It’s so gratifying to see our community becoming more aware of good consumer practices. I’m beginning to get almost as many tips on scams from readers as I am getting consumer requests for assistance. Calls and emails range from 20 per day to a high of 67.

Our numbers include people in their teens to consumers well over 90! During my frequent speaking engagements, I find that almost everyone is aware and appreciative of the efforts the Coeur d’Alene Press is making, through my column, to educate and assist residents of our area. It’s working. I would love doing a radio call-in show so listeners could ask their questions live and benefit from the discussions. I’m looking into this now. Please email me and let me know what you think of this idea: [email protected]

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SMISHING: What in the world is smishing? In addition to being a word I’d never heard before, it’s a new method of scamming consumers. It goes like this:

You get a text (SMS message) message from a number, purporting to be your bank. It reads something like, “This message is from the security department of the XYZ Bank and Trust. Our security team has detected a breach of your account. Please click on the link below to confirm your identity and prevent your account from being locked.”

The link sent to you at the bottom of the text may look something like this: www.btyl.848.ru. If you click on the link it will take you to a page that looks exactly like the XYZ Bank and Trust website. It will then ask you to sign in with your username and password. Once you do, you are likely to get a “thank you” message. You think they’re thanking you for confirming your identity. What you’re really being thanked for is giving the crooks access to your accounts at XYZ Bank and Trust.

LESSON: NEVER click on links attached to text messages — EVER!

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FOOL’S GOLD: Just got a call from a gentleman in Hayden Lake. He saw an ad in a local publication that makes you just want to bang your head against the wall. Here’s the gist of the ad:

“I buy gold, silver, jewelry, rare watches, etc. Call me and I’ll come to your home.”

I don’t know about you, but I think you’d have to be totally naive to invite a stranger into your home to inspect your gold, silver, jewelry and rare watches. Bottom line — DON’T EVER DO THIS! The potential danger far outweighs any convenience. If it’s hard for you to get out, call a friend or a neighbor that you trust and have them drive you to a reputable shop in our area. Also, NEVER answer an ad like this on Craigslist, and don’t post this kind of item on the Internet — anyplace online. It’s like a neon flashing sign for scammers and crooks to steal from you.

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BE SMART — NOT AFRAID: The internet has changed the world. Who would have thought 20 years ago that Toys R Us would be filing bankruptcy because a company called Amazon had taken almost all of its business?

If used properly, the internet provides an amazing opportunity for consumers to compare prices and products, become better consumers by learning about scams, and communicate cheaply and easily with friends and families. For those who find themselves without their kids or life companions for the first time, the internet through the use of email and services like Skype or FaceTime offer an opportunity to re-engage with those we care about. If used improperly, it opens the user to losing their money, their credit and their very identity. There are classes offered in our community to learn about the internet and internet security. Some are offered by NIC, others by local senior centers.

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THE WATER COMPANY OR IS IT?: A local consumer recently fell victim to a the old “Water Company Scam.” Two individuals, while posing as employees of the local water company, showed up on the consumer’s doorstep. They flashed an official looking ID and told the homeowner they were there checking for a “restricted” water flow somewhere inside the residence.

After checking here and there, running taps and “testing” water, the fake water company employees determined the cause of the restricted water flow was “free form particulate matter” in the pipes of the residence. Fortunately, they had a fix for the problem. It was expensive but would extend the life of all her appliances that used water — the washer, dishwasher and her very expensive and new side-by-side, ice cube and water dispensing refrigerator/freezer. They went on to explain, showing the homeowner various color brochures, that the system normally sold for over $5K but today only, they had the identical system, in stock, for immediate installation for only $1,999 plus tax. She signed the contract, and the fake water company employees drove back to their warehouse to pick up the system.

All of a sudden she thought, “You know, I should call The Consumer Guy.” She did, and we stopped the crooks dead in their tracks. She immediately called them and told them that her “son” (me) had some questions. They called me and after getting as much identifying information as I could, I told them that I was going to report them to the Idaho attorney general and help the homeowner file a fraud complaint against them and their company.

OUTCOME: The consumer got all her money back and the crooks have moved on to someplace outside Idaho.

LESSON: Check credentials VERY carefully; call the utility in question BEFORE you let anyone in your home.

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REMEMBER: I’m in your corner.

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I have many more tips and interesting cases that I’m working on as The CDA Press Consumer Guy. Call me at (208) 699-0506, or email me at [email protected] or fax me at (866) 362-9266. Please include your name and a phone number. I am available to speak about consumerism to schools, and local and civic groups.

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Bill Brooks is the CDA Press Consumer Guy and the Broker and Owner of Bill Brooks Real Estate in Coeur d’Alene.