Tuesday, April 22, 2003:

Like a good neighbor, State Farm wants to help you paper your trail! In fact, they're distributing 77,000 disposable cameras to their Lonnnnnngeyeland (NY) customers as part of a new program designed to cut into fraud, asking customers to keep the cameras in their cars until needed to document damages in an accident.

Does this mean they've got more thieves per capita in the great state of New York? Hmmmmm...maybe. Enough of a problem to get State Farm to spend $100,000 on cameras...a cheap investment when compared to the $1 billion in fraud they get stung with every year...that's a billion fraud dollars in just New York alone! They're hoping that if a policyholder whips out a camera to document the actual damages at an accident scene, this will serve as enough of a deterrent to keep the other driver from piling on a bunch of other damages to the claim resulting from the real accident.

So do you need to be insured by State Farm and living in New York to protect yourself? Obviously not...but they've really pointed out an effective solution that everyone can take advantage of. I've been telling you for years to carry a disposable camera in the car for events just like this. And make sure you've got a pen and paper to write on while you're at it. In fact, most insurance companies will provide you with blank "accident scene" forms for this very purpose. Obviously this is one of those things we all hope you'll never need to use, but why not be a good scout and be prepared...and do your best to minimize your chances of being stung by someone anxious to test the depths of your policy limits. Fair enough?

Ben's Disposable Instamatic Warning: State Farm's asking policyholders who use their cameras at accident scenes to turn the cameras over to them [State Farm] for developing...bad move! Why? Because if you make a claim and the insurance company [State Farm] won't pay it, you've given up key evidence to the insurance company when you turned over your camera to them for developing.

If you shoot pictures at an accident scene, spend a few bucks to get the film developed at a quality photo lab; going cheap at one of these one-hour photo joints is inviting disaster: The one time you've gotta have these photos done correctly will be the one time they screw something up and leave you high, dry and photo-less. You pay the developing costs, you request 2-for-1 photos [and give one set to your insurance company to help paper-up your claim], you own the film , and you've secured a much higher level of control.

Also worth remembering: Warm weather's on the way...unless your car's parked in a garage or covered parking area the majority of the time, excessive heat can kill off a roll of film in a heartbeat.

Are you all broken out from all of the chocolate you consumed last (Easter) weekend? Just wondering...and wanted to remind you that Mother's Day (May 11th) is now 19 days away: So why not send something fat-free and out of the box for a change this year, Big Shot? Send Mom some beautiful flowers [they make great gifts from the kids, by the way] that will last at least twice as long as the usual junk you send or pick-up at a local store.  Of course I'm talking about amazing flowers, FedExed direct by my pals at www.tropicalcolors.com

Kathryn called in to the big show last weekend to ask about an e-mail that's been making the rounds [again!] that seems to have everyone twisted off. I'm sure you've seen it by now and if you haven't, as July 1st approaches, you will: "Your personal credit information goes public starting July 1st, 2003 and the four major credit bureaus [right there's your first red flag, since there are truly only three recognized "national" credit bureaus] will be allowed to release your credit info, mailing addresses, phone numbers, etc. to ANYONE who requests it! If you do not want to be included in this release of your personal information, you can call 1-888-567-8688."

Chill, will ya? It's a bunch of fear-mongering chain-e-mail garbage that you're perpetuating by forwarding half-baked truths. Eloquently debunked on Experian's website, the spelled-out/toll-free phone number (888) 5-OPT-OUT is legit and allows consumers to opt out of all three credit bureau pre-approved marketing lists...but not drop out of the credit reporting system altogether.

MCI's about to revert to a little, old-fashioned bribery to get you to jump long distance carriers! Bankruptcy's a wonderful thing in corporate America...at least if you're MCI and about to emerge from bankruptcy proceedings without billions of dollars in debt. And the smart money's betting on MCI to begin launching the "let's steal your long distance customer by bribing them with cash or gift certificates" wars in the weeks ahead.

Remember back in the old-days...back in the 1990's when the phone companies would pay you to switch carriers? Well, the word on the street is that AT&T, SBC, BellSouth and MCI are beginning to send select customers gift cards or checks ranging from $25 to $100 to jump ship. Be on the lookout for deals that'll pay your more to switch your local, your long distance, your wireless and your Internet service...the going rate's rumored to be $25 per service you agree to switch.

How big a bribe can you expect? According to this recent article from The Wall Street Journal,

AT&T:Mails checks of up to $90 for customers signing up for some domestic and international calling plans.

MCI: Offering some customers $25 Visa gift cards to sign up for The Neighborhood. The plan includes unlimited local and long-distance calls, along with features like voice mail, caller ID and call waiting at no additional charge. Monthly cost of $49.99 to $69.99, excluding taxes.

BellSouth: Giving up to $100 cash back. Available to customers who sign up for the BellSouth Answers packages, which allows them to combine wireless and Internet plans with an unlimited local plan and a choice of long-distance options. The company offers $25 for each new service you take.

SBC: Handing out $50 Visa gift cards in some areas to win back customers who have switched heir local service to other carriers. What's the best deal for your calling habits? Click here to compare.

Another question that popped up on the air recently? "Where can I go to compare credit card offers, interest rates, annual fees, etc?"  Simple...the same place I go from time to time: www.cardtrak.com

Speaking of interest rates...they're not gonna stay at these amazingly-low levels forever: You'd better get on board and re-finance your current mortgage or buy that new home and get more bang for your mortgage buck.  Click here for your free copy of Ben's new Home Buyer's Guide/2003 edition and go into the marketplace armed with the knowledge necessary to get the best deal possible.

And speaking of homes...how prepared are you when it comes to protecting yours?  Okay, you don't have to live in a house...apartments, condos, whatever.  No matter where you live, you'd better be prepared for that wild card known as weather.  Check out Ben's new section about preparing for the worst-case weather scenarios that can affect all of us. 

One of the biggest corporations on the planet's about to launch a new program that'll help kids gain access to porno or gambling websites on the Internet: In fact you're gonna see them soon hanging from hooks at checkout counters around all over the Southland and the rest of the country. You know...right there at a kid's eye level next to the candy and bubble gum.

AT&T is launching a new area of commerce designed to help kids spend their dough on-line...they're prepaid cards that'll allow non-adults to spend on-line just like they could if they had a credit card. Of course AT&T says their new Prepaid Web Cents cards are designed to allow kids to purchase stuff like video games and music and other relatively low-priced items. Mom and Dad can also breathe easier since junior won't have one of their credit cards to buy must-have items like junk off the Disney gaming site or ring tones for his cell phone.

But how long will it take for the porno and gambling sites to begin taking these cards? If they're true to form, the porno industry will cash in on this newest form of cyber-cash in a heartbeat...so before you turn the kids loose with what seems like an innocent payment option, make sure you know where they're spending their time on-line. Read all about 'em right here.

If you've received any e-mails with the following subject lines: "Married but lonely" "Payment Declined" "Did you hear the news?" "My webcam's finally hooked up!" "Horny housewives want to meet you!" you're gonna love what's happening to the scumbag, low-life spammers who have been churning this garbage out and filling up your e-mail with trash...

Between AOL and the FTC, there's a bunch of spammers who are about to be SOL ASAP! Last week, the Federal Trade Commission filed suit against one of the biggest spammers on the Internet, a guy by the name of Brian Westby. The details of the suit should give you an idea of how profitable the business of spam can be: During one 10-week period a couple of months ago, Westby was paid $844,000 by one adult-content provider alone!

AOL filed five lawsuits targeting spammers accused of sending over a billion e-mails promoting everything from mortgages to steroids and pornography: And as I told you last week, you're gonna see a real push by the government to reel in the cyber-rogue spammers, especially after receiving complaints from military members plagued by spam filling up their e-mail boxes and wasting their precious computer time overseas.

Bens' Bottom Line reminder, one more time: Do not buy one damned thing from a scumbag spammer, period. The minute you click over to a site and bite on the bait, the bad guys win!

It's the hottest trends in the insurance business and one of the biggest conflicts of interest to come along since the birth of the "non-profit" credit counseling services. Drive a car? Keep your eyes on the road and pay attention: Progressive Insurance is working hard to live up to their name.  While their intent appears to be honorable--even appearing to provide an all-new new level of service for their policyholders--the idea of your insurance company getting into the automotive repair business is of great concern to me.

What's so bad about insurance companies owning repair shops? For starters, you're gonna be at the mercy of the insurance company. In the past, repair shops were independent businesses whose interests were limited to repairing your vehicle. They weren't controlled by insurance companies that might have different interests.

Plus the quality of repairs may suffer as insurers scrimp on costs: Steering laws in many states already prohibit insurers from mandating what garage is used - both to protect consumers from shoddy repairs and to protect garages from being squeezed by insurance companies.

Wanna know more? Check out State Senator Jackie Spier's proposed law to put even more teeth into anti-steering tactics...

And you can read the entire Wall Street Journal story on this glimpse into your insurance future here.

Oh boy and just in time for graduation or Mother's Day gift-giving: Be resourceful and share the wealth!  Give 'em their own subscription to the Dose of Dover.  It's the most reliable source of information and insights--the stuff Mom & Dad forgot to tell ya--anywhere on the planet...and it's free! Sign 'em up for their weekly Dose of Dover newsletter right here on our award-winning website!

It smacked of anarchy and could have saved all of us hundreds - even thousands - of dollars if it had been allowed to stay open for business. Was it stealing or just as case of sour grapes by the country's biggest retailer?

Did you ever change the price tags on merchandise when you were a kid? (I can honestly say I never pulled this little stunt...but I know lots of people who did.) Apparently the folks at Wal-Mart weren't too impressed by a website: www.re-code.com and their threats of closing them down were enough to get them to pull the plug on a new twist to the old "switch the price sticker" scam.

I've got some insights on amending your ways and your tax returns that might even get you some additional cash back from our pals at the IRS! If you forgot to add some stuff to your tax return that could have gotten you back a bunch of cash from the IRS, you're not alone. The Wall Street Journal's Tom Herman's got it all figured out for you if you'd like to read his entire article on this topic...

The IRS expects a record number of amended returns this year - almost 4 million of them...and filing an amended return isn't as difficult as it might seem. Here's what you need to know:

1. You don't have to fill out an entirely new return...and amending a tax return does not increase your chances for an audit!

2. Don't procrastinate. There are time limits. Generally, you have until three years from the date you filed the original return. But there are exceptions. For example, a Form 1040X based on a bad debt or worthless security generally has to be filed "within seven years after the due date of the return for the tax year in which the debt or security became worthless," the IRS says.

3. Be explicit. Attach explanations and documentation, whenever possible. That may help you avoid getting into an unwanted pen-pal relationship with a suspicious IRS agent. In some cases, you may be required to attach an additional form or schedule.

4. File a separate Form 1040X for each year that needs fixing. Remember you may have to fix your state return, too. The IRS says it often takes two to three months to process Form 1040X.

Needing some help filing those amended returns? Ben's best representation bang for the buck is still gotta be found by tapping into the services of Enrolled Agents. Read more about your IRS-representation options here...

Voicemail Hacking! The newest scheme designed to scam you out of long distance service: It works so well that it's got AT&T chasing one woman for a $12,000 bill that the bad guys rung up on her account! Kathy Kristof wrote about it last week in the LA Times...here's how it works and (what you need to know to avoid ending up on the victims list)...simple as 1-2-3:

1. Hackers take advantage of the voicemail offered by local phone companies and long-distance companies' voice-activated operator services.

2. They break into your voicemail and record a message that responds affirmatively to an automated operator that calls your home phone and seeks third-party billing approval for a long-distance call.

3. Kathy also noted that AT&T's automated system always asks the same questions and waits a set interval for a response, making it fairly easy for a hacker to synchronize a fraudulent voicemail message.

What can you do to keep your voice mail from being turned into an ATM? AT&T suggests that you change your pass codes regularly and avoid pass codes that are intuitive (such as birth dates and addresses you dopes!). You might also want to check your outgoing message on a regular basis to make sure it hasn't been changed.

SBC said it recently changed its voicemail system so default pass codes aren't so easy to guess: The company says it has a policy of reversing charges when a consumer is willing to file a police report claiming fraud. Read more about it on the Consumer Action website.....

Could your spouse be hiding money from you? It doesn't matter what they call it: Mad money...secret savings...the war-chest...I'll show you the Top Five ways you can figure out if they're holding out! It's yet one more reason why you can't afford to miss the next edition--Sunday, April 27, 2003 edition of The Benjamin Dover Show: 5-7am (Hawaiian Time)  7-9 am (Pacific Time) 8-10 am (Mountain)  9-11 am (Central)  10 am-12 noon (Eastern)  3-5 pm (GMT) on KFI-AM/640, Los Angeles!