Protect against damaged online goods

Some online stores transfer liability for lost or damaged products to the customer the moment they hand off goods to the shipping company. Other retailers require that you contact them first and they in turn will report the damage to the shipping company.

SELF-DEFENSE: Before you buy, check the site’s damaged-goods policy. When goods arrive, check them immediately for damage. Contact the company if there’s a problem. In some cases, retailers give customers only a day after shipments arrive to report any problems.

Beware of fake Uncle Sam sites

Watch out for unsolicited calls and e-mails that refer you to what appear to be legitimate government Web sites. These realistic-looking sites may carry “.gov. us” at the end of their addresses but may be fronts for scams. Legitimate government sites use only “.gov” in their Web addresses, which cannot be purchased at commercial registration sites.

Watch for these card charges

When thieves steal credit cards, they often make “test charges” at automated charge machines—such as those at gas-station pumps. They do this to see if the cards still work (because the owner has still not reported them missing). If the cards work for small charges, scammers then move on to larger purchases.

SELF-DEFENSE: Check card statements for small charges—for example, a $1.26 charge—that you don’t recognize. Look for the card and if it’s missing, call your card company immediately to report its loss as well as any suspicious charges.

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How to pay less for auto insurance

Many drivers stick with the same auto-insurance carrier and policy year after year without ever shopping for a better deal or evaluating their coverage. Steps to take:

Check rates.
Before you buy a car, see what insurance will cost for different models. Premiums are partly based on the cost of repairing collision damage, which can vary greatly, even among seemingly similar vehicles.

Compare prices.
Check insurance premiums at Quicken (www.quicken.com/insurance) and InsWeb (www.insweb.com). Do this before you buy a car and regularly with a policy you own to see if premiums have come down.

Size up coverage.
Make sure you have the right coverage. Must-haves include bodily injury liability, property damage, and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Also consider collision and comprehensive coverage, personal-injury protection, and medical-payments coverage.

Seek discounts.
You may qualify for premium breaks if your car has current safety equipment such as air bags or antilock brakes and anti-theft equipment.

Group policies.
Most insurers will give you a multiple-policy price break if you let them write your auto, home, and personal-liability policies. и Drive better. Completing a certified defensive-driving course can reduce your premium in some states.

Consider kids.
If you have teens who drive, you’ll save on coverage if they get good grades or attend a school more than 100 miles from your home and don’t use the car there.


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Protect savings from long-term disability

You have a greater risk of becoming disabled than of dying prematurely. How to make sure you have enough insurance to protect your savings from the financial crunch of a long-term disability:
Start at work. See what disability coverage your employer provides.

Cover the shortfall. Consider buying if your work policy falls way short of your income needs. Remember, the checks received from disability policies purchased on your own are not subject to income tax.

Choose with care. When shopping for a policy to supplement your employer’s policy, look carefully at its definition of total disability. The most comprehensive, “own occupation” policies have language that reads something like this: “You are disabled when, as the result of an illness or injury (accident), you are unable to do any (one) of the material duties of your own occupation.”

Consider a compromise. Another option is an “any occupation” policy, which defines disability basically as follows: “You are disabled when, as the result of an illness or injury (accident), you are unable to do all of the material duties of any occupation (based on your or experience)” This kind of coverage tends to be less expensive than an “own occupation” policy but is harder to collect benefits from.

Ponder price increases. There are two variations of disability policies—non-cancelable and guaranteed renewable. “Non-can” policy premiums can’t increase, while guaranteed-policy premiums can increase but only for an entire class of policy-holders. Guaranteed policies tend to be cheaper than “non-cans.”

Get disability claims paid faster

Claim delays and denials are common among disability insurers. How to speed up the process:

DELAYED CLAIMS.
Keep careful track of your claims. When you speak with a rep on the phone, take notes and indicate the date and time. When records are needed from doctors, do what you can to make sure the insurer gets the information promptly.

DENIED CLAIMS.
Some of the most common claim disputes occur when an insurer says you can work but your doctor says you cannot. If this happens, ask your insurer to allow an independent medical exam. As a last resort, call your state insurance department for help persuading the insurer to pay.

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Warning signs of identity fraud

The best way to determine if you have become a victim of identity fraud is to monitor your accounts and bank statements each month, and check your credit report on a regular basis. For more information, visit www.ftc.gov and click on the “avoid ID theft” button. Common signs of ID fraud:Red flag — Bill collection agencies contact you for overdue debts that aren’t yours.

Red flag—You apply for a mortgage or car loan and learn that problems with your credit history are holding up the loan.

Red flag — You get mail about an apartment you never rented, a house you never bought, or a job you never held.

How to monitor for identity fraud
If you feel that ordering and reviewing your three credit reports only once a year isn’t enough to catch ID fraud, consider subscribing to an ID fraud prevention and detection service. Among the choices:

www.idsecure.com \ www.intelius.com \ www.identityguard.com

Identity stolen? Steps to take

If after reviewing your credit reports you suspect you are the victim of identity fraud, take the following steps:

■ Report the crime.
File a report with the police and keep a copy. The paperwork will make it easier to prove your case to creditors and merchants and may help you in a lawsuit if you have to sue to recover losses or clear your name later.

■ File a complaint.
The Federal Trade Commission investigates interstate and Internet fraud. Download a copy of an ID theft affidavit from www.ftc.gov to help you notify merchants, financial institutions and credit bureaus. For fraud involving stolen mail, also file a complaint with postal officials.

■Alert bureaus. Call each of the three major credit-reporting bureaus — Equifax (800-525-6285), Experian (888-397-3742), and TransUnion (800-680-7289) — for addresses and reporting instructions.

■ Flag accounts.
Ask credit bureaus to flag accounts with a fraud alert that asks merchants not to grant new credit without your approval. Keep copies of all your correspondence.

■ Mop up.
Notify banks, creditors, and utilities. Close accounts that have been used by thieves. Choose new passwords and PINs for all your accounts and don’t use your mother’s maiden name as a password. Notify merchants that issued credit or accepted bad checks in your name; use your police report or FTC affidavit as backup.

■ Revisit reports.
Order and review your credit report each year. Some victims say that it took years to clear their credit files and that new credit was sometimes granted in their names without permission even after fraud alerts were placed on their accounts.

■ Stay informed.
For more information, visit the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center at www.idtheftcenter.org and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse at www.privacyrights.org.

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