Lending shouldn't be predatory

(Image is in the Public Domain)

According to Public Citizen, the DoD has proposed some rules that severely limited the scope of protections as suggested by consumer protection groups. Up to June 11th, you can submit your ideas about the proposal to them directly (information about sending in the comments is on the last page of the proposal).

Sleazy Sales

Here's a sheet they use for upselling people on what many consider to be worthless insurance.

Hey buddy... wanna rebate?

(Image used under: Creative Commons 2.0 [SRC])

In a trend that we hope continues, Best Buy Canada has killed mail in rebates. Companies have been ripping off customers for years with rebates so it's nice to see the trend finally reversing.

(Image copyright Jeremy Duffy)

Maybe not beating, but at least not falling for it. The Consumerist hosted a fantastic expose on how dealers use a four square piece of paper to rip people off right in front of their eyes. I have actually seen this before and don't remember what the result was, but I'm pretty sure we walked away thinking we had "won" when we got a lower monthly payment.

It's harder to bully people out of their money if they've been educated on their rights.

(Image is in the Public Domain)

Apparently, there's a new anti-RIAA force called the Digital Freedom Campaign.

With the DFU initiative, Digital Freedom wants to paint a bigger picture of copyright law for students, one that is not forthcoming from the movie and music industries. "The Digital Freedom University Initiative will fight to ensure that these thousands of college-age students, who represent future artists, innovators and consumers, fully understand their rights, and have a voice in the long- term solution."

So you have a perfectly usable version? Let's patch that up for you...

(Image is in the Public Domain)

The Consumerist is running an article explaining how both Quicken and MS Money improperly and possibly illegally force users to upgrade to newer software by purposely cutting off necessary features to older versions.

Watch lists have serious downsides that need to be addressed if we're going to use them

Now the terrorist watch list is making it to our everyday lives.

Private businesses such as rental and mortgage companies and car dealers are checking the names of customers against a list of suspected terrorists and drug traffickers made publicly available by the Treasury Department, sometimes denying services to ordinary people whose names are similar to those on the list.

…

Yet anyone who does business with a person or group on the list risks penalties of up to $10 million and 10 to 30 years in prison, a powerful incentive for businesses to comply.

…

"It prohibits anyone from doing business with anyone who's on the list. It does not have a minimum dollar amount. . . . The local deli, if it sells a sandwich to someone whose name appears on the list, has violated the law."

This might be a good thing if it actually worked. Judging on how the no-fly list works, I'm guessing it doesn't.

So what happens when the terrorists start using names like:

• John Smith
• Mike Brown
• Chris Anderson
• Mary Jones
• Beth Miller

(Image is in the Public Domain)

Here's a fairly good checklist for what to do if you're a victim of identity theft.

The only problem is that he didn't mention the most effective tool for preventing ID theft that there is: Credit Security Freezes. If you live in a state that has a freeze law, don't wait until you're a victim, do it now!

(Image is in the Public Domain)

According to the Washington Post if you live in DC you are eligible for a Credit Security Freeze as of July 1st. There's a $30 fee for doing it ($10 per credit reporting company). The article fails to mention if the freeze is permanent or requires yearly fees, but it does say that if you have been a victim, you can't be charged.

(Image used under: Creative Commons 2.0 [SRC])

Ars Technica has an article about the IRS wanting eBay to turn over information on its users' earnings. This pretty much sums up the issue:

With so many people making part or all of their living through eBay, the government wants its cut. This isn't an issue of any new taxes, but an attempt to collect the income tax that is already required. Because eBay does not report information about its sellers to the government, income reporting is left up to individuals, and the temptation not to list eBay revenue as income can be a strong one—and in some cases, it's not always clear when one has to do so.

eBay isn't the only Internet business that has been feeling the heat in recent months. The government is also considering how to apply tax laws to virtual worlds and goods, and it faces some of the same problems that it does with eBay. While some sellers can make a good living out of hawking such items, few report the profits as taxable income, and Uncle Sam wants its cut.