October 1, 2010
Scam artists are at work even in a recession, says LSU family economist Gloria Nye. Many scams and frauds count on people being more vulnerable when they are desperate because of hard times.
“Bottom line, as always, is that if it sounds too good to be true, beware,” Nye says.
Nye details several scams in operation:
• AARP warns that scams are on the rise in the wake of health care reform. Con artists are trying to sell “ObamaCare” insurance, telling people they’ll go to jail if they don’t have the coverage.
“Truth is, the requirement to have health insurance doesn’t begin until 2014,” Nye says, “and you can’t be jailed for not having insurance.”
• Consumer Affairs warns about “free trials,” where you only have to pay a small amount for shipping. They ask for your credit card information and then unauthorized charges are made to your credit card.