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Consumer Protection

Consumer Protection : Advice from The Bucks County Consumer Advocates

July 2006

Q. My mother got a message on her answering machine yesterday. The message was from her bank. They advised her that her account information and pin code had been compromised. They left a toll free number for her to call back. My mother wanted to call them back immediately but I am skeptical and told her to wait until we spoke to you folks. What do you think? C.W., Warminster

A. We think it is probably a phishing scam. That is when a scammer tries to get personal or financial information from you. Since that is the way they make their living they tend to sound legitimate and official. Phishing comes in various forms like phone calls, emails, contests and more. Usually the phisher knows enough about you and your finances to make you feel comfortable and trusting. We strongly recommend that consumers follow some simple rules to avoid the potential problems of scams. Never provide any information or click on a link from an email that you did not instigate yourself. If you get a call or email, stop and think about the potential dangers. Call your bank or credit card company using a number that you know is correct. Check with them before doing anything else to verify if a problem exists or not. Unfortunately in today’s environment consumers need to be vigilant all the time.

Q. I moved all my belongings from my apartment into a storage unit until I could find another place to live. While I was looking for an apartment I lost my job and started to get behind in my bills. I went out to retrieve some of my things from my unit and I was denied access. I then started to receive notices from the storage facility that if I don’t pay what is owed that they will put my things up for auction. My storage unit holds everything I own and I can’t believe that they have the right to sell my things. Can you give me any information regarding this matter? P.R., Penndel

A. The facility is following the enforcement provisions of the Pennsylvania “Self-Service Storage Facility Act”, since you had been in default continuously for a period of more then 30 days. The owner sent you a notice of default and has the right to deny access according to your renter’s agreement. Bucks County Consumer Protection has contacted the storage facility and they would like to work out a payment arrangement to pay off the debt that you have incurred. Once this is done you may have access to your storage unit. The facility and consumer have both agreed that once payments are caught up the consumer will remove all his belongings from the storage unit.