ONYX

There are email scams sent throughout the year, but the holidays bring scammers out in force. You may get scam emails about online shopping or gift offers, among others. Online shopping increases this time of year, and so do the scams - it is expected that consumers will lose $3.6 billion this year.

So what can you do to protect yourself? One thing is to watch for these common holiday scams:

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that last year there were over 1.5 million deer-to-vehicle collisions and 180 human deaths. Fortunately, there are some simple things all of us can do while driving to avoid or prevent a collision with a deer.

State Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp has issued a Fraudulent Check Scam Alert to all Maryland’s citizens. Her office has become aware of a sharp increase in “secret shopper” and “lottery” scams involving the receipt of a fraudulent check that appears to be issued by the State of Maryland.

It is important that you become proactive to keep your private information just that – private!

What do Alcoa, Welch’s and the Bank of America have in common? They all have had their corporate identities stolen and placed on fake checks in a new scam to rip off consumers! The average victim of this type of con – in which people trade their own cash for a counterfeit check – loses from $3,000 to $4,000, according to the National Consumers League (NCL).

Aggressive driving, speeding, alcohol, and sleepiness remain the primary causes behind automobile fatalities, according to newly released information by the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association (MSA). The findings stem from research conducted by an array of Federal agencies and consumer groups.

The Council of Better Business Bureaus and the American Kennel club issued a warning about fraudulent web sites, MySpace postings and newspaper ads asking people to help save puppies who are in trouble.

The Federal Trade Commission is warning about a new scam - phony checks that look real to consumers and bank tellers, but wind up costing those who deposit them - people like you and me!

Every year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issues a report on the top scams of the year based on the number of complaints filed to the FTC and the National Consumer’s League. Last year there were 635,000 complaints filed and reported losses were $547 million.

After a long, honest day's work, the first thing many of us do when we get home is check our answering machine. Some people are finding that they have received a "misdialed" call from a stranger leaving a "hot" investment tip for a friend. The message is designed to sound as if the speaker doesn't realize he or she has the wrong number. The message may sound like this: