Watch out for Valentines Day scams

It’s sad but true. Even when preparing for Valentines Day, you need to be an alert, informed consumers and beware of scams.

ConsumerAffairs.com offers this list of possible problems that could occur. Scammers may try to:

• Get your financial information by sending a fake e-mail message that your flowers can’t be delivered unless you reenter your credit card number.

• Send an eCard, hoping you’ll open it so that a virus can be installed on your machine.

• Send a message saying you need to update your Flash player to view an eCard.

Other tips for protecting yourself as a consumer during your Valentines Day activities include:

• Pick a restaurant that you’re familiar with in terms of food and costs so you don’t get a disappointing surprise on your romantic evening.

• Ask friends and relatives where to buy flowers, and avoid doing business with florists that don’t list a street address with their phone number.

• Shop around and compare prices if you’re buying jewelry and use a major credit card when you pay.

• Be careful when meeting people through online dating Web sites because scam artists use these sites to meet people and pressure them for money after they get to know them.

See the article “Don’t Let Your Heart or Wallet Get Hijacked This Valentines Day” for details on these scams. Be a happy boomer consumer on Valentines Day, not a discouraged one.

My next post will be "Top 10 Romantic Gifts for Valentine's Day."

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Comments

[Kannan]

Good post.

[Rita]

Hi Kannan,

Thanks for your comment.

Please stop by The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide again soon.

Rita