As Valentine’s Day approaches, Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona warns that Cupid’s arrow may be aimed directly at consumers’ wallets. Those who find themselves awash in love’s emotion should remember that con artists thrive on the fact that emotion can trump logic.

There are three categories of scams that we all should be aware of at this romantic season as well as throughout the year.

Online Dating

Their photo may be attractive and their story may sound compelling but that person you met through an online dating site may turn out to be the very opposite of your soul mate. Photos, profiles and stories can be easily faked on dating sites. One common tactic is to claim to be a successful overseas businessperson with no family.

After what seems like sincere conversation in which many questions are asked of you, the scammer can skillfully employ psychology to say precisely what you want to hear.

Once the ice is broken and a comfort level has been reached on your part, the heart of the matter is arrived at: they need financial assistance. They may want you to cash a check for them or otherwise help them out of a financial difficulty. It could be travel expenses, medical expenses or some other type of debt. At any rate it is your money less than your heart that they are after. MoneyGram, one of the major global money transfer companies, has estimated that romance scams defraud victims of over $10,000 for each occurrence. For those so victimized, whatever the amount, a website called romancescams.org can be helpful.

Online Florists

When love is in bloom many rely on the traditional symbol of thoughtfulness, the bouquet, to convey their feelings for that special person. But be aware that online florists are not always reliable. If the flowers that are actually received by your loved one are inferior arrangements from those ordered, or even not delivered at all, it can be a wilting experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Cochise County residents can do their part to reduce the millions of tons of electronic waste that ends up in landfills and protect against identity theft at an event scheduled for Saturday, February 18th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Ace Hardware, 3756 E. Fry Blvd in Sierra Vista.

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona has partnered with the Sierra Vista Police Department, Ace Hardware, Suburban Miners, and Shred-it for Shred Fest 2012. Organizers are offering electronics and cell phone e-cycling in addition to secure, on-site shredding. Donations are appreciated.

What to Bring
Electronic equipment such as: PC systems, CPUs, monitors, mice, keyboards, printers, scanners, laptops, modems, hard drives, speakers, power cords, cables, phones, powers strips, desktop copiers, fax machines, cell phones with batteries and small TVs (no consoles). Television donations will require a $10 recycling fee.
Paperwork such as: old tax returns, bank statements, check book registers, credit card statements, medical records, NO PLASTIC PLEASE. That means no three ring binders, presentation folders or garbage bags. Data CD’s will be accepted if they are separated from paperwork. There is a five-box shred limit due to time constraints.

Donations
Donations for shredding are appreciated. Your donations will support BBB’s community and military outreach programs in Cochise County.  Electronics and cell phone donations are free with the exception of televisions, which incur a charge of $10

Where’s my stuff going?
Electronics: All electronic items will be collected by Suburban Miners of Tucson. These items are cleaned of securely stripped of data. Whole systems may be resold if they are salvageable. If not, they Read the rest of this entry »

Consumers nationwide are receiving suspicious emails that appear to be from Intuit, a tax preparation software business. The messages encourage recipients to click on a link and update their Social Security Number or Employer ID Number in Intuit’s online system. However, the email is a phishing scam, and the link leads to a third-party website that downloads a virus on to users’ computers.

What does the email look like?
The email appears to be from update@intuit.com or security@intuit.com addresses. The messages also use a variety of subject lines including: “Please verify your tax information ASAP,” “Correct tax information is needed” or “Tax information needed within 30 Days.”

Steps to take:

• Do not click on the link in the email
• Forward the email to spoof@intuit.com
• Delete the email

For more information, please read the security information on Intuit’s website.

See Better Business Bureau’s complete scam directory for more information about breaking scams in your area. To find a tax preparer you can trust this tax season visit www.tucson.bbb.org.