CNN 2010-01-10

clearly a very rough year for the economy. And as you would imagine, scam artists were out in full force taking advantage of those tough times.

 

Personal finance editor Gerri Willis is joining us now to talk more about this.

So, Gerri, tell us about some of these scams from last year. You just can't believe somebody would be taking advantages of people in these times.

 

I know. OK, the Better Business Bureau put together a list of the top scams from this past year. The first one, stimulus¹ government grant scams. Look, even before President Obama announced the stimulus plan in February, scammers were hard at work trying to convince consumers that if they paid for assistance or advice, they could get a piece of the stimulus pie or qualify for government grants.

 

And then the job hunter scams. And this one, the scam artist tries to gain access to information like your bank account or social security number, and you may be ask to pay a fee, even to be considered for a job.

 

And then the mortgage foreclosure rescue scams. With foreclosures rates near record highs, hucksters are offering to help troubled homeowners save their home from foreclosure. Victims are paying hundreds of dollars upfront, well, for nothing.

 

Robocalls. You probably gotten this. Basically, automated² telemarketing calls that claim, for example, that you can lower your credit card interest rate if you pay the money. Fees from $700 to $1,000, and it's money that you can save by negotiating with your credit card company on your own.

 

And then free trial offers. You know, we've told you about these. You may have seen those free trial ads on the Internet for teeth whiteners or miracle supplements. In some cases, when you click on the free trial, you may or may not get the product. But then if you don't cancel the product or opt³ out, down the road, you get charged for more of these products or services. Heidi?

 

Yeah, we've seen that before. All right, so now that we are aware of a lot of these scams that were out there, what can consumers do now this year to protect themselves?

 

All right, well, first of all, if you are offered a job to make easy money, watch out. Unemployment in the nation is high and scammers are targeting the large pool of job hunters. Read the fine print especially for free trial offers. If there are pre-checked boxes on the web when you're trolling around, looking for , you know, maybe good deals, uncheck those boxes before you agree to buy something you don't want.

 

Don't open attachments⁴ or click on links and emails unless you can confirm the e-mail came from somebody you trust. Get every verbal agreement in writing to limit miscommunication. And of course, any company you've decided⁵ to do business with, make sure to check it out with the Better Business Bureau or your local attorney general's office.

 

Bottom line here, if you think there might be a problem, heck there probably will be. Heidi.

 

Yes, for sure. All right, Gerri Willis, we sure do appreciate that. Thank you.

 

1 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

2 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

3 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

4 attachments   

n.（用电子邮件发送的）附件( attachment的名词复数 )；附着；连接；附属物

参考例句：

• The vacuum cleaner has four different attachments. 吸尘器有四个不同的附件。
• It's an electric drill with a range of different attachments. 这是一个带有各种配件的电钻。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。