Finance Assistance

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.