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what
you
can
do
•••
TIMELY
Tips and
Helpful
Suggestions for YOU and YOUR
FAMILY
e
Home lmprovement and
Real Estate Fraud
Home improvement frauds cost Americans from five
hundred m•llioo to one billion dollars a year!
Beware of those promisiog to make your home a "dis–
play model." They claim you will get a spccial low rate for
the cost of the work, and promise bonuses when neighbors
and friends purchase similar work aftcr seeing your "model"
home. Usually the bonuses never materialize and the cost of
the work on your home is higher than a legitimate contractor
would charge.
Do not deal with itinerant "repairmen" promising to
rcsurface driveways, to repair gutters, roofs or chimneys, or
those claiming to eliminate termitcs - especially
if
they
demand a deposit before doing the work. Thcse wandering
con men do shoddy work, or collcct a dcposit in advance lhen
disappcar forever.
Be sure al! promises of the salesman are written into the
contcact. Don't be pressured into signing a contract out of
fear of losing a "bargain." Never sigo a statement (com–
pletion certificate) stating the work has been correctly com–
pleted until the work is finished to your satisfactioo.
Also, be cautious about buying land offered as "invest–
mcnt opportunities." Though the promoters say land values
are rapidly increasing in the area, land speculation is oot for
an1atcurs. Successful speculation dcpends on numerous factors
which are difficult to evaluate. Conduct your own careful
investigation, and seek the advice of your banker or a repu–
table iovestor who may in tuco suggest reference sources.
e
Finding That Summer Job
Teen-agers, what will you do this summer? Any plans?
If
you would like sorne fresh ideas for spending the summer,
try this: Visit your local libcary or bookstore and select a book
or two on summer employment and activities. A number of
good available books offer a host of ideas for spending a
profitable and exciting summer.
Four such books are:
Barron'J Teen-age Smnmer G11ide,
by Meyec Reinhold.
This book covers much more than summer jobs. It runs the
gamut of summer activities, including travcl, :tdYenture and
sdf-employment.
Tht
Teen-flge EmploJmellt
G~tidt.
by Allan B. Gold·
cnthal covcrs many aspects of applying for a job.
lt
gives
guidelmcs for filling out the application and tips to follow
dunng thc 1nt<:rview.
Smnmer EmploJment
Directo1) of
U. S. A.,
published
by
the National Directory Service, lists jobs available in each statc,
gives namcs to contact, as well as addrcsses. If you would like
to purchase this book, it is availablc from the Nacional
Directory Service, Box 32065, Cincinnati, Ohio 45232. Cost
is S4.50.
Summer
Employment
G11ide
is compiled by the Student
Employment Division of the National Employment Servicc
Tnstitute. It is published by Doubleday and Company. This
guide is a comprehensive reference to summer opportunities
both overseas and io the United States.
e
Credit Card Protection
Evcry year approximately 9 million credit cards are lost
or stolen. Of these, about
1
million are used fraudulently.
This total loss amounts to somcthing over $50 million
annually.
What is the oumber-one cause for lost or stolen crcdit
cards?
Carelesmeu,
say credit card company investigators.
Common-sense precautions will drastically reduce chances of
its happening to you.
First, learn to treat your crcdit cards líke hard, cold cash or
an open, signed check.
1f
you lose a
$1 O
bill
it
costs you only
Ambossodor
Col/eso Photo
S
1O.
But a stolen or lost crcdit card could be used to chargc
scver,tl hundred, or thousands of dollars to your account.
B<: doubly surc you rcceive your card back after each
purchase. Not returning the card to purse or wallet after use
is a very common mistakc.
Sorne people leave their cards in the glove compartmc.:nt
or trunk of their auto whilc at the beach, golf course,
park, gym or elsewhere. This is the first place a thief will
look, and he can
be
in and out of your locked auto witb your
crcdit cards in less than two minutes!
Unsolicitcd credit cards that you do not intend to use