| Consumer Affairs warns about 'not-so-free'
The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) encourages people to check their credit reports annually. This is an important way consumers can safeguard against identity theft, credit fraud or unauthorized charges, and check for errors or inaccuracies that can affect a credit decision. Legislation that became effective in South Carolina on June 1, 2005, gives consumers the right to receive a FREE copy of their credit report once a year. However, if ordering your credit report online, consumers are warned to stay away from misleading Web sites claiming to offer free credit reports, then enrolling the unsuspecting consumer in a monthly reporting service costing $11.95 each month. SCDCA has received numerous complaints from consumers who are further victimized when emails trying to cancel the service go unanswered and the Web sites offer no information on cancellation.
Scam Jam 2007 held
By Karen WilliamsonKARENW@CULLMANTIMES.COMExperts agree shredding mail, paying bills and viewing bank statements online, picking up new check orders at the bank and mailing bills at the post office are ways to stop identity theft.If people take those steps, they will have reduced their risk for identity theft considerably, according to Federal Trade Commission attorney Paul Davis from Atlanta who was one of the experts at the 2007 Scam Jam Wednesday at City Hall."That right there will eliminate a certain percentage of identity theft," he said.Paying bills online requires the use of anti-virus software and firewalls on personal computers, and both have to be updated regularly, he said.Davis recommends contacting one of the three consumer reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — every four months to request a free credit report."Federal law allows you to get free copies of each one every year," he said.That way people will know quickly if there is a problem.
Pace of Chinese investment quickens, rate rise seen
Chinese capital spending in October rose at the briskest pace in over a year, rounding out a strong batch of monthly economic data and cementing expectations of a fresh rise in interest rates, possibly as early as Friday. Capital spending in urban areas on fixed assets such as factories and power plants increased 26.9 percent between January and October compared with the same period last year, the National Bureau of Statistics said. It was the fastest year-to-date pace since September 2006, eclipsing forecasts of a 26.3 percent rise and the 26.4 percent increase in the first nine months. Economists calculated that investment spending in October alone was up 30.7 percent from a year earlier. JPMorgan Chase said that was the quickest monthly clip since June 2006.
Salmond: Scotland independent in 10 years
ALEX Salmond has, for the first time, named a date by which he believes Scotland will be an independent country - 2017. The First Minister made the dramatic assertion on the eve of the SNP's first budget in government, a day in which the party will set out its spending priorities over the next three years. In a remarkable departure from his previous reluctance to set a timetable for achieving sovereignty, Mr Salmond yesterday said he anticipated Scotland would break away from the United Kingdom in a decade. The First Minister made the declaration, which was immediately attacked by political opponents, as he launched the Scottish Government's economic strategy, setting out ambitious targets for a decade of growth. .
Kenya: Surfing Porn Sites Can Cost You Your Job
When a local IT manager found that the company's Internet speeds were clogged up, he also discovered that the culprits were not junior workers. They were in the upper echelons of the company. "It was a bad time," said the 31-year-old IT services manager. "I had been asked to find out which department was clogging up the company's Internet speeds - only to find out that the culprit was the CEO himself." .
Japan Outlook: Nippon Sheet Glass, Sompo Japan 1H Earnings
TOKYO (Dow Jones)--Here are the major economic events scheduled in Japan on Tuesday. All times refer to GMT. No major indicators are scheduled for release Tuesday. The following companies report earnings for the fiscal first half: (END) Dow Jones Newswires November 19, 2007 17:34 ET (22:34 GMT) Copyright 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. .
Missing Cruise Passenger's Body Found On Florida Beach
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- The body of a missing Dutch cruise passenger has washed ashore in Hollywood. Broward County sheriff's officials say the medical examiner has ruled the woman's death a suicide. Her boyfriend is cooperating with detectives. No foul play is suspected. Officials say the woman was identified as 49-year-old Monique Teresia Van Der Steenstraeten of the Netherlands. She had disappeared from a Discovery Cruise Line ship Sunday. Discovery Cruise spokeswoman Roberta Backus says the boyfriend contacted the ship's manager when the woman vanished. .
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