As you start your new year, the Better Business Bureau urges you to be a smart consumer. By staying on top of things, you can help prevent scams and identity theft, and save money.

One of the most important things you can do this year is to check with the BBB before responding to too-good-to-be-true promotions, or when making purchases or donations. The BBB has reliability reports on businesses and nonprofits, and can offer you tips on marketplace issues and scams.

Follow these tips to make you a smarter consumer:

• Never give out your personal information to unfamiliar people or companies, in pop-up screens or unsecured Web sites. Verify the requests with organizations directly.

• Get everything in writing, including contracts, warranties or guarantees, oral promises, terms and costs. Be sure to review carefully any document before signing.

• Ask nonprofits for written materials, find out whether contributions are tax-deductible and make checks payable to the organization.

• Beware of unsolicited notifications accompanied with checks claiming you’ve won money, been awarded grants or offering secret shopper jobs. If a letter requests that you send cash or deposit a check and forward the money, don’t do it. The checks are likely counterfeit.

• Steer clear of work at home offers claiming big profits and that no experience is necessary.

• Review your income and expenses and develop a realistic budget and savings plan.

• Avoid high pressure or scare tactics to get you to buy something, make a donation or invest.

• Don’t be afraid to say no if your questions aren’t answered or something doesn’t feel right.

Make this your New Year’s resolution this year: be smart and put identity thieves out of business. One surefire way is to sign up with LifeLock. LifeLock will scan through thousands of databases daily, looking for any threats to your personal information. If any threat is found, you’ll be notified immediately so that action can be taken to squelch it.

Call LifeLock today. Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”

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The Better Business Bureau is alerting consumers about a new scam involving payday loans and phone calls from phony bill collectors.

Scammers presenting themselves as attorneys for the “Financial Accountability Association” or the “Federal Legislation of Unsecured Loans” accuse the call recipients of defaulting on payday loans and threaten them with lawsuits, arrest and extradition to California unless they make an immediate payment via wire or by providing credit card or bank account numbers.

Especially worrisome is the amount of personal information the scammers already have about their victims. The callers often have the victims’ Social Security numbers, home addresses, employment information, bank account numbers, driver’s license numbers and even names of friends and professional references. Such extensive data indicates the scam may be the result of a data breach.

This particular type of scam is known as “pretexting”. Webster’s defines a pretext as “a false reason or motive put forth to hide the real one; a cover up or a front.”

Take the following steps to avoid becoming a victim of pretexting:

• Never give out or confirm any personal or financial information over the phone unless you’ve initiated the call.
• If the caller accuses you of having an unpaid debt, ask for a written statement to confirm the debt.
• If the caller is threatening or abusive, obtain as much information as you can and call the Federal Trade Commission.
• Contact the Better Business Bureau if you think a pretexter has targeted you.

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