The Holiday season is the time-of-year when family and friends join together to celebrate, to give and to receive. The month of December is one of the busiest shopping and donating months of the entire year. Unfortunately, it is also the time when scammers most often prey on the good nature and hectic schedules of consumers.

By all means, enjoy the Holiday season, but take extra precautions because scams taken place during the Holiday season can last much longer than the month of December.

The following is a BBB Checklist to help avoid fraud, scams and theft this Holiday season and beyond:

1. Take only the essentials when out shopping.

· Drivers License

· Cash or card to pay with

2. Do not carry your Social Security Card or number

· If you have trouble remembering your social security or other account number, disguise them with other numbers, such as a phone number or zip code.

3. Get all guarantees and warrantee information in writing and signed if possible.

4. Avoid using money wiring services such as Money Gram and Western Union.

5. When purchasing gift cards, purchase cards held behind a counter or cash register, NOT cards in isles or set-alone stands in the store.

6. If financing a purchase, read and understand the terms, particularly the interest terms, prior to signing.

· Often higher interest rates will kick-in after a certain period of time if the purchase is not already fully paid off.

7. Although it is the Holiday spirit, do not give donations to individuals, not-for-profits or businesses before learning where your money will go and what it will be used for. The BBB maintains reports on charities and not-for-profits as well as businesses at bbb.org.

8. Place a lock on your social security number. This is a free service by the state of Indiana. For more information contact the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office.

9. Use your credit card when purchasing online rather than your debit card.

· You debit card allows direct access to your checking account while most credit cards come with fraud prevention and forgiveness.

10. Remember, a bank will never initiate contact with you over the phone regarding your account information. If you receive a phone call or text from a bank asking for account information, hang up and contact the Better Business Bureau.

· When speaking with a bank, always take the front door approach. This means if you receive a phone call, tell the caller that you will call them back and then dial the phone number you have for your bank and ask about the previous phone call. Therefore, you always know exactly who you are talking to.

For more BBB Holiday Tips and Advice, please visit http://www.bbb.org/us/consumer-tips-holiday/

Check out the latest BBB article in La Voz de Indiana titled “Attention Victims of Bad Business Practices: The BBB Can Help!”

http://www.lavozdeindiana.com/images/periodicos/Volume10-Number256.pdf - Page 14 of the online version.

Would you get in a car with a driver who does not have a license? Would you trust your money with an unlicensed investment broker? Would you allow an unlicensed electrician wire your home? So why would you allow an unlicensed plumber anywhere near your kitchen or bathroom?

The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency requires all plumbing contractors to be licensed in the state of Indiana through the Indiana Plumbing Commission.

Next time you are in need of a plumber, instead of searching Craigslist or the phone book, check out bbb.org, where you can find many different plumbing contractors, who’s licenses are verified, do get the job done for you.

Local handymen often advertise plumbing services, but why wouldn’t you want to give yourself the peace-of-mind knowing that the contractor or business you hired for your plumbing project is properly licensed to do the work requested?

For Indiana plumbing license information visit http://www.in.gov/pla/plumbing.htm

To search and verify licensing information visit https://mylicense.in.gov/EVerification/Search.aspx

Halloween is over and that means the Holidays are right around the corner. Despite certain retail stores displaying holiday decorations way back in September, the time really is fast approaching where consumers should be thinking about their holiday budget.

Budgeting is important during a slow economy, but especially important around the Holidays. By keeping a budget, consumers can be sure to enjoy the Holidays without fear of the January financial hangover.

To start, add up your monthly income:

· Salary

· Dividends

· Child Support

· Bonus

· Interest

· Etc.

Then, subtract your monthly expenses:

· Rent/Mortgage

· Credit Cards

· Finance bills

· Utilities

· Groceries

· Gas

· Healthcare

· Misc. (be sure to include a category of miscellaneous expenses which include random purchases such as haircuts, laundry detergent, going out-to-eat, etc.)

The difference will give you your “play” money for the month. If you cannot afford your Holiday expenses strictly on this extra “play” money, you have some different options:

Look into your savings account and budget a certain amount of savings for Holiday purchases. Be sure to include replacing these funds as part of your budget for the next year. Also look at your credit cards, it may be a better option to pay off your credit card balance in full before the Holidays and then charge holiday purchases to your card and pay off as you go into 2011. This depends on the original balance amount and interest rate. Additionally, look into finance options, some purchases allow for interest free financing if the purchase is paid off in full within a certain period of time. This can help because you can budget monthly payments throughout the year to pay off larger purchases, just be sure to pay off the purchase in full before the time limit is up to avoid a large interest charge. Finally, don’t underestimate your Holiday expenses, based on a survey conducted last year by Consumer Reports, the average consumer planned on spending just under $700 on Holiday expenses….the actual expenses averaged over $800. Budget on the high side and if you find you have extra money, use it towards extra gifts and donations or put it into savings or towards finance or credit charges.

Different budgeting options work for different people in different financial situations. The best tip is to be sure to purchase within your means. The last thing anyone wants to do is have a great Holiday season, but struggle financially for the rest of the year. For more information on managing your finances visit www.bbb.org or click the links below.

http://www.bbb.org/us/consumer-tips-holiday/

http://www.bbb.org/us/article/tips-on-how-to-develop-a-working-budget-6101

                                                         
INDIANAPOLIS—The Better Business Bureau of Central Indiana is warning local residents affected by the recent storms to beware of storm chasers and out-of-town contractors soliciting business.

“It is not uncommon for out-of-town storm chasers to solicit business after storms like the ones we had Tuesday morning,” said Bill Thomas, President & CEO of the Central Indiana Better Business Bureau. “Storm chasers often run scams where they collect up-front deposits from consumers, but before they perform any work, they move on to the next town, chasing the next big storm and pocketing your money.”

The BBB warns that storm chasers may falsely create or hi-jack a local identity in order to appear to be a central Indiana business.

Consumers affected by the recent storms are strongly urged to use the BBB’s free services and find local businesses by visiting www.bbb.org.

“We offer BBB reports over 35,000 local businesses,” Thomas said. “Consumers are urged to check out businesses before making any hiring decisions.”

The BBB offers the following tips for storm victims:

· When approached by a contractor, ask for proof of licensing and bonding.

· Try to get at least 3-4 quotes from contractors, and insist that payments be made to the company, not an individual.

· Do not pay for the job in advance. Be wary of any contractor who demands full or half payment upfront.

· Do not hire people who show up at your door offering services such as tree or debris removal and roof repair.

· Resist high-pressure sales tactics such as the “good deal” you’ll get only if you hire the contractor on the spot.

· Check out the company first with the BBB and deal only with reputable contractors.

· Get a written contract that specifies the price, the work to be done and a time frame.

· Prices are often high in the immediate aftermath of a storm. Be careful of price gouging.

· Pay by credit card, if possible; you may have additional protection if there’s a problem.

· Check that the contractor’s vehicle has signs or markings on it with the business name and phone number.

“Violent storms present golden opportunities for unethical contractors and scammers

to take your money,” Thomas said. “Everybody wants to get their property fixed and back to normal as quickly and painlessly as possible, but it is important to make careful decisions and hire the best crews at a fair price.”

For additional information, contact the Better Business Bureau.

Contact:

Nick Ostergaard, BBB Advertising Review & Marketing Coordinator

317-488-2221 x122

nostergaard@indybbb.org

The Better Business Bureau of Central Indiana is partnering with La Voz de Indiana bilingual newspaper to provide content, including consumer alerts, business news and BBB services, on a regular basis. The first article courtesy of the Better Business Bureau will appear in September.

La Voz de Indiana is a bilingual newspaper that serves communities throughout Indiana by concentrating on the Hispanic and American markets. Published in both Spanish and English, La Voz’s goals are to embrace diversity by promoting understanding and to improve communication between people.

Owner and founder Liliana Hamnik has been recognized as Hispanic Business Woman of the Year and received Kroger’s Most Outstanding Women- and Minority-Owned Business (WMBE) of the Year. Hamnik is also the recipient of the Julia Carson Certificate of Honor as well as multiple recognitions from the Consulate of Mexico in Indianapolis.

With a circulation of 20,000 papers, La Voz de Indiana can be found at 15 libraries around Indiana, 10 Kroger stores, two Marsh stores, 200 Hispanic stores and restaurants and 20 boxes in Indianapolis.

The Better Business Bureau and La Voz aim to provide useful and timely information to businesses and consumers through alerts and articles as well as education on BBB services that are readily available.

La Voz de Indiana prints every other Wednesday and is located at 2911 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222. La Voz can be reached at 317-423-0957 or via fax at 317-423-0956. La Voz de Indiana is also available online at www.lavozdeindiana.com