New Article On Fraud Released

I must say when my parents got called out of the blue and told they had won a lottery they had never even joined, I was glad my mother had the sense to say 'no thanks' in a sense. A lot of elderly people accept that they have won and think maybe they just forgot about it. With the advent of research online it is easier for confidence artists to know all about their mark(s). I have noticed, though, that one has to pay for the information; it is no longer free as it once was to get at least some information just by typing in a telephone number into the search engine (such as Google). I've tried it a few times when we got called by people leaving messages but did not tell us who they were. We also see ads in the paper with telephone numbers but no names or locations. At least it says where the number is from (city) if nothing else.

Where is this seemingly lost strand of information leading? One way con artists can find the city you are from is using a phone number if they get hold of discarded entry forms for drawings which often only require a name and phone number. Then all they have to do is type in the name and city and providing they have an account with an information company - BINGO! They have a whole lot of data you will wish they didn't have. They use this information to scare the elderly or uninformed into thinking they know where they are and can get to them at any time. My mother called law enforcement and filed a report and got information when the calls kept coming on how to stop them. That didn't stop her or my dad from being wary that they were being watched or followed. They knew not to fall for the scam, but they did not know that the people involved were not coming after them for turning them in. That's not to say they have no better sense than that. These people are very good at convincing other people they have won a contest and that they know where they are and can get to them at a moment's notice if need be to deliver the prize, so logically, they also can get to them in retaliation.

The reality is that they won't bother. Their telephones are not traceable, or burners (disposable), and the numbers can be set up to be call out only so that one couldn't call back if they wanted to - the call wouldn't go through. No one has seen them yet and therefore cannot identify them and so there is no reason to retaliate for anything. They will simply move on to the next person on their list.

Speaking of lists...Lists are sold all the time; it's a part of business. That's where all your junk mail from people with whom you have never done business get your name. These same lists are available to the scam artists. The people selling them don't ask their customers (in most cases) what they are going to do with the lists. States sell the names of driver's license recipients and they don't screen the customers who buy them. Most states do offer a opt out for those lists, so ask if one is available and opt out. The telephone con artists are not the only con artists buying those lists and it is possible to come up against an in-the-flesh con artist, a face-to-face meeting, and unless they are disguised, then you can identify them, although they rely on people being too embarrassed to report them and they are often correct in that assumption so they are at least 'safe' until they leave the area.

To read the article Don't Get Caught in a Con on Yahoo! Voices (formerly Associated Content) you can follow this link: http://voices.yahoo.com/dont-caught-con-10692677.html.

The article covers one type of con. There are numerous others out there, so be careful.

Make Your Own Gift Baskets

Have you ever thought you'd like to make your own gift basket? I have - several times, but baskets can be expensive in themselves so I usually end up not doing it. I have on occasion found other items, however, to use for the purpose of the basket. Recently I went to see what was available at the local charity resale shop and had a V8 moment. People actually donate popcorn tins for sale. Wow, why hadn't I thought of that before? I had a friend I wanted to give an out of the ordinary gift 'basket' to and I found a really nice large Christmas themed tin for a quarter! Now, that's not to say I intended to be cheap- that wasn't the goal at all; it just worked out that way. I originally thought I could find an actual basket, but nothing seemed to fit what I needed. My friend lost her home to a fire earlier this year and along with it she lost her cookbook collection. We share that particular interest. I found a really nice hard bound cookbook put out by the local historical society. What a find! Of course that went into the basket, along with some Christmas decorations - people donate really nice ones as they get new ones- I almost got some for myself. I filled the rest with homemade goodies from the kitchen and it weighed a ton when I got through with it. I just kept coming up with stuff I wanted to put in it. My husband had to remind me not to get carried away. Those tins really hold a lot.

Think outside the box when you want to make a gift basket. They aren't just for Christmas. Try a large mixing bowl filled with small kitchen gadgets and pot holder sets for a wedding shower gift. A pretty flower vase filled with assorted candies (the recipient's favorites) makes a nice birthday gift. Stretch your imagination and you'll come up with something unique that the recipient will remember for a long time.

Christmas is Coming (And Hanukkah and Kwanzaa)

Christmas is coming and I was reminded by someone of things I used to do and should do again for Christmas gifts. I used to bake sweet breads, make candy and various cooking mixes, carve scented soaps and sew various projects for people. I don't hear about that too often anymore.

There really are people who remember how to sew, and at least quilting and yarn crafts are still popular. If one starts early enough with a yarn project then they make good gifts. I used to make plastic canvas projects with yarn and plastic canvas, which is like Aida cloth for needle crafts only, obviously, out of plastic. I do cross stitch also and people really liked that.

Once I carved scented and colored soaps into small roses for jars and baskets. Decorative soaps are not generally used as soap, but for decorations, so using inexpensive soaps as I used to be able to get in bags of six for a dollar, won't hurt a thing. I placed them in interesting jars I had either bought with other products I had used or found really cheap at a yard sale. Now of course one can find those pretty jars at a discount store and depending on the recipient someone may appreciate it.

In later years as people got more materialistic homemade gifts were less appreciated until I started making stuffed animals for the children. They love stuffed animals. With today's economy however, people are getting back into the homemade gift. It is no longer practical even though television would like everyone to think there is money flowing freely to spend hundreds of dollars on every gift. It makes my hackles rise to see the advertisers tell us we have plenty of money when people are living on unemployment, if they even have that, so buy, buy, buy. Why make your gifts?

If one has access to the internet, they can find practically unlimited resources for homemade gifts. Sites such as ehow.com, Marthastewartliving.com, and Budget101.com can be great for helping you get ideas and tell you how to make the projects. There are many more just for the exploration, so look, and you don't have to go broke to do these projects; you just have to spend some time thinking about what someone would like and make it.

Not talented in those areas? Try a church bizarre, a craft show, or even a flea market (sometimes crafters sell there). Thrift stores often have inexpensive handmade items also and the products are made here in the USA!

If you can operate a computer and have a printer, you can print simple or fancy decorated gift certificates for services you provide, such as babysitting, yard service at a future date, dog walking, etc. Be creative. (This one is good for other events also, such as anniversaries, birthdays, and St. Valentine's Day.)

Good luck and remember the reason for the season (these ideas also work for gifts of the other holidays celebrated during this season of giving - Hanukkah and Kwanzaa using traditional gifts of course respective to those holidays.)