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You’ve served the nation and maybe you’re thinking about heading back to school to start the next chapter of your career. Colleges are there to help you, right? Hmm, not so fast. Not every school has got your back. Some for-profit schools may care more about boosting their bottom line with your VA education benefits. Some may even stretch the truth to persuade you to enroll, either by pressuring you to sign up for courses that don’t suit your needs or to take out loans that will be a challenge to pay off. In 2010, the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) said that 70% of the agency’s current fraud investigations were focused on for-profit schools. Ask some key questions before you make any decisions.

Phantom debts – sounds a little like a ghostly Halloween prank. Unfortunately, it’s no joke. Some fake debt collectors may try deception and threats to pressure you to pay debts that you don’t owe. The FTC recently settled a case with debt collectors, Pinnacle Payment Services, Lisa Jeter, her partners and related companies about just these kinds of practices. Imagine getting a phone message like this: This is the Civil Investigations Unit. We are contacting you in regards to a complaint being filed against you, pursuant to claim and affidavit number D00D-2932, where you have been named a respondent in a court action and must appear… Please forward this information to your attorney in that the order to show cause contains a restraining order. You or your attorney will have 24 to 48 hours to oppose this matter… Call 757-301-4745. Who wouldn’t be spooked? The FTC has gotten almost 3,000 complaints about messages like this.

When it comes to tricking you out of your money, for scammers it’s Halloween all year long. In 2011, an estimated 25.6 million adults (10.8 percent of the U.S. adult population) were victims of fraud. Consumer scams can take many different forms, from direct marketing to affinity scams and involve everything from identity theft to pension poaching. However, there are a few general tell-tale signs that you can look for if you’re trying to decide if a financial product or service you’re being offered is a scammer’s trick or a financial treat.

Every now and then, many of us get the strange feeling someone’s watching us. Given how easy it is these days for companies to gather information about where we are, what we’re doing, and how we’re doing it, this may well be more than a feeling. Even so, here’s one that really takes the cake:

It’s heartbreaking to see people lose their lives, homes, businesses, pets and livestock to ravaging floodwaters. But it’s despicable when scammers exploit such tragedies to tug at your heartstrings and appeal to your sense of generosity. That’s why the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, urges you to be cautious of potential charity scams in connection with the ongoing flooding in Colorado. If you’re looking for a way to give, do some research to ensure that your donation will go to a reputable organization that will use the money as promised — and as you intend.

Who doesn’t like to get something for free? That’s what scammers are hoping when they send out messages like this: You've been selected for a free $1000 giftcard! Enter the code 'FREE' at yourfavestore.com.shop.biz to get it now. Only 112 left! Text OUT to stop. But if you do as the text says, you’ll end up at a website that requires you to give up your personal information to claim your “free” gift. Once you’ve shared your information, the site pushes you to sign up for more than a dozen risky trial offers (which aren’t free) to qualify for the supposedly free gift card they promised you. Hold the phone!

If you need some fast cash, you may be tempted by ads touting online payday loans. But before you click on a link and share your personal information, I have a cautionary tale to share. There once was an online payday loan operation that promised to help people find loans. They claimed that they were affiliated with a network of 120 potential payday lenders, and that four out of five people who applied were approved. What’s more, they touted that 80 percent of applicants got loans in as little as one hour. Lies, I tell you. Lies!

Thinking of buying an IP camera to keep an eye on your home or business when you’re away? Or maybe you‘ve already set up a security camera that you can access remotely? If so, you’ll want to read this news from the FTC. TRENDNet, a tech supplier, has agreed to settle FTC charges that the company didn’t provide adequate security for internet cameras it marketed as a way to monitor “babies at home, patients in the hospital, offices and banks, and more.”

The FTC, the nation’s consumer protection agency, first warned consumers to be on the lookout for flood-damaged cars in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Almost a year later, news reports indicate that water-damaged cars that endured Hurricane Sandy are being sold by private sellers and showing up on used car lots. AAA officials say nearly two-thirds of cars damaged in Hurricane Sandy are showing up in Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Illinois and Mississippi. These polished-up cars may look great on the outside, but the damage lurking on the inside from being submerged in corrosive saltwater for days will only lead to problems down the road.

So you’ve just reported to your first duty station and you’re thinking you could use a set of wheels. Just make sure you’re not the one who gets rolled. There’s an army of car salesmen camped outside your base. And their mission is to capture a large piece of your paycheck – and many paychecks to come. To navigate the minefield of car buying, keep these tips in mind: