green cars, green travel and smart spending
Scam alert: restaurant upselling. Ever wonder why your restaurant bill is so much more than you expected? It’s probably because restaurant employees are trained to lure you to ordering more, and higher priced menu items, than you planned. What used to be called “bait-and-switch” is now called upselling, and restaurants are not alone in the
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Everyday, it seems, we hear about hacking, identity theft or some other invasion of our digital privacy. Here’s how to protect your online life from cyber criminals on the road, because vacations are not the time to relax your personal safety, which includes taking internet security precautions. Before You Go Patch Up. Check all your
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April 15th will be here before you know it. Here’s how to file your 2016 taxes for FREE online, even get free help preparing the documents, and a couple of low-cost options if you don’t qualify for the tax filing freebies. Note that some free services are not available to homeowners, taxpayers with itemized deductions,
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Scam alert: Thieves want your own voice to rip you off. Beware of callers who ask, Can you hear me? Or are you a homeowner? Or another other question designed to make you say “yes”. It’s the newest phone scam. It works this way: The scammer is recording you, so if you answer “yes”, they’ve
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Now that your home is getting smarter, with internet-connected heating and cooling, webcams to check on the baby and babysitter, lock or unlock your door remotely, it’s more important than ever to keep hackers out. These tips will help keep the digital version of breaking-and-entering from creating mayhem, even endangering the health and safety of
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Scam alert. I’ve been getting a barrage of fraudulent holiday emails from senders claiming to be Amazon, Paypal, Costco, Starbucks, Pandora. Protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft, or a computer virus like ransomware. Always identify a sender as legit before clicking on any link. Email security is important 24/7, and even more
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The 2016 models are being replaced by the 2017s. If you are considering a new car, SUV, crossover or pick-up, these tips will save you money when you buy, or when you trade-in Old Breakdown for a new model. These are all links to articles ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter has written for top outlets including US
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Scam alert: beware of Haiti relief charity frauds. The images of the devastation in Haiti from Hurricane Matthew are beyond belief. Once again, we warn you about fraudulent charities and the creeps and con artists all too ready to take advantage of your willingness to help. We haven’t heard of any Haiti relief charity frauds
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See that highway billboard? Even if you ignore it, that billboard may be watching you, via secret cameras that track you and sell the information to advertisers. These new high-tech spying billboards use tracking technology called “RADAR”. On-board cameras already watch those around us to warn about a driver approaching our blind spot or slowing
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Scam Alert: Don’t let a romance scam break your heart this Valentine’s Day, even steal your life savings. The scammers and fraudsters know that online dating websites see a surge in sign-ups between New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day, and are busy trolling for lonely men and women, especially older people living alone. Whether you
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