The Utah Department of Consumer Affairs issued two lists of “top 10 consumer complaints” last week as part of National Consumer Protection Week, March 4-10.

One list shows how many times Utahns reported a particular type of scam or fraud to the Federal Trade Commission. The second shows the types of fraud the Utah Department of Consumer Affairs has dealt with in the past year.

Heading the FTC list was debt collection scams, with 1,312 complaints from Utahns who’d been victimized by illegal or fraudulent debt relief collection attempts.

Second on the list was fake prizes and sweepstakes offers, typically over the Internet but sometimes by telephone.

More than 700 Utahns reported such scams last year. Usually, prize scams involve an email or telephone call telling the recipient that he or she has won some huge foreign lottery. The caller then asks the victim to provide bank account information and some up-front money to pay handling charges and taxes.

The Utah list is similar. Heading the list of frauds the department deals with most are e-commerce and Internet offers, which made up 42 percent of the complaints the division received.

These include situations where a buyer using a computer made a purchase and then had money taken out of a bank account that was not approved, or had some sort of automatic billing set up that they did not approve.

As if to underscore the need for more awareness, a couple of hours after it sent out the list of its Top 10 scams on Monday, the Division of Consumer Affairs sent out another news release warning of a new version of a mobile phone scam.

This one could either be eighth on the list (text and mobile phone services), second (prizes sweepstakes or lotteries) or fifth (imposter scams), depending on how you look at it.

The new warning is for Utahns getting text messages on their debt consolidation cellphones saying the recipient has won a $1,000 Walmart gift card.

To claim the prize they have to go to an Internet website and enter a code word.

The Division of Consumer Affairs checked the site and found that if you enter the code word, the website automatically downloads software to your computer that records every keystroke you make. This lets hackers record bank account information, passwords and other private.

The scam that hit the Harrison Regent was a typical telephone fraud scam.

At least five residents of the home got phone calls, allegedly from the Social Security Administration, warning that the SSA’s computers were going to be down for six months and asking for bank information to give them their regular payments directly.

Most of the residents hung up, but one did give the caller her bank information before realizing the call was fraudulent. She immediately notified her bank.

The Division of Consumer Affairs list also includes fraudulent practices that go beyond Internet or cellphone frauds.

When seeking different types of debt consolidation loans, there are several. While some are good for clearing up old credit issues, others are better for organizing current debt. However, there are also others designed specifically for those with excessive debt related to school loans. There are some standard restrictions which are pretty common among all such lenders, these are that one be a citizen of the U. S., 18 years of age and can show proof of how one plans on repaying such loan.

Most school loans are subsidized by the government, and the government can sell such loans to other agencies. In fact, when such a transaction happens, one can often expect additional fees and interest rates. As such, when loans are related to school, it is good to make taking care of such debt a priority.

So, whether seeking such a loan for current issues, or to assist in clearing up older debt debt management , it is important that one be cautious when it comes to the interest rate such companies charge. Of course, as most individuals looking for such loans are already in trouble when it comes to debt, it can often be hard to find loans at lower rates. So, many times, these expensive debt consolidation loans are the only assistance one can get to pay off such debt.

However, after having done so, it imperative that one also try to work as hard as possible to clear any outstanding credit issues. In addition, as most companies promote selling a new loan as soon as old ones are paid off, using such service can also help in opening lines of credit which one may need at a later date.

Although repayment of such loans can also often help repair a credit score, one may also want to try and obtain any future loans at as low a rate as possible. Once one proves that they can repay such monies, often companies charge less when it comes to lending again. Of course, whether borrowing money on a long or short term basis, it is important to make payments as scheduled.

In fact, when doing so, one not only improves current credit but can often find reductions when it comes to any other past debt which may arise over the years. Although, when and where possible it is good to avoid such issues in the first place. Of course, as most individuals know, it can often be hard to resist the temptation of credit.

There are many reasons people fall into debt today. It’s true that some of these reasons could be directly accredited to miscalculations, but I’m sure that it’s very hard to get your numbers and decisions right, especially in an economy like today’s one. We’re seeing people lose their jobs every day. Debt Consolidation We see families becoming homeless in an eye glance. Most people are also drowning in debt and they couldn’t seem to find a way out debt settlement . They say that there is a solution to every problem, and I believe there is. However, this solution may seem hard to most people. I believe that getting out of debt requires a lot of dedication and hard work basically because you’re going backward in your lifestyle. If you happen to have a family, then this will be much harder. I don’t mean to scare you or anything here, but if you really want to improve your life, you need to take exceptional measures that most people won’t have the courage to take. If you’re serious about getting out of debt, here are some tips to help you do so:

1- Learn to differentiate between your wants and your needs:

Basically, if you can’t survive without it, then you can’t afford to lose it. This is exactly the mindset that you should have to get out of debt. The biggest problem in getting in debt in the first place is that people don’t really realize if something they have bought is necessary or not. They might see their friends buy it, and want just to do the same debt consolidation companies . I know that today’s conditions encourage you to spend more until you have nothing left, but you need to be responsible, especially if you have a family that is relying on you. To be clear with you, the only things that you need to be spending your money on if you’re in debt are food; a roof over your head and clothing, and even those, you shouldn’t go extreme about them.

2- Stop right there:

As soon as you realize the problem, you need to stop right there. Most procrastinators will say that they’ll think of the whole debt relief thing the next week or month, but you shouldn’t be one of them. As soon as you realize that you have a debt problem, you need to start acting immediately and limit your spending habits.

3- Tracking is the key:

I believe that the main reason people fall in debt is that they don’t track their spending. When it comes to minor ones, most people just ignore to write them down because they think it’s not really worth it. I did a little test on my spending, and I noticed that the month that I don’t track every penny I spend in, I end up spending more than the other months. This leads us to believe that people tend to forget and that’s what the pen and paper (or computer in our time) is made for.

Debt consolidation loans may seem like a great way to manage debt without taking the drastic step of declaring debt consolidation loans , but in many cases the too-good-to-be-true promise of significantly lower monthly payments is just that: an illusion.

New research from the  finds that these loans, which allow cash-strapped consumers to restructure multiple debts into low monthly payments from a reverse mortgage, leave borrowers with greater overall debt burdens by stretching out the payments over longer periods.

For example, NEFE says, a five-year loan for $20,000 at a 10% interest rate would cost about $425 a month, and interest payments would total $5,496 for the life of the loan. Extending the debt to 15 years in a consolidation loan would knock down the monthly payment to $215, but it would increase the total interest payments to $18,685 — a fact that is conveniently left out of most debt-consolidation advertisements. Post continues below.

“Typical ads tell consumers that the monthly payments will be low and that their debt will be reduced,” researcher Paul Bloom said in an official statement. “And although the ads sometimes tout lower interest rates, most people who need such loans don’t qualify for the lower interest rate loans.”

NEFE says the loans also sometimes carry fees (for such things as  and attorney services) and penalties (for late payments), which many ads do not disclose. Some companies even charge a fee just for applying for such a loan.

The discrepancies, often masked by advertising and labels such as ,” highlight the need for debt-ridden Americans to shop around before accepting a debt consolidation loan offer.

Sainsbury’s Finance estimates that personal loans worth £1.5 billion will be taken out in the first three months of this year by consumers keen to consolidate their debts.

However, while M&S Loans is currently offering interest rates of just 6.0%, you can avoid interest charges altogether for almost two years with a 0% credit card. So which is the best option for you?

Debt Relief
The main advantage of consolidating your debts on to a balance transfer credit card, is that you can escape further interest charges for close to two years – as long as you have a good credit score and are happy to pay a hefty balance transfer fee.

The HSBC credit card, for example, currently offers HSBC current accounts customers an interest-free period of 23 months, but has a balance transfer fee of 3.3% and a standard rate of 17.9%.

Meanwhile, Barclaycard Platinum also offers a generous 22 months at 0%, but also has a fee of 2.9% and a standard rate of 17.9%.

If you think you can clear your balance within a shorter time, you may therefore be better off with a shorter 0% deal with a lower upfront fee.

Cards of this kind include the Virgin credit card, which offers nine months at 0% with a fee of just 1.5% and a standard rate of 16.8%, and another Barclaycard Platinum card at 16 months interest free with a fee of 1.6% and a standard rate of 18.9%.

Either way, should you fail to clear your balance in full within the interest-free period, you will need to switch to a new deal (and potentially pay another balance transfer fee) to avoid incurring huge interest charges.

Debt Consolidation
By using a credit card to consolidate your debts, you also risk being tempted to reduce your monthly payments to free up some extra cash – meaning that you pay your debts off more slowly – or even to continue spending.

he problem with debt consolidation loans is that there are some really shady companies out there, posing as non-profits.

Many are honest, but not all.

To play it safe before you go with a loan company, I suggest you talk to somebody at a credit union.

Credit unions tend to be smaller than banks, and are often more willing to help people both with perfect—and less-than-perfect credit histories. They could give you some options for consolidating that debt.

Another idea for you is using the “debt snowball” approach.

That’s where you list debts from smallest to largest, and pay the minimum payment on all the debts except the smallest.

Pay that one off first.

Then take the minimum payment on the next smallest debt, plus what you would have paid towards the one you just paid off—and put that toward the debt you’re tackling next!

Then you continue until you’ve paid off all three cards.

Now, if you’re falling behind on your payments and you’re racking up late fees and high interest rates, you should find a good counselor at a reputable non-profit agency. To find an agency, visit the National Foundation for Consumer Credit Counseling here

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!