Thanks @malonespeaking for having @uspirg on your show to talk about MONEY (not what #JimmieWalker pitches in TV ads). Consumers should check MissingMoney.com to find out whether they have unclaimed funds that have been turned over to the state. It's free to claim. (1)
@malonespeaking@uspirg People often have $ from old utility deposits or forgotten bank accounts. MissingMoney.com is legit; it's the only site endorsed by the Nat'l Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. Don't be tricked into paying a fee if someone offers to file a claim for you. (2)
@malonespeaking@uspirg Be sure to look up past cities you've lived in and look for variations or misspellings of your name. If you find money, it's easy to print out the form, sign it, send a copy of your ID and file a claim by mail. Where else can you get free money? MissingMoney.com (3)
@malonespeaking@uspirg My husband just found $50 from an old Constellation Energy account. @malonespeaking I hope that money I found in an old Janus money market account is really yours. (END)
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Thanks @malonespeaking for having @uspirg on today to warn people about crypto scams. The tale of the Solon lady who lost $600,000 is heartbreaking. Consumers need to realize crypto is not regulated the way bank deposits are. At best, crypto is more like an investment. (THREAD)
@malonespeaking@uspirg The most important takeaway: People shouldn't put money in or sign ANYTHING they don't understand-whether it's an investment or a contract or the fine print on a website that asks you to agree to terms & conditions. You know many people investing in crypto don't understand it (2)
@malonespeaking@uspirg Regulators consider most cryptocurrencies to be securities (investments). But not all are, meaning they're unregulated right now. Crypto is such a big concern that both Democrats & Republicans in DC believe more oversight is needed. @edmpirg@APforzuspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp… (3)
Thanks @malonespeaking for having @uspirg on the show today to talk about avoiding scam charities, such as ones claiming to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. It's such a shame there are con artists lurking everywhere, trying to take advantage of our generosity. (THREAD)
@malonespeaking@uspirg One legitimate charity doing good work in Ukraine is UNICEF. unicef.org/ukraine/en Other options: We have several Ukrainian churches in Greater Cleveland. Reach out to them to see how you can help. If you hear about other charities, check them out before donating. (2)
Thanks @malonespeaking for having @uspirg on your show today to talk about opting out of junk mail such as credit and insurance offers. The credit bureaus are allowed to sell our information but we can opt out. There's one official site for this: optoutprescreen.com (THREAD)
@malonespeaking@uspirg Or you call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT.
You can opt out for 5 years or permanently. (Duh!) You do have to provide your personal information: name, address, SSN & date of birth. The credit bureaus already have this info.
@malonespeaking@uspirg Just watch out for imposter websites. Don’t just use a search engine and type in “opt out prescreen” and give your info to bad guys.
Here’s FTC confirmation that I provided the genuine website and phone number. consumer.ftc.gov/articles/presc…
Thanks @malonespeaking for having @uspirg on your show to talk about CLUE reports that show past auto insurance and property damage claims, going back 5-7 years. You can get your own CLUE report free. Call LexisNexis at 1-866-312-8076 or go to personalreports.lexisnexis.com (THREAD)
@malonespeaking@uspirg Most consumers don't know about CLUE reports (stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange). Just like with traditional credit reports, you're entitled to one free copy of your CLUE report per year.
@malonespeaking@uspirg Past claims can affect your premiums. It's good to know whether there are any claims on your record. You should make sure that when you called your insurer's roadside assistance service because you had a flat tire or ran out of gas that it doesn't count as a loss claim.
@malonespeaking@uspirg@edmpirg You can get your credit report from each of the 3 bureaus once a week at no charge through April. Then it's once a year, unless the law is finally changed. You must go through annualcreditreport.com or official phone number to get reports free. @edmpirg@MikeLittUSA
@malonespeaking@uspirg@edmpirg@MikeLittUSA No. 2: If you have a debit card or use PayPal, Venmo or another payment app tied to a bank account, get a secondary checking account. Don't expose your primary checking account to fraud or mistakes that will happen. Tons of banks offer no fee/no strings checking. @edmpirg