Oops! Bye, bye, Bennie. Here's another reason why you need to enjoy the archives...KFI has canceled the show, as of Monday morning, June 23, 2003.  (Oh well...that's radio.)

 

Yo, Einstein! Are you taking advantage of Brother Ben's hard work that goes into every show, every KFI Update and every Dose of Dover Newsletter? [I doubt it.]  Seriously...you're leaving a bunch of additional information and entertainment value on the proverbial table if you don't "click over" hot-linked [highlighted] words or sentences you come across. Incredible insights and [frequently] twisted humor are only one click away...

 

 

Back Off! The Definitive Guide To Stopping Collection Agency Harassment is officially available: Order all of Ben's don't take any b.s. books right here!

 

In the time it takes you to read these very words, hundreds of new victims are being swindled out of their identities, credit worthiness and peace of mind by this latest version of a classic scam: The game this time around is courtesy of an e-mail that appears to be from the Fraud Department of national electronic retailing giant Best Buy.  The target? Consumers who apparently have had some relationship with the company. The goal? Suckering naive consumers out of their credit card and Social Security Numbers.

The bad guys behind this scam are using a common and incredibly successful technique to con victims: They'll make you think they're the good guys, out to protect you! The "call" from the Fraud Department of your bank, credit card or insurance company - even the IRS. Their devious hook? You'd better give them the info they need right now (in order to help you!) or it'll be too late to stop the fraud (or loss) they're "trying to stop."

Ben's "Wake Up, Will Ya?" Bottom Line: Treat all unsolicited e-mails as you (should be treating) unsolicited phone calls: Never trust them! Most e-mail and phone scammers are after your Social Security Number (SSN): This 9-digit number unlocks your health and credit records and just about every repository of valuable information about you. It's the most influential number in your life...and anyone who asks for it should be suspect.

The biggest reason 700,000 people are victimized by identity theft every year? Gullibility!  Remember the only legitimate reasons for giving out your SSN are:

#1: You're starting work for a new employer: They've gotta report your wages to the IRS and need your SSN so they can pop you with a W-2 or 1099 every January. This is not the same as being asked for your SSN for the promise of work, another popular scam floating around big job hunting websites like Monster.com.

#2: You're opening a financial transaction account at a bank, savings and loan, credit union or brokerage house: They've gotta keep our pals at the IRS happy, too.

#3: You're applying for financial assistance: Whether it's a student loan, food stamps or anything in between. Local, state and federal agencies have a right to obtain your SSN to transact this level of business.

#4: You're applying for credit: This includes applying for a car or home lease or loan, or a credit card. It may also be necessary to provide your SSN when you're trying to rent an apartment, since the landlord is going to be extending you a form of credit.

#5: You may have to give up your SSN to lazy insurance companies or schools that use it as your tracking/ID number: This includes health care providers too and for the record: These most common misuses of our SSNs has got to stop! In fact I expect we're going to see a movement to outlaw this practice in the year ahead because of the obvious security landmines.

And finally, Legitimate Reason #6 to give up your SSN: A cop or any legitimate member of a law enforcement agency like the FBI, Secret Service or DEA. But don't be naive! If someone identifies themselves as a member of a law enforcement agency, take the time to verify their authenticity...especially if it's in the form of an intimidating phone call.

If anyone demands your SSN for any reason other than those just covered, tell them to stuff it! And refuse to do business with them! If you're going to a Doc-in-the-Box for medical treatment and you're gonna pay cash, don't give them your SSN...since they don't need it/they're not entitled to it if you're not filing an insurance claim. But don't waste your time arguing privacy rights with some pinhead. If they must have it, then give it to them, but here's a little Dover Tip: Reverse the last two digits of your SSN.  My explanation why is available in one of my columns from 2002.....

Be resourceful and share the wealth!  Especially since there's no more Benjamin Dover Show on KFI, the next best thing?  A subscription to the Dose of Dover, the most reliable source of insights and no s*** ideas available on the planet...and it's free! Sign 'em up for their weekly Dose of Dover newsletter on our award-winning website!

How 'bout dinner and a movie...delivered? The latest example of marketing savvy was launched nationally today, a campaign that will revolutionize the world of fast-food: Pizza Hut's pulling the trigger on a national advertising campaign that's promoting dinner and a movie - family style, delivered right to your home.

Buy a large pizza and get one of four MGM movies on DVD for free, a turn-key way to feed and entertain the rugrats without leaving the house: They're targeting Moms who (85% of the time anyway) are the ones deciding what the family's having for dinner...at least that's according to Pizza Hut's research.

Prices will be the same and customers can keep their choice of one of four DVDs: Honeymoon in Vegas, Mr. Mom, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and Caligula. Okay...I made that last one up; actually the last title they're offering is All Dogs Go to Heaven/Part 2. The DVD offer is scheduled to run through August 2^nd, but expect it to be extended or re-visited later if it's successful.

By the way: Did you know that if you don't have a coupon, you can hit and plug in your zip code and they'll generate coupons on the spot that you can print out and use to save some dough. 

One of the oldest crimes is making a huge comeback, and Heidi Fleiss isn't involved in this one: Pickpockets are alive and well and making your life a potential nightmare if you're not careful; it's one of the oldest crimes on the books and goes on every day, everywhere...ripping off over $50 million from more than 160,000 people nationwide every year.

They're teaming up with identity theft rings...delivering credit cards, driver's licenses and Social Security cards to the "other" bad guys, targeting popular vacation spots or mega-sporting events like the Super Bowl, World Series or Olympics, frequently in three or four person crews.

Other favorite places to pick off unsuspecting victims? Airports, train or subway stations, and they're especially fond of shopping malls and other busy areas like Santa Monica's Boardwalk. They work hard at blending in with their surroundings, dressing and acting like others in the area-meaning they'll have multiple piercings and lots of tattoos if they're working Venice Beach.

Favorite targets? Women carrying loose, dangling purses...as well as "lost out-of-towners" and foreigners with cameras dangling from their necks, shy/naïve-looking types and one of the all-time easiest targets? Parents distracted by bratty kids or babies.  Once they spot a target, they tail their future victim waiting for the perfect moment to strike: The first crew member's called "the stall," and they'll frequently create a major distraction, like dropping a bunch of (noisy) change right in front of the victim. With the victim now distracted, the second "crew" member goes for the wallet, many times using a suit bag or briefcase to hide their hand. I've actually done this myself...not professionally, but for a segment that I did a few years ago for The View on ABC.

 

Beware of strangers carrying gifts: The device that I used (I shot this in early December) for quietly stealing entire purses looked like a gift-wrapped present...only my box had a hollow bottom. When my accomplice distracted the mark (asking her for style advice) I stepped in, placed my hollow-bottomed box over her purse and was gone inside 2 seconds-and she was absolutely clueless. And the good news? She had some pretty good credit limits left on her two Visa cards that I was able to use to finish all of my holiday shopping and stay within my budget that year! (Just kidding.....)

Let this story serve as another reminder to:

    - Only carry one or two credit cards at any one time in your wallet.

    - If you're carrying a health insurance card in your wallet, take it out and leave it at home. Or if you insist upon carrying it, shoot a photocopy and blackout all but the first 3-digits of your Social Security Number (that's undoubtedly plastered) on the front and carry that.

One more thing worth noting: Pickpockets really like to hang out near banks or ATMs...for obvious reasons.

 

Here's one less prick to worry about: If you don't like needles, you'll be happy to hear about a new flu vaccine that's gonna be the first to be delivered by a squirt up the nose instead of a needle in the arm called FluMist....read all about it here.

Work in radio? To cure your predictable case of heartburn (no help with anxiety, I'm afraid) there's good (and bad) news on the Rolaids-related front: Heartburn sufferers will interested to know that they're not gonna be needing a prescription to buy the popular remedy Prilosec, better known in TV ads as "the purple pill" much longer. The FDA just approved a nonprescription version; the over-the-counter version will cost less than $1 a day, less than a third the price of today's prescription pill. That's the good news.

But here's the bad news: Expect health insurance companies to start making patients prescribed Prilosec-type drugs like Nexium, Prevacid, Protonic and Aciphex to begin forcing doctors to move their patients to the over-the-counter version of Prilosec so they won't have to pay for it.  Take 2 aspirin and read the complete story here.....

The Death Care Industry preys on emotionally-distraught consumers, gouging them by using guilt as their greatest sales tool: This $13 billion business takes advantage of consumers that simply don't know what their rights are. Peruse the extensive body of work already written about 'em over the years right here.

There are countless funeral home horror stories out there: Reports of funeral home employees stealing rings off of fingers...and less-than-honest morticians (or their assistants) ripping the gold fillings out of the teeth of loved ones before they're buried: You've gotta read the story of Lonnie Watters.

Mr. Watters died a week and a half ago at the ripe old age of 95 and had been playing the violin for 9 decades: He loved his violin, he started playing at barn dances when he was a kid and his family shared his love of the instrument...in fact one of his nieces bought him his last violin over 30 years ago, and the instrument's current appraised value was around $1,000.  So the family thought it would be fitting to bury Mr. Watters with his beloved violin and had it tucked away beside him in his casket. Unfortunately the following day when his casket was opened prior to the funeral the next day, the family discovered the violin had been stolen.

As awful as this story may sound, it's not uncommon. Families frequently bury loved ones with their most prized possessions: A ring or a watch or a brooch...and most of the time the family never knows items were stolen because they'll get ripped off after the casket's been "sealed."

By the way: Casket Gallery is one Southern California "budget retailer" that won't send you to an early grave; check out their website for more information.  And if you're located in Texas, there's only one smart end-of-life supplies destinations as far as I'm concerned: www.budgetcasket.com.

 

Wanna hear a child drown to death? Some facts about the thousands of children die from drowning every year:

    - Drowning's the leading cause of death in children under the age of 14.

    - 90% of all drowning deaths occur within 10 yards of safety.

    - 50-90% of all pool drownings occur in children under the age of 4. And you know what's really amazing? There was adult supervision in 84% of the drowning cases...but only 18% of the adults present ever saw the actual immersion event.

    - Children can struggle for usually no more than 10 seconds.

So what does a child drowning to death sound like? Nothing. Silence. Contrary to popular opinion, young victims don't wave or call for help. If there is any splashing, it's usually mistaken for playing. When a child drowns, there is no sound. The sink to the bottom like a bowling ball and it's over far too quickly. Hopefully the information you've just learned may eventually save a youngster's life, but also save scores of grieving parents a lifetime of agonizing over the loss of a child.

 

There newest financially-threatening force showing up on cell phones across the country could cause (cell) phone bills to skyrocket! The irritating spam that's filling your e-mail boxes is starting to showing up as text messages on cellular. Find out how you can protect yourself from phone bills that could trigger a heart attack and subsequent call to 911!

Those IRS-related problems you've been putting off dealing with will blow up at the most inopportune time: Get the loose-ends tied down on your timetable--not theirs.  Wave the white flag and get a deal worked out before it's too late: Check out your options and learn why hiring an Enrolled Agent probably makes the most sense.

 

Finally!  The long-awaited release of Back Off! is here: Got some financial challenges?  Then it's time to level the playing field.  Click here to get your copy of the greatest self-protection device for consumers this side of a ..357.....