brass Blog

I get to work and open up my email inbox, eager to tackle the day’s normal array of editing, researching, and developing new content. Today is different, though. I see an email from someone I don’t know. A new contributor? Much to my surprise, it is a wealthy Nigerian prince who saw my name on a website and thought I looked trustworthy enough to safeguard his vulnerable inheritance. All he needs is my savings account number…

Most of you have probably received a similar message at some point in your life (probably more often than you like), either about helping some foreign scientist or princess store a huge sum of money, or an overseas buyer looking at something you were selling online — whether or not you were actually selling anything. Hopefully, the danger signs in your head were flashing red. I read the other day in Consumer Reports that Americans have lost $7 billion in the last two years due to “online threats” (scams, phishing, etc). And in another study, 58% of Americans surveyed weren’t even aware that Internet scams even existed.What’s the moral then? Spam is a very real and thriving industry (I can’t help but think of the movie Matchstick Men while I write this; those guys are good, and more convincing than that Nigerian prince — who, by the way, is no more prince-like than you or I). Until next week, get a spam filter and warn a friend about online scams.

So you like to wheel-and-deal online, do you? Me too. I used to be fairly active on eBay, but I haven’t been of late. I never had any problems, but as you probably know, e-commerce is not without its risks. How many of you have heard of chargeback scams? (A chargeback is when a buyer reverses the charge to his/her account for the purchase of an item.)

A friend of mine recently got caught by a chargeback scam on eBay, and was stuck reimbursing the “buyer” the full amount of the products he sold, as well as having already shipped the products to the provided address.

Chargebacks can occur in such instances as when a buyer’s credit card number is stolen and used. They can also happen if a seller fails to deliver the promised item. Typically, the seller is then responsible to refund the money to the buyer. However, if the seller actually did ship them, he or she can investigate the chargeback to see if the buyer is ultimately responsible. As in the case of my friend, he shipped the items, and the buyer claimed that he never received them.

How can you avoid getting scammed by chargeback abuse? In the case of my friend, he said the buyer wanted the item to be shipped overseas and provided two different addresses — one for the payment and one for the shipment (definitely something to look out for). My friend also didn’t request a tracking number when he shipped the items to the supposed buyer, so he didn’t have proof that he actually sent the items off. Tracking numbers are another precaution which can ensure you’ve got your bases covered.

While chargebacks in-and-of themselves are not negative, they can be exploited or misused. So be aware of that, check out some of the resources available for protection against fraudulent chargebacks, and leave me good feedback if you ever buy anything from me.

I love summers. Not only for the weather, but because I like to travel. And as a present to myself, I’m going to Tulsa, Oklahoma at the end of the month to visit a roommate of mine who landed an internship there. (On a side note: if you’re interested in going to college there, check out these 14 colleges or universities in town.)

So, in short, the good news is that I am going to Oklahoma. The bad news is that the plane tickets for my buddy and I were $360 each the day I bought them (from a low-price fareView » website two days ago) and today (Thursday) they were in the $280 range. A few weeks ago, the tickets had been as low as $270.

What could I have done to save money, other than buying a ticket earlier?

I found out with some research (and a few tips from our very own brass Operations Department that equips our own frequent flyers with tickets) about options other than just throwing your credit card at the first low fare you see. Sites like farecast.com and farecompare.com can actually predict ticket prices over time, thus allowing you to see (and buy) when the price is low/lowest. Had I known that beforehand, I would have been able to spend that seventy-odd dollars I would have saved on novelty Oklahoma sweatshirts instead. Oh well.

Don’t suffer the same fate. Check out those two sites next time you travel, and let us know how it goes.

I love to swipe my debit card as much as I can. It’s slight and slender, it never fails me, and I always have it. But I can’t lie; sometimes I like to use cash…just for old time’s sake. I stop by the ATM, take out an Andrew Jackson, and watch the good times roll.

If you use your debit card and frequently take out cash from an ATM, you need to keep an eye on your “available balance.” Your situation may be different than mine, but whenever I make a cash withdrawal, there is an “available balance” printed on my receipt. I have noticed that it’s best not to rely solely on that receipt for knowing how much money I’ve got in my checking account. That’s because debit purchases can occasionally take a few days to be processed and my rent check isn’t always cashed right away. What the receipt shows as my available balance may not represent the big picture. I get a better idea of the actual balance when I’ve kept my checkbook up to date by recording all my debit and check purchases in my register. I’ve already subtracted those amounts from my account balance in the register and I know how much I have left.

Recording longhand in your checkbook register can be tedious at times, but luckily there are alternatives available that can make the process much quicker and easier. Programs like Quicken are available for purchase and use on your computer; websites such as Wesabe offer personal finance tools and tips; and online financial services (which allow you to access your account information, track purchases, and monitor account history) are available through many financial institutions. And with the increasing access to the Internet via cell phones and Wi-Fi hot spots, signing on to check your available funds (the real amount) is easier than ever before. I’m seriously considering trading in my paper register for a digital one.

If anyone else out there uses another program or has some tips on checking account balancing, drop us a line and fill us in. (The “comment” function below is no longer misbehaving, so let the dialogue begin…)

In case you missed it, the CNN/YouTube Democratic Debate was Monday, July 23^rd. Luckily for those of us who did, virtually the entire debate (with all 38 questions) is online for our viewing pleasure. I thought the debate was an excellent idea (blending technology and youth with the political process). It was interesting to see how the candidates interacted with each other and handled the user-generated questions.

Check out Senator Joe Biden’s response to the Tax Song question (the guitar was a clever way to introduce the topic, but I find this issue really relevant to our generation):

It was also interesting to see the range of responses to the debate. The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times (registration required) had strong insights and pretty comprehensive reviews on the debates, which I found helpful after watching the proceedings online. However, there were some who felt the debate format needs some revision. Salon.com offers links to many bloggers’ opinions in a review of the event on their website, and there is a video on YouTube claiming that the whole debate was rigged. This stuff can definitely keep my interest.

As of the time of this writing, the Republicans haven’t yet committed to the pre-scheduled September 17^th CNN/YouTube debate of their own. I read a blog by the Washington Post that mentions a possible postponing of the Republican debate; however, neither CNN nor YouTube have made any mention of moving the date, and you can still get your question in on YouTube. Anyway, there’s the update from the brass-o-sphere. Happy video making.