ConsumerMan

CONSUMER REPORTS: POTENTIALLY UNSAFE
BIKE HELMETS ARE ‘WIDELY AVAILABLE’ ONLINE
- They look nice and are bargain-priced, but don’t count on a counterfeit or knockoff helmet to protect your head in a serious crash. Here’s how to avoid buying one of these dangerous helmets.

WHAT’S A ROTH 401(K)?
AND SHOULD YOU HAVE ONE?
- A Roth 401(k) is the other employer-based retirement plan that lets your savings grow tax free. Most companies now offer it, but few employees have one. Maybe you should have one of each?

GET A CALL FROM SOCIAL SECURITY? IT’S THE LATEST GOVERNMENT IMPOSTER SCAM – Con artists steal hundreds of millions of dollars a year pretending to be with the government. No matter how official they seem, no matter how scary the situation sounds — hang up! It’s a scam.

NEED A NEW BIKE? HERE’S WHERE TO SHOP – You probably won’t save much money – or anything – buying a bicycle online, a recent study finds. So you might as well visit a good local bike shop where you can get expert advice, compare models and take them out for a good test drive. Prices do vary greatly for service after the sale.

NEW FROM SALLIE MAE: CREDIT CARDS FOR MILLENNIALS & GEN Z – Sallie Mae launches three new credit cards aimed at college students, recent graduates and young adults already in the workplace. These are rewards cards that have no annual fee. And you don’t have to be a Sallie Mae customer to apply.

PROTECT YOUR DIGITAL LIFE FROM HACKERS & CRIMINALS WHEN YOU TRAVEL – Most travelers don’t realize the risk of cybercrime increases when they’re on the road. You can significantly reduce your chances of having a problem by doing a few simple things.

SCAMMERS HAVE DISCOVERED P2P PAYMENT APPS LIKE VENMO & ZELLE – Many users don’t know that P2P payment services have limited, if any, fraud protection. Once the money is sent, it’s gone. Here’s how to protect yourself from the scammers.

AMERICA’S FAVORITE (AND LEAST FAVORITE) WIRELESS COMPANIES AND SMARTPHONES – T-Mobile leads the pack of big providers, but Consumer Cellular is the clear winner. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is now America’s favorite smartphone, survey finds.

SCAMMERS MANIPULATE CALLER ID – HERE ARE THE BEST WAYS TO BLOCK ROBOCALLS – Robocall scammers have a devious way to take their calls. They “spoof” the number that appears on caller ID to make it look like their call is coming from your area code or local prefix – or both. Various apps, may of them free, call help you fight back.

HERE’S WHERE TO FIND THE LOWEST PRICES ON PLANTS & SHRUBS – Some stores charge five times more than lowest-priced stores, new survey finds. But those that offer really high-quality plants and great advice tend to charge higher prices.

THE NEW PETAL CREDIT CARD: NO CREDIT SCORE NEEDED TO APPLY – The Petal card is designed for those who don’t have a credit score, but pay their bills on time. Applicants give the company access to their bank account transactions. Credit limits go as high as $10,000. Cash-back goes up for on-time monthly bill payments.

SHOP ONLINE? WATCH OUT FOR COUNTERFEIT EVERYTHING – Just like you, counterfeiters are online, trying to sell you their inferior copycat products: electronics, cosmetics, clothing and more. A new Better Business Bureau report calls it an ‘epidemic’ problem.

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