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Corruption and Transparency - Part I
I. The Facts Just days before a much-awaited donor conference, the influential International Crisis Group (ICG) recommended to place all funds pledged to Macedonia under the oversight of a "corruption advisor" appointed by the European Commission....
Homegrown Terrorists Spook the Stock Market
The negative, and at times scary news seems to be coming hitting the stock market from all corners of our world. Just as the headlines from the geopolitical realm let up, the glare of terrorism raises its ugly head again. This time with a twist that...
How Does Spellchecker make you Lazy?
It’s a crime what laziness can do. That’s the downside of
automation and software tools. People get lazy.
Don’t get me wrong, I love technology and I depend on
Spell-checking software to help with my writing. It finds
the typos but it...
Identity Theft – Additional Protection for Soldiers on Active Duty
Congress passed the Fair Credit Reporting Act several years ago in an attempt to smooth out some problems in the credit reporting industry. The best known provision of this Act is one that permits Americans to receive a free copy of their credit...
On the crossing of continents
Cyprus is situated in the north-east Mediterranean on the crossing of three continents - Europe, Asia and Africa. This strategic location ensured development of the island as an international business center with high-quality service, vast...
Preventing Identity Theft
What is Identity Theft? It is the theft of your personal
information, such as social security number, driver's license
number, credit card and bank account numbers, mother's maiden
name, and more, with the intent to obtain credit and...
Telecom Audit Techniques: Observational and Personal Surveys
One of the most useful tools for helping you to conduct a successful audit of your telecommunications services is the "survey". Surveys come in two categories: 1)Observation Surveys 2) Surveys via Personal Interviews Each plays an important...
The Important Function of Remote Security Cameras
Used primarily in the beginning as a traffic-monitoring device, remote security cameras are becoming the weapon of choice in the war against terrorism and crime around the world. A trained technician can sit in a control booth and monitor cameras...
What Are Internet Radio Hosts Looking For In Their Guests?
Copyright 2005 Black Butterfly Press
http://www.maxinethompson.com
As an Internet Radio Host of On The Same Page on www.voiceamerica.com, over the past three and a half years, I have interviewed such illustrious guests as Haki Madhubuti of...
What Do Paralegals Do?
Do you ever wish you could hang out with the crew of Law & Order? Becoming a paralegal is one way to enter the law. It will not be as glamorous as Law & Order, but less glamour does not mean less prestige or satisfaction. Paralegals make lawyers...
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Consumer Protection Available to Americans in the Know
Today, many Americans are victims of financial crimes
perpetrated by disreputable businesspeople. Consumers are
swindled by those who engage in identity theft, through car
dealer rip-offs, by credit agencies that incorporate inaccurate
data into credit reports, and through a variety of inflated fees
charged by mortgage brokers.
Unfortunately, consumer protection laws often fall short of
helping consumers. Even when consumer protection laws are in
place, they are often inadequately enforced. Worse, consumers
are often unaware of the consumer protection laws that are
available to help them, or do not have the knowledge to use
consumer protection laws to their advantage. In addition,
Americans often do not have the financial resources to hire an
attorney in order to gain redress for financial shenanigans
perpetrated by companies and individuals who have taken
advantage of them.
For example, many consumers do not stay abreast of their credit
reports, and do not know how to improve credit. It is estimated
that, together, American companies issues over three million
reports to credit bureaus each day. Studies have found that,
unfortunately, between 20 and 40 percent of credit reports
contain errors. Although a federal consumer protection law was
enacted forcing credit bureaus to each provide one credit report
to each consumer annually, most Americans do not take advantage
of this opportunity, even though doing to would be the first
step they could take to improve credit.
Likewise, consumers often don't know how to stop bill collectors
from contacting them.
As a result, Americans are unnecessarily
harassed by bill collectors.
Consumers are also taken advantage of by car dealers and
mortgage brokers. Although there are several ways to avoid car
dealer rip-offs, many Americans are unaware of some of the most
common car dealer scams, and that safe buying methods exist that
could save them thousands of dollars. Likewise, mortgage brokers
can make a considerable profit by padding fees and closing
costs. Although homebuyers can shop around for brokers and
compare fees, there are few federal consumer protection laws in
place to prevent fee gouging.
Fortunately, consumers do have some low-cost alternatives to
educate themselves and protect themselves from becoming victims
of financial crimes. For example, Ray Perry, the "Consumer
Bulldog," offers a Consumer Protection and Action Service Kit
that contains a myriad of reports, action letters, and legal
documents that can help consumers prevent identity theft, stop
bill collectors, avoid car dealer rip-offs, and improve credit.
These types of tools go far to enable consumers to protect
themselves and to resolve any issue they encounter.
About the author:
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon
International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on
the web. Visit this Financing\Investing
Website and Majon's Financi
ng\Investing directory.
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