Viewer Questions Answered: The Real Deal

If you have a question for the Your Stories staff, call us at 446-9900 or email us at yourstories@9wsyr.com

Q - "I came across this website during a job search and I was just wondering if this is legit. Getting a free car just seems too good to be true! Here's the Link: http://www.superfreecar.com/" --Paul Vargas
 
A- "The site/company will not pay you directly to drive your car or give you a new car.  You purchase, for $29.95, a list of companies that hire people to drive cars with their advertisements on them and then it's your responsibility to contact each of those companies and see if they'll hire you.  Typically, companies who advertise like this, prefer people who are driving 50-100 miles a day in metropolitan areas (where the most people will see the cars). They also completely cover the cars with permanent decals and advertising. I hope this information helps.  Again, the site you sent us is solely a company that sells you a list of companies that has or does advertise on cars and trucks and you take it from there." --Jennifer Lewke

Q -  "I got an email that claims to be from the IRS saying I'm entitled to a bigger refund, they want me to provide some personal information to claim it, what should I do"  --John Burns

A - "The best thing to do is hit delete.  The IRS will never ask for any personal information from you via email.  The scammers who send these type of emails are phishing for your personal information so they can steal your identity.  Do not respond, that only lets them know you are receiving their emails and they'll keep targeting you.  You can forward these spam emails to the IRS at www.irsphishing.com "  --Jennifer Lewke

Q - "I keep seeing ads for the MagicJack phone service.  They claim you can make all the local and long distance phone calls you want for $19.95, that seems too good to be true is it?"

A - "To get started with the MagicJack you pay $40, that includes the Jack itself and the first year of service.  In order to use this, you must have broadband internet.  The jack plugs into your computer on one end and then into your phone on the other.  You can make all the local and long distance calls you'd like.  There's an annual fee of $19.95 after the first year.  The downside is that at the moment, you're not able to keep your current telephone number.  You'll be assigned a new exchange.  We did a story about the MagicJacks not too long ago, here's the link:
http://www.9wsyr.com/content/news/real_deal/story/Magic-Jack-The-Real-Deal/HrYkhn6IYkCZ4wNvNhUQEQ.cspx

--Jennifer Lewke

Q- "I would like to have information on www.VidGameTesters.com. The web site says "To join VidGameTesters there is a one time fee of only $34.99 ($2.90/ month) for unlimited access. There are no additional hidden fees." You are supposed to be able to make up to $80 an hour to test video games I think its a gimmick though I notified the job website that posted it but haven't gotten a response on whether its real or not. if you could get me anymore information on this I would really like that"

A- "The site you forwarded will provide you with a list of places that have/are offering video game testing jobs.  They don't have the jobs themselves, so it will be your responsibility to contact each and every company from there and see if they are currently hiring.  And although they promise you can make $80-$100 an hour testing video games, their price disclaimer says those earning are far above average and they can't guarantee any money at all.  One plus is there is a 30 day money back guarantee.  If you're not able to locate any viable jobs through their site within 30 days you notify them and they'll refund your money." --Jennifer Lewke

Q - "I keep seeing a Centro Bus wrapped in an advertisement for the Syracuse City School District.  How much did the district pay for that?  Why do they need to advertise their school?  They're so strapped for cash already, was this really a wise investment?"

A - "I could see how you would wonder about something like this but as it turns out, the school district didn't pay a dime for it. Students designed the ad as part of a program in their classes.  There was a competition among the different schools and Centro agreed to wrap one if their busses with the winning schools design free of charge.  There's only one bus with this wrap on it."  --Jennifer Lewke

Q- "I was wondering if you could do a Real Deal on the ads that are on local radio for Internet Speedway.  The claim is that you can make money selling items on eBay that you don't even have to "see, touch, or pay for!"  Sounds pretty fishy to me!" --Rebecca Johnson
 
A- "Internet Speedway is a company that's trying to get people to start up a home-based business.  They'll give you a website where you can sell products (that you buy from them).  But they charge HUGE fees to get started and you'll have to keep paying them to maintain your business.  Remember, you have to recoup all those upfront fees BEFORE you actually make any money.  I don't think the upfront costs are worth it." --Jennifer Lewke

Q- "Can you please get the real deal for online casinos - do they really pay out?  Do they have to protect your personal information?" -- Sharon Dumas
 
A- "It's actually illegal in New York to gamble online and back in 2006 Congress passed a federal law making it illegal to use credit cards, checks or electronic transfers for online gaming but that hasn't seemed to stop the hundreds of online casinos out there.  Often times, these sites are run from outside the United States and require you put down at least a few hundred bucks to get started.   If you do decide to bet and you end up getting scammed, you'll have no recourse because technically what you're doing is against the law." --Jennifer Lewke

Q - "I am wondering about the huge Airborne recall...they were going to reimburse up to 4 packages.....have you heard the latest on this one?" --Martha Dolan
 
A- "The claim period is now over and the settlement is awaiting final approval from a judge.  It'll likely be at least a few months before that happens.  If you didn't file a claim in this case, it's now too late to do so. The administrators still need to go through all the claims, see who is entitled to what and start distributing checks.  I wouldn't expect to see any money until at least this time next year.  Class actions can often take years to finalize." --Jennifer Lewke