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Scam-Proof Your Life: 377 Smart Ways to Protect You & Your Family from Ripoffs, Bogus Deals & Other Consumer Headaches (AARP)
 
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Scam-Proof Your Life: 377 Smart Ways to Protect You & Your Family from Ripoffs, Bogus Deals & Other Consumer Headaches (AARP) [Hardcover]

Sid Kirchheimer (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)


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Book Description

AARP April 28, 2006
Get inside information from those in the know on how to protect your money, your rights, and your health—with the most complete, practical, and easy-to-follow collection of consumer wisdom ever assembled.
 
In this essential action guide by dogged consumer reporter Sid Kirchheimer, more than 100 leading experts reveal smart and specific tips, techniques, and tactics that anyone can use to avoid being victimized—financially, physically, or emotionally. Car salesmen disclose secret strategies to save you thousands of dollars on your next vehicle purchase. Repairmen divulge the tricks of their trades … and disclose the advice you’ll need to get superior service at an honest price. Con men and crooks offer defensive directives to deprive thieves of your money, your possessions, and your identity.
 
Kirchheimer gets the experts to cough up everyday counsel as well. Doctors share simple steps you can take today to guard against medical errors and lower your health-care costs. Attorneys tell how to protect yourself in a courtroom and in daily life. Industry insiders and consumer advocates detail when, where, and how to get the most for your time and money: They expose all sorts of stealthy solutions for saving when you buy a home or apply for a mortgage, telephone service, or a credit card. They even tell you how to save big on travel arrangements, and how to secure a college scholarship for less-than-Dean’s List students!
 
Scam-Proof Your Life is the latest work by award-winning consumer crusader Sid Kirchheimer, who writes the popular “Scam Alert” column in The AARP Bulletin—the nation’s most widely circulated newspaper. Kirchheimer is the author of The Doctors Book of Home Remedies II (2 million copies sold), Never Pay Retail, and other critically acclaimed books devoted to empowering ordinary people to protect their money, time, health, and security.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The "Scam-Alert" columnist from the AARP newsletter, Kirchheimer has authored or edited 12-plus Ralph Nader-like salvos aimed at taking out consumer-directed fraud. Kirchheimer interviewed "nearly 100 reformed scammers" for this compendium of recent bilking schemes and corner-cuttings. His advice covers most major mid-life expenses, from buying a new car to buying a home to paying for college to booking a cruise. Chapters on credit cards and identity-theft go into greater depth than most coverage these issues usually get in similar books. Three chapters on healthcare go into detail on everything from drug pricing to malpractice. A final "Roundup of Common Scams" (including the infamous "Nigerian Letter" and cyber "phishing" scams) will leave readers well-informed, and perhaps slightly paranoid. Most helpful is the careful, practical way in which Kirchheimer walks readers through such tasks as reading a phone bill, where to go to find eldercare, or to whom they can complain about shady financial dealings.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Scam-Proof Your Life is the latest work by award-winning consumer crusader Sid Kirchheimer, who writes the popular “Scam Alert” column in The AARP Bulletin—the nation’s most widely circulated newspaper. Kirchheimer is the author of The Doctors Book of Home Remedies II (2 million copies sold), Never Pay Retail, and other critically acclaimed books devoted to empowering ordinary people to protect their money, time, health, and security.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Sterling (April 28, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402730411
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402730412
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,114,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
5 star:
 (14)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing resource for everyone, April 30, 2006
By 
Carol (Zebulon, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Scam-Proof Your Life: 377 Smart Ways to Protect You & Your Family from Ripoffs, Bogus Deals & Other Consumer Headaches (AARP) (Hardcover)
Outstanding book, jam-packed with helpful tips, and fun to read, too.
This book tells everything you ever wanted to know about saving money, avoiding consumer traps, and making the best decisions about buying a car or a home, paying for college, booking a vacation, choosing a phone plan or credit card, and much more. The author interviewed "insiders," the very people you wish you could talk to before spending money. Buying a new or used car? The author talked with car salesmen to find out how they operate. He even interviewed the con artist who inspired the movie "Catch Me If You Can" with Leonardo DiCaprio. Every chapter told me something I never knew before. In some cases, the information makes me feel better prepared, such as the section on how to protect yourself in case of lay-offs, or how to challenge bogus charges on a hospital bill. Even though this is an AARP book, I think it should be required reading for EVERYBODY. I'm giving this book as a gift to my mother, my sister, AND to my nieces and nephews.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Be Wise to Scams, February 23, 2007
There are an amazing number of ways that con artists try to take our money. This book tips us off to 377 ways to protect yourself from these ripoffs and bogus deals. It also gives advice that will save you money in a variety of areas (health care, college costs, home mortgage).
Here are some ways the book helps you prevent being a victim:
*Order checks with just your first initial, but sign them with your full name.
*Remove the hard disk before you trash an old computer.
*Be sure not to misspell a web address which might take you to a look-alike, scam site.
*Take your outgoing mail to a post office or postal box, not in your mailbox.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Resource for Everyone, May 18, 2006
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This review is from: Scam-Proof Your Life: 377 Smart Ways to Protect You & Your Family from Ripoffs, Bogus Deals & Other Consumer Headaches (AARP) (Hardcover)
Even as a retired law enforcement officer, I was surprised about how much I learned reading this book. It provides clear, but often little-known secrets on how to avoid everyday consumer traps, and provides a good look into the inner workings of various scams. The topics covered are expansive, and include nearly every purcahse and then some. From buying or repairing cars to getting a mortgage to avoiding diseases and protecting your job, this book covers it all. It is clear and cleverly written and research is fantastic. Really an excellent book!
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