Bad Deal for Seniors…Bad Deal for Medicare

By Senator Debbie Stabenow

According to Greek mythology, the Greeks waged a fruitless war against the City of Troy. Unable to penetrate the fortified walls of the city, they hatched a new strategy. Within a large hollow wooden horse, presented as a gift, the Greeks hid the seeds that would sow the destruction of Troy.

Today, opponents of the Medicare system have built their own Trojan horse. After attempting for thirty-eight unsuccessful years to break down the mighty walls of Medicare, they finally have begun the process. While framed as a gift to senior citizens, this bill will actually begin the end of Medicare as we know it.

Providing a real comprehensive prescription drug benefit and lowering prescription drug prices have been my top priorities since joining Congress. I entered into this debate leading the fight to do just that, and nothing would have pleased me more! But in the end, I was forced to lead the fight to protect Medicare itself.

Medicare has been a great American success story because it has brought dependable, affordable health care to millions of seniors and the disabled. Beneficiaries can choose their own doctors and they know that regardless of where they live, they will pay the same premiums and co-payments for care. Under this bill, all of that will change. Starting in 2010, it forces seniors and the disabled in demonstration areas to choose between HMOs, private insurance, and their traditional Medicare plan. Because of the way it is designed, Medicare costs will actually go up and the program will begin to be dismantled.

Click here for more..                                                                                                        

PHISHING RELATED TO ISSUANCE OF ECONOMIC STIMULUS CHECKS

05/08/08—The FBI warns consumers of recently reported spam e-mail purportedly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which is actually an attempt to steal consumer information. The e-mail advises the recipient that direct deposit is the fastest and easiest way to receive their economic stimulus tax rebate. The message contains a hyperlink to a fraudulent form which requests the recipient’s personally identifiable information, including bank account information. To convince consumers to reply, the e-mail warns that a failure to complete the form in a timely manner will delay the issuance of the rebate check.

One example of this IRS spam e-mail message is as follows:

“Over 130 million Americans will receive refunds as part of President Bush’s program to jumpstart the economy.

Our records indicate that you are qualified to receive the 2008 Economic Stimulus Refund.

The fastest and easiest way to receive your refund is by direct deposit to your checking/savings account.

Please follow the link and fill out the form and submit before May 10th, 2008 to ensure that your refund will be processed as soon as possible.

Submitting your form on May 10th, 2008 or later means that your refund will be delayed due to the volume of requests we anticipate for the Economic Stimulus Refund.

Read more here                    

Top Ten Scams of 2007

 

By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com

A stroll through the Scam Alerts archives finds it’s been Christmastime all year for the world’s scam artists. The Federal Trade Commission tells us that scams hit 30.2 million adults — 13.5 percent of the adult population during the last year for which it has added up its complaints.

While the FTC’s latest figures are for 2006, there’s certainly no reason to think the number declined in 2007. Human ingenuity is constantly on the prowl, after all, seeking new ways to fleece the unwary, the gullible and those looking to get rich quickly.

But of course it’s not just the greedy and the gullible who get taken. The poor and desperate are also falling victim to modern-day bandits – those in grimy boiler rooms as well as corporate board rooms.

The dictionary definition of a “scam” is “a fraudulent business scheme designed to make a quick profit.” In making our list and checking it twice, we combed our database of nearly 300,000 consumer complaints to find the scams that made great strides forward, roping in new victims and increasing their take in 2007.

So, here they are — ConsumerAffairs.com’s Top 10 Scams of 2007:

1. Weight Loss Scams

With America’s mushrooming obesity problem, perhaps it’s only natural that scammers would dream up all manner of bogus weight loss schemes, in an effort to separate overweight Americans from their money. In 2007 there seemed to be no limit to how outlandish these scams could be.

Read more

 

 

USPTO LAUNCHES MEDIA CAMPAIGN TO COUNTER PATENT SCAMS

This week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) unveils a television and radio campaign in five media markets to counter the flood of deceptive advertising aimed at America’s independent inventors. USPTO’s spots, which will run through March 31, 2002, in San Francisco/San Jose, Tampa, Pittsburgh and New York, and in Spanish in Southern Florida, warn small inventors about organizations who offer, but do not deliver on, costly schemes to patent and market inventions. The agency also will be placing print ads in Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, The Family Handyman and Inventors Digest in late January.

“USPTO’s ads caution inventors that ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it is,’” said James E. Rogan, Under Secretary Of Commerce for Intellectual Property. “Our ads offer practical information, guiding inventors to USPTO’s Office of Independent Inventor Programs, where they can get real help with patenting and marketing their inventions.”

Every year invention promotion scams cost U.S. inventors an estimated $200 million. The USPTO’s Office of Independent Inventor Programs has set up a special toll-free number, 866-767-3848, to provide information to inventors about invention promotion firms.

Click here for more information

Walk Away from a Bad Deal—Even if it Hurts

Too often, negotiators are so worried about making a deal that they make bad deals. A bad deal is worse than no deal. Learn to walk away from bad deals.

I can hear the voice in your head saying “Terry, that’s easy for you to say, but you don’t understand my situation. Walking away may be easy for you, but I need this deal.” Hey, I know how hard it is to walk away from a deal. I also know how much grief a bad deal will create for you. So forget that voice in your head and walk away from bad deals—even if you cry while walking away.

Let me share a recent experience of my agony while walking away from a bad deal. A major publishing company contacted me about writing a book on conflict resolution. The book was part of a series of business books they publish. I told them I was definitely interested in this project. I sent them an outline for the book and a sample chapter. They liked both and asked me to write the book.

I was ecstatic. Getting a book contract with a major publisher is a big break for a professional speaker, writer, and consultant. My mind enjoyed flights of fantasy as I imagined the book rising to the top of the best seller list. I began to get dollar signs in my eyes.

I was elated until I got the contract in the mail. As I read the contract, depression and concern replaced my elation. Briefly, the contract required me to give the publisher everything while getting little in return. The deal was bad concerning the rights I would give away and the compensation I would receive.

I didn’t know what to do. I want to publish the book but I also want a deal I feel is fair and that I can live with over time. So I contacted people I know who have published books and whose opinions I respect. Every person I talked to about this deal told me two things: (1) getting published by a major publisher is important even if you don’t make money on the deal, and (2) the contract I had in my hands was the worst deal they had ever seen.

Continue reading here

No Good Deal

I want to start the blog by giving an example of a no good deal. My experience was with Vonage. Vonage offers what appears to be a good deal with its home phone service. However, there are a lot of hidden secrets. First and for most, is the fact that the 911 system is as reliable as the internet you have. If the internet is down, your 911 is down. Second is the fact that any long distance phone calls you make, the time incurred, and charges will be charged separately from your regular bill. Thus, sometimes you will be receiving two bill in a single month. Third is the fact that you only have 30 days to test the service. If you want to disconnect after the grace period, you will be incurring heavy charges. I still have Vonage because of the third part. This is my Vonage experience. Shout yours!