May 2013 

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BBB iPhone App Now Available!  

Last year, consumers turned to the Better Business Bureau more than 124.5 million times to help them find trustworthy businesses and charities. Now they can have that information in the palm of their hand with the release of the official BBB Search app, a convenient, mobile BBB solution available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

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May is National Moving Month: BBB and AMSA Offer Tips for Safe, Secure Move

 

May is National Moving Month, which kicks off the busiest time of year for Americans changing residencies. It also means unlicensed movers and dishonest scammers are waiting to take advantage of unwary consumers. Better Business Bureau is again joining with the American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA) to provide important tips on how to avoid scams.

 

In 2012, BBB received over 1.4 million moving-related inquiries and more than 9,300 complaints against movers. Complaints included damaged or missing items, big price increases over originally-quoted estimates, late deliveries, and goods being "held hostage" for additional (disputed) payment. Click here to learn more.

How to Claim Your Unclaimed Property

 

Do you have unclaimed property? If so, how would you know? Is it worth it to pay a service to help you identify unclaimed property?

 

Unclaimed property describes accounts in financial institutions and companies that have had no activity or account holder contact for one year or more. This can include savings or checking accounts, refunds, customer overpayments, contents of safe deposit boxes, etc.

 

To begin searching for lost property, check legitimate sites like missingmoney.com, which is endorsed by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA). This site has official records of unclaimed property from every state and most U.S. territories, plus Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec in Canada. Check for property in every jurisdiction in which you have resided. It is free to search; however, you may have to pay a small fee to obtain the property. Click here to learn more. 

Solar Panels - Make it a Sunny Decision

 

Going green is all the rage these days. Sometimes going green can save you money and other times you just have to think of it as helping to save the environment a little bit at a time, with no monetary savings. Solar panel prices are starting to come down and more consumers are considering installing them on their homes or in their yard

s. In addition, more businesses are getting into the solar business because of the government subsidies that can be obtained.

 

Keep in mind that solar energy requires the sun. So find out how many sunny days your area has each year. As with every product or service, comparison shop with several businesses to make sure you are getting the best deal. Click here to learn more.

Beware of Memorial Day Scams Aimed at Military Personnel
 

Memorial Day is a time to honor those who serve and remember those who have died in war. But sadly, it has also become a key opportunity for scammers to target those who are serving or have served their nation, especially elderly veterans. As Memorial Day approaches, the Better Business Bureau urges consumers and donors to be aware of scammers that feed off the military.

 

BBB Military Line, the military arm of the Better Business Bureau,provides free resources, such as financial literacy information, access to BBB services and scam alerts, and complaint and dispute resolution for all branches of the U.S. military. BBB warns of the following scams that are directed at service members. Click here to learn more.

BBB SCAM ALERT
 
FBI Issues Cyber Security Advisory That Could Impact All Users of Microsoft Explorer 8

 

Better Business Bureau (BBB) is urging all consumers and businesses to pay close attention to a Cyber Security Advisory issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding a vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 browser (IE8) that could allow scammers to access and take over users' computers.  

 

The risk for all users - home, business and government - is high, and BBB is urging anyone with IE8 to follow the recommended steps to address the problem. Click here to learn more.


BBB, the leader in advancing marketplace trust, is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior.