Losing weight is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions after enjoying tasty holiday treats. If you’re pledging to lose pounds this year by joining a gym, Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona recommends asking some questions before signing on the dotted line.

Each January, millions of thousands crowd into gyms armed with willpower and personal goals looking towards a healthier, active lifestyle. While it’s exciting to gear up towards a goal, consumers should treat this like any major purchases. BBB received over 7,000 complaints about health clubs across North America last year.

“Working out and getting healthy are fantastic goals regardless of the time of year,” said Kim States, BBB President. “But consumers who ask the right questions can expect success inside and outside the workout room.”

Five questions to ask the gym:

• What are the terms of any introductory offers? Gyms often use special introductory offers to lure in new members. Make sure you understand the terms and what price the service will be once the introductory period is over.
• Will my membership renew automatically? Many times people join a gym, but don’t consider what happens when the original contract runs out. Some gym contracts renew automatically unless they are cancel.
• How can I get out of my contract? Getting out of any contract isn’t always as easy as getting into one. Make sure you understand what steps are necessary to cancel your contract.
• What happens if I move? Gyms have any number of policies for what happens if you move. It might depend on how far away you’re moving and if they have affiliate gyms you could attend.
• What happens if they go out of business? Ask the gym to explain what will happen to your (more…)

It’s back! An email scam using Better Business Bureau’s name and ‘Start With Trust’ tagline is flooding inboxes across the nation this morning. Emails purport to be from the Utah BBB and have a link that appears to be www.bbb.org. THIS IS A SCAM. Don’t be a victim; follow these basic tips to avoid malware and phishing attacks:

• Do NOT open any attachments.
• Do NOT click on any links, even if it looks legitimate.
• Delete the email from your inbox, and then delete it again from your trash or recycling folder.
• Run a full system scan using a reputable virus software scanner.

Chris Garver, Chief Information Officer at the Council of Better Business Bureaus, recommends that all domain owners set up a sender policy framework (SPF) and set their spam filter to use it. “Using the SPF standard helps fight spam and phishing attacks by allowing your email servers to verify whether an email is legitimate…or not,” he says.

Microsoft offers a simple, four-step process for setting up an SPF.

If you receive an email saying your business has a complaint filed against it with BBB, there are several things you can do to authenticate it:

• Look for typos, grammatical errors, etc. in the text that could indicate it originated overseas.
• Check to see who it says it is from. Complaints go out from the local BBBs, not from the headquarters office.
• Hover your mouse over the link to see if its destination is really a bbb.org address.
• Copy and paste the link into Notepad (not Word). Notepad does not support html, so if the link is a fake bbb.org address, the real link will show up.
• If you still are not sure, go to www.tucson.bbb.org, and send them a new email to ask if you have a complaint (do not Reply to the email you received, or forward it to them). You can call our BBB at 509-455-4200 as well to verify the legitimacy of a complaint.

Start With Trust and check with your local BBB if you receive something that seems fishy. Below is the (more…)

Start the new year knowing your credit is in good standing and your credit report is accurate. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumers can receive a free copy of their credit report from each of the three nationwide reporting agencies — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — every 12 months.

“Pulling your credit report annually is a smart way for consumers to understand their financial health, as well as avoid financial and identity fraud,” said Kim States, BBB President.

Many television advertisements and websites claim to offer “free credit reports,” “free credit scores” or “free credit monitoring.” However, Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona reminds consumers that AnnualCreditReport.com is the only authorized source for free annual credit reports under federal law.

Additionally, BBB reminds consumers that a credit report is different than a credit score. A credit report is a snapshot of your credit use history which gives a lender a view of whether you pay your debts back or not. Your credit score is a number which shows lenders how much of a risk you are in paying back a debt.

BBB offers these tips for pulling your annual credit report:

Do not access the Annual Credit Report Request Service through links from unfamiliar websites.  If you get an e-mail or see a pop-up ad claiming it’s from AnnualCreditReport.com or any of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies, do not reply or click on any link in the message. To help ensure the privacy and protection of your personal information, go to AnnualCreditReport.com directly to request your free annual credit report either by secure website, phone or email. AnnualCreditReport.com will not approach consumers via email, telemarketing or direct mail solicitations.

Consider pulling your reports quarterly. While you can pull all three credit reports at once, you can also consider pulling your credit reports quarterly. Pulling your reports separately allows you to better monitor your reports and keep track of any changes or new information that may appear on your credit report. If you pull all your reports at once, you won’t be eligible to pull your report for another 12 months.

Pull your child’s credit report. As child identity theft remains a national problem, it can be just as imperative to pull your child’s report as it is to pull your own. While the credit reporting agencies do not knowingly maintain credit files on minor children, you can contact the credit reporting agencies (more…)