Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - If Circuit City went out of business last year, why are you still getting emails from the company? 

Circuit City went bankrupt last year, but some of you have forwarded us emails you got with the company's name and logo pitching great deals on laptops, and other electronics... So what's the deal? 

A company called Systemax purchased the Circuit City name and website, and appears their mailing list too -- so that's who the emails are from. 

They are an electronics company that sells many of the same type of items Circuit City did.  So, the emails aren't bogus, just make sure to read the terms and conditions before you buy to get information on return policies and warranties. 

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Credit card companies are at it again, raising interest rates on existing balances.  A law has been passed to prevent it but it doesn't go into effect until February of 2010.

Wednesday, Senator Chuck Schumer asked the Federal Reserve to freeze interest rates right now, but as we've been reporting it's still too late for many of us. Skyrocketing interest rates aren't the only thing we need to worry about: Some Chase customers are seeing their payments double for another reason. 

A few years ago, Curt Parry was outgrowing the space he used as a personal trainer, so when he got an offer from Chase Bank for a fixed 3.99-percent interest rate on his credit card, he decided to take out about $30,000 and make some changes.   

Curt used almost all of that money to re-invest in his business and buy new machines and open up a new studio.

“Pay it off in four years at 3.99 percent -- better than any home equity loan, better than any business loan I could get,” Parry says.

The problem is, Chase is now changing the terms. He's allowed to keep the low interest rate, but his minimum payment is jumping from two to five percent of the balance, or from $400 a month to just over $1,000.

It's not just small business owners like curt who are affected, either. People who consolidated loans onto low-interest Chase cards are also being hit. 

“They've targeted people with high FICO scores, they're not going to give that deal to you unless you're a good customer, so they're going after the good customers, and now that the deal is no longer good for them, they're kind of changing the rules,” says Parry.

“It almost seems that they have a whole department to try and find ways to get around the rules and you have no recourse,” he says.

His only choice now is to pay off his balance, which is less than $20,000, and go elsewhere for his credit needs. 

“I'll never use Chase again -- no way,” Parry says.

These increases aren't specific to Chase; virtually all of the big guys are doing it, including Capital One and Bank of America.

If you haven't seen an interest rate increase or a minimum payment increase yet, don't assume you're in the clear. These card companies are trying to sneak them in while they can, before it'll be against the law in February. 

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - A free cell phone? You may be able to get one as part of a new program called SafeLink.  The federal government picks up the cost as part of an initiative to make sure everyone has access to a telephone. 

The program is for low-income folks who aren't able to afford telephone service on their own.

If you qualify, you can get a cell phone and 68 minutes a month to use for free.

That might not seem like a lot of talk time, but the whole goal is to make sure those with limited resources at least have a way to contact someone in an emergency.

The program is run by Tracfone Wireless, but backed by the Federal Communications Commission.   

If you're getting food stamps, on SSI, Medicaid or in Section 8 housing, or you make less than $15,000 a year, you're eligible.

A family of four would be able to get the free phone if combined you make less than $30,000 a year. 

Each household is only entitled to one phone, and if you're already receiving what's known as Lifeline on your landline you'd have to cancel it in order to participate in this program.

CLICK HERE for more information on the SafeLink program and see the eligibility requirements.

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Even if you only watch TV once in a while, you've probably seen one too many of the Fuccillo commercials.

Wednesday, local car dealer Billy Fuccillo will give away nine cars to one person as part of a promotion.  But what on Earth is one person going to do with that many cars?  

Fuccillo has been flooding the airwaves with his promotion to give away a transporter full of Kias and Hyundais to one customer.  But if you win, you better have your wallet ready

Like any prize drawing, you're going to have to pay taxes: in this case, on each and every car you win.  If you can't do that, or don't want to, you'll probably be able to sell some of them back, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll get full retail value for them.

So, unless you're going to keep four Kias and five Hyundais and be okay with shelling out thousands of dollars in taxes, this promotion may turn into quite a hassle for you.

Of course, there's the main question: Why not give one car away to nine separate people instead of nine cars to one?  Well, Fuccillo says he wants to make one person ‘huge.’

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - If you've ever been hounded by a debt collector, you know how aggressive they can get. 

But threatening to throw you in jail? Seize all your stuff? Posing as cops?  A Buffalo company went way too far, and has now been shut down by the Attorney General's office.

Workers there allegedly lied to and intimidated customers in an effort to collect money; most of the time, they weren't even owed. 

The collection company went by several different names, when they called people all over the country making their threats.

“I have information here concerning your place of employment,” said an employee at the company. “I will be contacting them briefly to find out what the procedure is for having an employee removed off the premises, if you wish to have the charges dropped, you need to contact me today.”

The owner, Tobias Boyland, is a convicted felon – ironic, since he and his employees claimed to be cops when they tried to get people to pay up.  

“Hello, this is Investigator Brooks from the warrant division,” went another call. “It seems that you are disregarding all means of contact … make sure you have somewhere for your kids to go, lock up your house, get some clean clothes cause you're not going to be home no time soon.”

These completely false threats duped people into paying, just to get these guys off their backs. Now, their offices have been shut down, and a judge will decide their fate.  

If you legitimately owe a debt that's not past the six-year statute of limitations, collectors are allowed to call you between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. They can ruin your credit rating, but they can't make criminal or physical threats.  

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - We all know our credit score determines our fate when we're looking for a loan, but now there's another number to worry about too. It's called your identity score.

Credit card issuers, car loan and mortgages companies are now using technology to determine the risk that you aren't who you say you are.  They use that, along with your credit score to determine whether to say yes to your application. 

“If lenders can cut down on the amount of bad loans they're losing money on because of id theft--hopefully that in turn can be a benefit to consumers maybe with lower rates and less cost to them,” says Gary Thurber of Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Central New York.

Like your credit score, the information in your credit report is used to determine your identity score. If it shows you move around a lot, changed your name recently or have bank accounts in different parts of the country, your score is going to be higher, which is a red flag to lenders. 

You then may need you to answer more difficult questions about your economic history -- questions an identity thief wouldn't be able to answer.  

The best way to make sure you have a decent identity score is to be certain that all the information in your credit report is correct. If it is, you should be fine. If not, take the time now to clean off any inaccuracies.

Ithaca (WSYR-TV) - More than 45,000 current and former employees and students at Cornell University have had their personal information compromised.

A laptop computer containing names and Social Security numbers was stolen from the college; the school is now in the process of notifying anyone affected by this breach via email. 

The university won't say where the laptop was stolen from; only that the information on it was from students and faculty in different disciplines from across the campus. 

The worst part? The names and Social Security numbers on it are not believed to be encrypted, meaning anyone who turns on the computer and opens a file would have access to those Social Security numbers.

A Cornell FAQ page about the theft reveals that the laptop was being used by a Cornell technician who was doing some troubleshooting work.

An internal memo sent out by Cornell's auditor Tuesday afternoon says that just over 22,500 students or former students’ information was compromised, along with nearly 23,000 faculty, staff or former employees.

There is no indication that the information has been misused, but the university will be offering everyone affected free credit monitoring and credit restoration services. 

Cornell is working with police to try and recover the laptop; the school says it will post constant updates on the situation on their website and are setting up a call center for those affected. 

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - For the first time in five years, National Grid has met reliability standards.

The company has been fined millions of dollars in the past for leaving too many of its customers in the dark for too long. But now, the company has finally started making some improvements.

For years, National Grid has blamed an aging system for the number of their outages and said they're working on it. Finally, it appears, they've made some progress.

The Public Service Commission tells us that Grid met all reliability standards for 2008. Their average is down to less than one outage per household per year.  That's not counting weather related outages that can't be prevented. 

National Grid was still fined half a million dollars for their customer service.  The company is required to survey a select number of customers who use their call center and only 81 percent of them were satisfied, a point below the standard.  

NYSEG also has some work to do when it comes to customer service and reliability; the company has had an increase number of outages because of falling limbs over the past few years. Despite that, they still cut back on their tree trimming. 

They'll have to pay nearly $1 million in fines.

Customers won't see any of this fine money in the form of a credit -- both National Grid and NYSEG have to put the money away in an account for future upgrades. 

The only time customers actually see any of this kind of fine money is when it's well into the millions.

Grid customers were credited about $8 this time last year, and that's only because the company continued to fail in reliability. 

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - You see it right on the front cover of the new Verizon telephone book -- the SuperGuarantee logo is supposed to give you peace of mind when hiring a business to do work at your home. 

But what's The Real Deal?  How does the phone book know these companies are legit, and what happens if you're not satisfied with the work they do?

Essentially, the SuperGuarantee works like this: You go to superpages.com and find a business backed by the logo.
 
Then, you register with the site before the work gets started. 

If all goes well, great. If the work isn't up to par, you file a claim with Idearc Media, the company that runs the program. 

If they find the work is no good, you can get up to $500 back.

Idearc admits they don't pre-screen any of the companies they guarantee; they really have no idea whether they actually do good work.

So how are they chosen?

Businesses backed by the logo just need to buy an ad in the phone book.

“We did not go through a formal vetting process, but the process has always been -- we know these businesses, they've been with us for years, they're in business to run and to grow their business, they're in business to do a great job -- they don't sign an ad contract with us if they're not in it for the long run, so we feel comfortable and confident with that, we're putting our money behind it,” said Idearc spokesman Dante Diaz.

But they're also gambling on companies that haven't been around that long. 

“So I, as a reporter, can quit my job tomorrow, become a plumber, take out a half-page ad and be guaranteed by Idearc?” NewsChannel 9 consumer investigator Jennifer Lewke asked Diaz.

“That's right,” he said. “Now let's say you did that and had horrible service, you would be kicked out of the program.”

Bottom line: The SuperGuarantee doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get super service; it just means you may get as much as $500 back if you don't. 

Idearc Media just recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to re-organize their business.  They say that does not affect the SuperGuarantee at all, they're hoping the program will set them apart from their competitors.  Idearc’s guarantee only covers labor as well. Products, parts and warranties are not covered.

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - A furniture store in Syracuse has suddenly closed up shop, leaving customers with goods on layaway, wondering how and when they can collect. 

One of the former owners of the Weekender’s Outlet tells us a dispute between business partners caused them to shut down unexpectedly. He admits there are some folks who are owed either money back or furniture that was paid for. 

If you're one of those customers, he wants you to send him an email at jamestringale@yahoo.com. 

The owner says he will work to repay anyone who is owed or get you the furniture if it was already ordered.  We of course will continue to check in on him to make sure, he keeps his word. 

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Those of you with older model cars and trucks that guzzle gas are getting hit the hardest, but you may soon be able to get a break on replacing your vehicle with a new fuel efficient model.  

Congress has just passed a bill called "Cash for Clunkers”. The program still needs to be approved by the Senate and the president, but if it is, it could help jump start your search for a new car. 

First, your "clunker" has to get less than 18 miles per gallon to be eligible for the program.

If you trade it in for a new car that gets at least four miles more per gallon, you'll get $3,500.

If your new car gets 10 miles per gallon more than your old one, you'll get the full $4,500. 

For example, let’s say you're currently driving a 1992 Chevy Lumina that gets 17 miles to the gallon. 

Selling it outright, Kelley Blue Book says you could get about $1,000 for it. 

With the “Cash for Clunkers” program, you can trade it in for something like a new Chevy Cobalt, which gets 36 miles per gallon, and you'd knock $4,500 off the sticker price right away.

At the moment, dealers say you'll still be able to qualify for other manufacturer’s rebates and incentives too, but a lot will come down to whether you can afford a new vehicle in this economy, even with all the breaks.

Because the program is not official yet, dealers don't have any other information on it at this point.

If it does get signed into law, you should sit down and do the math; you'd likely have an added car payment, but you also wouldn't be spending nearly as much money on gas. 

The requirements for trucks and SUVs are a little different. You'd only need to improve your mileage by two miles per gallon to get the $3,500 break and five extra MPG to get the full amount. 

When these "clunkers" are traded in, they’re sent straight to the shredder; after all, the government's whole goal with this plan is to get fuel inefficient cars and trucks off the road.

NEW YORK (AP) - Two of the nation's largest security software companies have agreed to clearly detail the terms of subscription renewals and pay penalties totaling $750,000 in a settlement with New York's attorney general.

Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo had accused Symantec Corp. and McAfee Inc. of renewing customers' software subscriptions without their knowledge.

The California-based companies produce software to protect computers from an assortment of viruses and spyware.

Symantec said in a statement Wednesday that it has worked to improve the auto-renewal subscription process to "make it more transparent and visible."

McAfee spokesman Mark Cochran said that his company has been working to clarify and improve its auto-renewal subscription process.

He said future enhancements will make it easier for customers to opt-out of the service.

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - It's called caller ID spoofing -- when scammers and telemarketers use equipment or calling cards that allow any number of their choosing to appear on your caller ID.

They do it to try and trick you into answering their calls.

That's sneaky enough, but what happens to the person whose number they're using as a front? 

Tim Eddicus has always enjoyed his peaceful home, with its breathtaking view of Otisco Lake.

But in the past few weeks, he says he’s getting inundated with phone calls – sometimes 10 to 15 a day.

A spoofer has hijacked his telephone number, and is using it as a front to hound other central New Yorkers. 

The folks who see Eddicus's number on their caller ID are angry, and are calling him to complain.
 
“At first it was kind of comical, but now it's annoying because we're getting so many of them,” says Eddicus.

Here's how the scam works: some websites sell virtual calling cards.  The user dials a toll free number, then keys in any number they want the call to display as, and unluckily for Tim, they've chosen his digits. 

He's called his carrier Verizon to see what his options are.

“They told me I could change my number ... after being up here for 10 years I didn't want to change my number because … it'd be such a hassle,” Eddicus says.

Other than that, Verizon says there's not much that can be done.  These companies have found a way to manipulate the software, and until it's against the law, anyone's telephone number is at risk. 

Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission say while they get complaints here and there about caller ID spoofing, they've never fully investigated it.

So, for now, it's not against the law, which means you might want to be a bit more cautious trusting your caller ID. 

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - If you read the newspaper this weekend, it was impossible to miss those full-page ads from companies looking to buy your old gold. 

A handful of different dealers are setting up shop in hotel conference rooms across central New York.

These companies travel from town to town, taking out full-page ads to let you know where they’re setting up shop, and just wait for the business to come to them.

It just so happens there are three separate companies in our area this week. 

The dealers say they set up in hotels because it's an ambiance thing; people feel more comfortable walking into a hotel lobby than they do a pawn shop.

Once you're inside, you're taken into a private room where your jewelry or coins are appraised.  From there, you decide whether to sell. 

“I don't know how many times you hear people say, ‘good, I got gas money,’ or people pay bills with it, closer to the holidays people come and start selling items,” says Travis Lilly, crew leader of National Redemption.

But keep in mind, these are traveling companies that will be gone in a few weeks, so once you've sold, there’s no going back.

“We're not like a business, like a jewelry store where we buy stuff to resell it in that form, because it gets melted and purified into pure gold,” says Lilly.

If you've got some time, you may want to hit a few of these places to see who's going to give you the best deal. 

Like pawn shops, these dealers base what they'll pay you for your jewelry on the current market rate for gold. 

Some of them also will buy old coin collections, antiques and silver. 

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - We've all seen the commercials telling us to send in our old gold and get cash for it right away. It sounds enticing, but our investigation found it may not be the best way to get the most out of your jewelry. 

The check you get for the same exact gold can vary dramatically depending on where you send it or take it, sometimes to the tune of several hundred dollars.

Here's The Real Deal on how to make sure you're getting the best price.   

We wondered just how much you can you can really make by cleaning out your jewelry box so, we ordered a gold kit from "Cash 4 Gold" and sent in two gold necklaces, six bracelets, a pair of earrings, three rings and a charm, ranging from 10 to 24 karat.  Two weeks later, we got a check for $112.34.
 
Might not sound that bad, but what we didn't tell Cash 4 Gold was that we had taken the exact same pieces to a pawn shop the week before and they were going to give us $766.74.

When we sent the check back and asked for our jewelry to be returned, Cash 4 Gold came back with a second offer of $302.
 
We still didn't want their deal, so again we asked for the jewelry back -- and Friday, a full month after we sent it to them, it was finally returned.

So, we went back out to shop it around at few more pawn shops and jewelry dealers.  The price of gold has gone down a bit since we got those first estimates, but time and time again, we were still offered more than $500 for it.

And these are the exact same pieces of jewelry Cash 4 Gold tried to give us $112 for.  Obviously, selling your old jewelry locally is going to get you a whole lot more cash -- but even the pawn shops themselves are $50 to $100 apart depending on how big of a cut they take. 

Bottom line? Don't jump on the first offer.  

So, when's the best time to sell?  Check out the daily gold price on-line. Right now, it's about $750 an ounce. Anything higher than that, isn't bad in this market. 

If it dips below that, you may want to wait. Pawn shops change their pay price every day as the price of gold fluctuates.

To check on gold prices:
http://www.goldprice.org/
http://www.kitco.com/market/index.html

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Governor David Paterson is trying to get some new rules in place that will reign in telemarketers, debt collectors and companies who gather our personal information. 

He's pushing legislation that would only allow telemarketers to call from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. -- right now they can call from 8:00 in the morning until 9:00 at night. 

It would also make it possible for you to sue a debt collector for damages if they break the rules by threatening or lying to you about your obligation to pay, and it would give you the option to "opt-out" of having your personal information sold to third parties by companies who collect it online.

Right now, a lot of sites allow you to do that, but you have weed through all the fine print to figure out how.  This would make the process more transparent. 

If you want The Real Deal on something, all you've got to do is call us at 446-9900 or you can email us any time at yourstories@9wsyr.com.  

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - If you ordered a set of commemorative President Barack Obama coins and haven't received them yet, you're not alone.

Limited Treasures marketed them for months after the election and had a great response – to the tune of over 40,000 orders.  The only problem? They were expecting more like 4,000.  

The company says they're working to fill all the orders, but there has been a major delay.  They had to outsource some of the work and are waiting for it to get done. They say they'll satisfy all customers who've already paid for the coins

But if you'd rather have a refund, the number to call is 1-800-483-0614. 

If you want The Real Deal on something, all you've got to do is call us at 446-9900 or you can email us any time at yourstories@9wsyr.com.