Columnist
Randy Hutchinson is the President and CEO of the BBB of the Mid-South, serving 28 counties in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. He graduated from Western Maryland College and has an MBA from Wilmington College. He can be reached at rhutchinson@bbbmidsouth.org
There are 94 articles by Randy Hutchinson :
Crooks will often create lookalike websites with URLs that are a character or two off from the real thing. More sales are being made using mobile devices and the small screens make it more difficult to detect the deception.
The top industry generating complaints from military consumers for six years in a row is new car dealers. Service members also encounter more struggles than the general public in home-related needs because they move, on average, every two to four years.
Crooks exploit our fascination with celebrities by luring us to websites that may claim to have the latest gossip about a celebrity but that also contain malware.
Crowdfunding platforms have rules for what kinds of projects can be posted on their website and vet them to some degree, but they don’t guarantee success. As with any new product, there are risks that include delays in completing a project or failure to bring a product to market at all.
In 2017, the largest simultaneous ransomware attack ever affected tens of thousands of organizations in 74 countries, including FedEx’ Memphis operations. Collierville's town computer system was the target of a ransomware attack in July.
People desperate to unload their timeshares are vulnerable to timeshare relief firms that offer to sell their property for an upfront fee. The firm collects the fee but never delivers the service.
Be present during the inspection, which can take two to five hours. Most home inspectors will be fine with you tagging along and asking questions. You’ll end up with a much better appreciation for the condition of the property, good or bad.
The Disabled Police and Sheriffs Foundation received $10 million in donations over three years, but spent less than 6% of it to help officers and their families. A judgment of $9.9 million was imposed, but only $100,000 could be recovered. The American Veterans Foundation took in $3.5 million over three years but spent just $47,246 on care packages for service members.
Last year, the Department of Justice charged 12 people with running a nationwide racketeering enterprise through 14 affiliated moving companies.
Some companies charged with false advertising by the Federal Trade Commission were accused of writing fake five-star reviews themselves.
States hold billions of dollars in unclaimed property for both businesses and consumers. The Better Business Bureau has tips on how to locate and recover funds without falling victim to scams.