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Consumer Issues & ID Theft

One of the things I hope you will learn from my website is empowerment. That includes taking charge of your own money and knowing how to fight for your consumer rights. Learn how to protect yourself and effectively battle bureaucracy.

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Categories within Consumer Issues & ID Theft

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Are you being harassed over an old VHS rental late fee?

More than three million people are being harassed over debts of dubious origin from the defunct video rental chains Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery. When these chains went bust, their collection records were apparently in complete disarray. The collection agency that has been attempting to track down alleged debtors has ...

New free way to protect your child's identity

Protecting your child's identity is about to get a whole lot easier and cheaper thanks to a new free service in the marketplace. Child identity theft is one of the worst forms of identity theft because it often goes unchecked and unnoticed for years. You might not have any idea ...

Tips to protect your privacy online

How safe are you on the web? The June 2012 issue of Consumer Reports says you're more vulnerable than you think. Thirty million computers infected in just in a year with malware. Sixteen million households in which somebody suffered identity theft. More than 9 million times where someone had their ...

Spirit Airlines faces public wrath over dying Vietnam vet's case

The Internet and social media have changed the balance of power between individuals and companies that treat them badly. Spirit Airlines is a company that I routinely trash for their horrendous contempt of the customer that comes from the top down. Spirit is the kind of company you think I ...

SurfEasy offers secure browsing on public wifi

Secure web browsing is a big problem when you're on unencrypted wifi. Thankfully, there's a new device that lets you lock down your data while you still enjoy free public wifi wherever you are. For $60, SurfEasy.com will sell you a unit that plugs into the USB port of your ...

Bank of America bombs on banking satisfaction survey

The 2012 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study reveals that the size of your bank probably has a lot to do with how happy you are to do business with them. J.D. Power took a look at banks and rated them by region, based on the input from nearly 48,000 respondents ...

Credit freezes are effective tool against data breaches

Are you doing things that lay yourself wide open to an identity thief fouling up your life? I'll tell you how to protect yourself. New numbers from Javelin Research suggest you're almost 10 times more likely to suffer a full-scale identity theft if you have been subject to data breach. ...

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Free apps that free up your "on-hold" times

The common headache of waiting on hold to speak with a customer no service representative is about to get a whole lot streamlined thanks to some free apps.

Mac users face virus attack

If you're a Mac user, you may think your computer is impervious to viruses. But that's no longer the case. For a long time, it was accepted as gospel that if you wanted to avoid viruses on your computer, you got a Mac instead of a PC. Now estimates suggest ...

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Avoiding cram charges on your cell bill

Wireless providers have pocketed $1 billion in commissions for cram charges on cell phone bills. Fortunately, there's a way to make sure that money isn't coming out of your pocket.