Fraudsters are always looking for new ways to take advantage of people and going after something everybody uses, like household utilities, can be lucrative for them. Today's guest is Amy Livingston. Amy is a freelance writer who has written on personal finance and consumer issues for Money Crashers and Consumer Search. Her personal blog Eco Frugal Living focuses on ways to save money and live green at the same time.

Show Notes:

• [0:51] - Amy shares her background and how she found herself writing about avoiding scams.
• [2:20] - Amy describes a utility scam that she actually experienced and the red flags.
• [3:53] - Scammers who go door to door often pose as someone from the power company.
• [7:12] - If someone comes to your door, ask for verification that they are who they say they are.
• [8:49] - Another door to door utility scam could happen by "paying a commission" to have your power restored faster if it has gone out.
• [10:54] - Home security scams can happen door to door but also through the phone or email.
• [12:00] - A home security scam that happens is when a scammer poses as someone from your security company.
• [14:40] - People who are legitimately from your home security company will not ask for your code or password.
• [18:00] - Chris compares current utility scam slamming to the long distance scams of the past.
• [19:03] - The unpaid bill scam is another common one that takes advantage of the target's sense of urgency.
• [20:29] - An automatic red flag is any time someone asks for an untraceable form of payment.
• [22:05] - You cannot always trust the number that comes up on your caller ID.
• [25:23] - Any time you get a call from a financial institution, hang up and call the company they claim to be from.
• [27:11] - Amy describes a federal aid scam that targets people who need assistance.

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