As Halloween costume season is driving demand for online retailers, BBB has issued an F rating to Kingdom Swords for failing to respond to 61 recent consumer disputes. Kingdom Swords is a San Antonio-based retailer that sells replica swords and other weaponry (modeled after items in movies, TV, and video games) to consumers nationwide through its website, http://www.swblades.com/.

Consumer disputes filed with BBB allege that replica products ordered online were delayed or not delivered at all. Consumers further allege they have had difficulty contacting the company by phone, email or mail to inquire about the status of their orders. Requests for refunds have been unanswered.

BBB currently reports that the company has not responded to 61 out of 72 total complaints received in the past 36 months. BBB contacted Kingdom Swords regarding these unanswered disputes in August 2010. The company has not yet responded.

Kingdom Swords is also conducting business under the following alternate names: RDSC, Red Dragon Sword Company, Southwest Blades, Sword Dude Enterprises, Swords of Cinema and Swordcorp. For more details, visit the company’s BBB Business Review here.

BBB advises consumers to consider the following advice before purchasing a product online:

· Start With Trust - Shoppers should stop by bbb.org to check on the seller’s reputation and record for customer satisfaction. You can look for (more…)

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is warning consumers that an IRS EFTPS phishing scam is actively soliciting victims. EFTPS, the IRS’s Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, is a free online service offered by the U.S. Department of Treasury to help businesses and individuals conveniently pay their taxes electronically.

Businesses and individuals have received e-mails that claim to be sent from the U.S. Treasury with the subject line: Your Tax Payment ID: 010377149 has been rejected. Urgent Report information. The body of the e-mail reads:

Your Federal Tax Payment ID: 0103758 has been rejected.
Return Reason Code R21 – The identification number used in the Company Identification Field is not valid.
Please, check the information and refer to Code R21 to get details about your company payment in transaction contacts section:

http://eftps.gov/R21 (link deactivated by BBB)
In other way forward information to your accountant adviser.

EFTPS: The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System
PLEASE NOTE: Your tax payment is due regardless of EFTPS online
availability. In case of an emergency, you can always make your tax
payment by calling the EFTPS.

If you receive this e-mail, delete it. “The IRS does not send out unsolicited e-mails asking for personal information,” said Kim States, BBB President. “Don’t be taken in by these criminals.”

Tricking consumers into disclosing their personal and financial information, such as secret access data or credit financial loss or bank account numbers, is fraudulent activity and can result in identity theft. Such schemes perpetrated through the Internet are called “phishing” for information.

The information fraudulently obtained is then used to steal the taxpayer’s identity and financial assets. Typically, identity thieves use someone’s personal data to empty the victim’s financial accounts, run up charges on the victim’s existing credit cards, apply for new loans, credit cards, services or benefits in the victim’s name and even file fraudulent tax returns.

When the IRS learns of new schemes involving use of the IRS name or logo, it issues consumer alerts warning taxpayers about the schemes.

The IRS also has established an electronic mailbox for taxpayers to send information about suspicious e-mails they receive which claim to come from the IRS. Taxpayers should send the information to: phishing@irs.gov.

How to Identify and Report Phishing, E-mail Scams and Bogus IRS Web Sites

• Do not reply.
• Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain malicious code that will infect your (more…)

The number of vehicle losses due to hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, large hailstorms, firestorms and other severe storms nearly doubled in the five years between 2001 and 2005, according to ISO’s Property Claim Services (PCS) unit, the recognized authority on insured property losses from catastrophes in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The number of reported claims for vehicle loss from natural disasters recorded by PCS increased steadily, from 485,150 claims in 2001 to 982,350 claims in 2005, for a total of 3.3 million losses over the past five years. PCS’s numbers track auto insurance claims on vehicles with insurance policies that include comprehensive coverage, which covers damages or loss due to natural disasters, catastrophes or events other than a collision with another car.

“Drivers spend a lot of money on auto insurance and it is important for them to be as familiar as possible with what their coverage includes when they’re making their purchase decision,” said Ron Berry, senior vice president at the Council of Better Business Bureaus. “But too often, people shopping only for the lowest rates don’t notice their lack of certain types of coverage until they try to make a claim.”

The best advice is to be prepared to know what your auto insurance covers and what you should do if your car is damaged in a storm by following these tips:

• Know what your insurance covers. Be familiar with the details of your coverage. For example, don’t wait to find out that your policy doesn’t include comprehensive or won’t automatically cover costs for emergency roadside assistance or a replacement rental car.
• Report damage as soon as possible. If your car is not drivable, your agent or claims center may be able to save you time and money by having the car towed directly to the repair facility (more…)