compliment them and view it as an attempt at manipulation.

An experiment in sales and flattery found that consumers didn’t trust the admiring comments of the salesperson, even if they came after the sale was completed. The lesson to salespeople might be “less is more” when it comes to flattering the customer.

Sales Pitches Turn Off Consumers, Study Finds