Here's a useful article from the Columbia Tribune in Missouri – via the Missouri AG’s Consumer Corner blog -- on how to save money when using your cell phone in another country. Best suggestion: remove your SIM card (the little chip in the phone that carries your account information). Replace it with a prepaid card from that country and pay local rates – about 80 percent lower.

“Grand Theft Auto IV” sold 6 million copies in its first week. Parents whose kids are begging them to buy what has quickly become the most popular video game or other games, for that matter, are reminded to read ratings to ensure that content is suitable for their children.

Attorney General Rob McKenna issued a news release today, after the office received a couple of complaints from consumers concerned about violent and sexually explicit content in popular video games. “A Washington state law requires retailers to inform consumers about video game ratings,” he said. “Parents need to be aware that some of the most popular games contain content that is potentially harmful for youth and may be deemed offensive. A rating of ‘M’ for mature can include intense violence and sexual scenes.”

“Grand Theft Auto IV” follows an immigrant-turned gangster on crime missions around a fictional city. Like its predecessors, the new version permits players to kill characters and is rated “M". Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is protesting the game because of a drunk-driving sequence. A Miami Herald game reviewer writes:

It has already stirred up familiar voices calling the game out for portraying graphic violence, gyrating strippers, prostitutes, drugs, alcohol, crime, mayhem and murder. And it's true - the game has all these things and more. That's why it's rated for players age 17 and older. "GTA IV" isn't kids' stuff, and doesn't pretend to be.

Video games are rated as follows by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, a self-regulatory entity supported by the entertainment industry:

	EARLY CHILDHOOD Titles rated EC (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate.
	EVERYONE Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.
	EVERYONE 10+ Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.
	TEEN TEEN Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.
	MATURE Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
	ADULTS ONLY Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.
	RATING PENDING Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a game's release.)

Here’s a warning, via the Better Business Bureau, for students looking for summer work. A classified ad that reads, "travel the nation, high pay, all transportation and expenses paid," may seem too good to be true, and it probably is.

From the BBB news release:

Such ads usually solicit teenagers and young adults to become part of traveling sales crews that sell magazine subscriptions or cleaning fluid door-to-door across the country. In most cases, the employment ad does not give the name of the company or the nature of the work, but lists a local phone number and the name of a recruiter. The job interview usually takes place in a local hotel or motel and if the young person accepts the job, he or she is asked to leave within a few hours or a day and join a team of employees already in the field.

Once on the job, the new employee may find that the work involves extremely long hours, with early morning and late-night meetings where sales pitches are endlessly rehearsed. The living conditions are usually cramped and allow little personal freedom. Meals and personal items must be bought with a nightly dole.

In some crews, employees do not receive paychecks: their earnings remain "on the books." Their sales are credited to an account by the crew manager, who then may deduct hotel expenses, cancelled orders, fines for "misconduct" and the nightly allowance. Often employees end up in debt to the sales organization, so they are told, and therefore are unable to leave if they want to.

Anyone who is considering working for a traveling sales crew should obtain the following, in writing:

• the name and address of the company;
• details about travel, food and housing;
• commission rates and bonus programs;
• the salary amount, who keeps track of it, and how it is paid;
• how friends and family can contact the employees; and
• information about who arranges transportation home.

Credit card companies are wooing college students with everything from free pizza and T-shirts to airline miles and an iPod shuffle in exchange for filling out a credit application. U.S. PIRG has been working on campuses across the country to counter aggressive marketing schemes. The organization released a survey in March of 1,500 students at 40 campuses. Nearly two out of three students reporting having at least one credit card. Andthree out of four students said they had stopped on tables to consider offers or apply.

The findings confirm that students are using credit cards in significant numbers and that a significant number are paying the price through late fees, high balances and delinquencies.

Freebies are anything but a good value if you end up in debt. As this Ask the AG column shows, there’s more to a credit card than a low APR; so shop around. Try to pay balances in full and make your payments on time.

Your credit history is maintained by private companies called credit bureaus. The three major bureaus are Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. You can request an annual free copy of your credit report from each of these bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling (877) 322-8228.

Thanks to Consumer Smarts for the story tip.

Facebook has agreed to take significant steps to better protect children on its Web site. Attorneys general nationwide signed an agreement with Facebook, in which they emphasize their shared goal of protecting children from inappropriate content and unwanted contact by adults.

The agreement is similar to one that MySpace reached in January with 49 states and the District of Columbia. MySpace agreed to head a task force, which Facebook has joined, focused on developing technology to verify the age and identity of social networking site users. The task force will report back to the attorneys general every three months and issue a formal report with findings and recommendations at the end of 2008.

“This agreement establishes that Facebook shares our concerns about creating a safe online environment for children and teens to network,” Attorney General Rob McKenna said in a news release. “Tools like age authentication technology can help protect children from sex predators who use the Internet to contact potential victims.”

A warning to anyone who uses the Internet for phone service: make sure that your service provider knows your current address.

A Canadian baby died this past weekend when an ambulance was sent to the family's old house more than 2,000 miles away. The family called 911 from their Internet phone. Their call was sent to a dispatch center near Toronto but the family had moved to Calgary. They reportedly had changed their billing address, but not their 911 address.

Problems can also occur if you take your phone out of town. According to this TV news report, a Bakersfield, Calif., resident accidentally called 911 from an Internet phone. The address showed up on the dispatcher's computer. But when the dispatcher called back they found out the person was traveling in Belize.

Jeff Robertson, executive director of the 911 Industry Alliance, said in an interview Wednesday with InformationWeek that the issue is reaching crisis proportions. "The problem is that consumer technology has surpassed the 911 technology," he said. "Ninety-five percent of 911 call centers are analog (-based). Emergency data gets stripped out."

Always eager to latch on to the latest issue, cons are trying to pass themselves off as the IRS and sending phishing messages like this one titled “Economic Stimulus Refund Program” that came to our Ask the AG e-mail address.

The phony e-mail asks recipients to click on a link and fill out a form, apparently for direct deposit of the payment into their bank account. It’s a trick and if you fall for it, a con may drain your bank account.

If you received a tax refund from the IRS this year, your stimulus payment will arrive that same way. So if your tax refund was a was directly deposit into your account, your stimulus payment will also arrive by direct deposit. If you received a check, you’ll get another. If you owed money this year, your rebate will come as a paper check. Find out more about when your payment will arrive on the IRS Web site.

You can notify the IRS of phishing scams by following these instructions.

Seattle City Light is warning customers about a recent telephone scam. At least four customers have reported phone calls from people claiming to be Seattle City Light employees. The callers claim there is a problem processing the customer’s payment by check and ask for credit card information to resolve the matter. The cons appear to be targeting customers with Asian surnames.

"There is no reason Seattle City Light would be calling customers in this manner," customer care director Kelly Enright said in a news alert. "We don’t do business that way."

A Bellevue resident discovered that someone fraudulently filed her tax return and received a $34,000 refund, according to this frightening article in the Seattle P-I. The woman told cops that she called the Internal Revenue Service and learned the refund was sent to a California address. It was unclear whether someone used her Social Security number alone or whether a tax return was filed in her name.

The article also says that federal authorities have recently prosecuted several cases of tax fraud in which identity thieves used Social Security numbers to file fraudulent returns. In some cases, unscrupulous tax preparers doctored their clients' returns to get extra money back for themselves, according to the IRS Web site.

Always safeguard your personal information. If you file your return by mail, send it from a locked mailbox or take it to the post office. If you file online, choose a company you know. The IRS doesn’t offer software or direct filing, but it provides a list of approved companies at www.irs.gov/efile. Conducting random searches for software providers can be dangerous, since cons frequently set up copycat Web sites to fool you info providing personal information.

If you choose to hire a professional to prepare your taxes, do some research to ensure the person is reputable and able to meet your needs. Click here for tips to help you select a tax professional.

The Federal Reserve Board on Friday proposed rules to prohibit unfair practices regarding credit cards and overdraft services. The rules would protect consumers from unexpected increases in the rate charged on pre-existing credit card balances and offer consumers some protections on overdraft charges.

"The proposed rules are intended to establish a new baseline for fairness in how credit card plans operate," said Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke in a new release. "Consumers relying on credit cards should be better able to predict how their decisions and actions will affect their costs."

The agency highlighted the proposed changes on its Web site and Seattle P-I blogger Phuong Le provides this helpful breakdown. Submit your comments to the feds by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom.

A new state government program is helping resolve disputes between manufactured home owners and their landlords. A statewide tour titled “Don’t Move It; Solve It,” is educating homeowners and landlords about their legal rights and how the Attorney General’s Office can help them resolve problems.

Staff from the Attorney General’s Manufactured Housing Dispute Resolution Program will conduct a presentation and answer questions during three forums this month in Eastern Washington:

• SPOKANE: Tuesday, May 13, NW Museum of Art & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave., 99201, Auditorium of the Cheney Cowles Center. Parking facility available.
• PASCO: Wednesday, May 14, Columbia Basin Community College, 2600 N. 20th Ave, 99301, Multi-Purpose Facility of "H" Building. Enter parking lot from Argent St.
• YAKIMA: Thursday, May 15, Yakima Valley Community College, 1000 S. 12th Ave, 98902, Parker Room of the Deccio Higher Education Center (off Larson Park). Parking at 12th & Arlington.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the programs begin at 7 p.m. No registration is required.

Click here and here to listen to what Attorney General Rob McKenna says about the program.

It’s been a busy week for the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection High-Tech Fraud Unit, which announced three wins this week alone.

• Today, a King County Superior Court Judge found that Internet affiliate advertisers Securelink Networks, LLC, and NJC Softwares, LCC, and their officers violated Washington’s consumer protection and spyware laws while marketing registry-cleaner software. The defendants were accused of using Net Send messages and deceptive free scans to market each other’s products, including Registry Sweeper Pro, Registry Rinse, Registry Doc, Registry Cleaner 32 and Registry Cleaner Pro.

“Some people say you can’t police the Internet but today’s court ruling proves we can,” Attorney General Rob McKenna said. “We’ve reached another victory in our crusade to make the Internet a safer place for consumers and a fair, competitive environment for business.”

Our High-Tech folks have brought a total of six lawsuits under Washington’s Computer Spyware Statute since the law was approved by the Legislature in 2005. “Our Consumer Protection High-Tech Fraud Unit’s record speaks volumes. Assistant Attorney General Katherine Tassi, who led this case, has a black belt in kung fu and another in fraud fighting,” McKenna said.

• Wednesday, we announced a settlement with online freebie promoters SubscriberBASE Holdings, Inc., of Columbia, S.C., and SubscriberBASE, Inc. The companies promised consumers “free” big-ticket items such as high-definition televisions, digital cameras and laptops, but consumers had to pay more than the items were worth in order to receive them. We alleged the businesses really were after consumers’ personal information that they could sell to marketers.
• And Tuesday, we reached a settlement with Cheapest-Magz, a defunct business that sold magazines on eBay, and its owners. They agreed to refund Washington consumers who paid anywhere from $5 to several hundred dollars for subscriptions to publications such as Newsweek, Computer Shopper, Oprah, Golf Digest, Wired, TV Guide, Sporting News, Muscle and Fitness and Details, but never received their orders.

Whew! Needless to say, our Consumer Protection and Public Affairs staff are looking forward to the weekend!

Totally Free Flatscreen TV/LCD Monitor!
ABSOLUTELY FREE GIFT CARDS!
Caribbean Vacation - All Expenses Paid!!!

You can have it all for nothing! And it’s so easy! All you have to do is complete an online survey. Or sign up for a trial subscription for some service. Or spam a few friends … oops, we mean make a few “referrals.”

But did you ever think about what happens with all the information you send over the Internet? Chances are it’s being dumped into a marketing database to be sold over and over again.

And what do you get in return? Telemarketing calls! Junk mail! Spam! All totally free! Forever.

Oh, and that must-have thing you coveted? Well, good luck. Hope you read the fine print.

The above remarks are a rerun of a post from last June. But with our recent settlement with SubscriberBASE Holdings, Inc., of Columbia, S.C., and SubscriberBASE, Inc., it seems that a reminder may be appropriate. The online companies promised consumers “free” big-ticket items but required them to pay for trial offers and subscriptions. In fact, we alleged that their real ploy was to collect and sell consumers’ personal information to marketers. 

Back in June, we settled a suit with some freebie promoters who sold personal information of thousands of Washington residents and tucked charges on their phone bills for services they didn’t want. Only one Washington consumer received the advertised “free” item.

Your personal information is a commodity now. How much is your privacy worth to you?

High-ranking business executives across the country have received e-mail messages in recent weeks that appear to be official subpoenas from the United States District Court in San Diego. The messages sent to CEOs are specially crafted to appear legitimate, a tactic called "spear-phishing." Each includes the executive’s name, company and phone number, and commands the recipient to appear before a grand jury in a civil case.

A link embedded in the message purports to offer a copy of the entire subpoena. But a recipient who tries to view the document is told to download a plug-in in order to read the subpoena. But that software secretly records keystrokes and sends the data to a remote computer over the Internet. This lets the criminals capture passwords and other personal or corporate information.

Although they end with the same letters, the domains used in this scam are actually different from and not connected with the uscourts.com Web site, which offers access to court records in some jurisdictions.

Be safe!  Never click a link in an e-mail from someone you do not know. 

Link to recent New York Times article.