Week in Review: 12/8/2008

 

Giving to charity is a great thing, but make sure your dollars are really going to help those in need. The Dallas Morning News gives some great tips for investigating an organization before just handing over a check. And get the kids involved in charitable contributions. You'll not only remind them of the true meaning of Christmas, but also teach them to manage their allowance so they can spend, save, AND donate.   

 

Gift cards just may not be a good idea this year. Not only might a store close due to the economic climate (rendering the gift card useless), but numerous gift card scams are floating around out there too.

 

 

Many believe that credit education should be mandatory for college students; their decisions about assuming debt and using credit cards can tangibly affect their lives for years to come. MasterCard Worldwide takes a step in the right direction by sponsoring "Are You Credit Wise?"—a peer-to-peer program that educates students about the right way to use credit. 

 

The recent and swift changes to the housing and mortgage market may have you scratching your head: Should you refinance now? Would you even qualify for a better loan? Business Week shares the pros and cons of refinancing in today’s economy.

 

 

Ingenious! Keep those identity thieves at bay with a locking mailbox from Mail Boss. The latest statistics show that most identity theft still occurs the old-fashioned way: by making direct contact with the consumer’s personal information (and that includes mailbox raiding).  Consider protecting your mail with a locking security mailbox.  

 

The invasive Koobface computer virus attacks "only a very small percentage of Facebook users" according to Barry Schnitt, spokesman of Facebook. But a "very small percentage" of 130 million people could still signify a huge number was affected by the worm. 

 

Your medical identity is just as much of a target as your financial one. Check out Parade's article on the extent of medical identity theft and tips to prevent the crime from happening to you.

 

A week doesn't go by without multiple security breaches. This week, hackers obtained 59,419 former employees payroll records from Luxottica Group's computer system. And the records of students, families, employees, and financial supporters of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano were also stolen.