Think Like A Lawyer Thursday

If you want to save the planet and save money by going solar, you need to do two things first. 1) Educate yourself about the types of solar energy available and which one may be right for you. 2) Be aware of typical scams and fraud and how to avoid them. Listen to find out if you’ll truly save money and participate in saving the planet!

In this episode we discuss the false threats debt collectors often make to SCARE people into making payment on a debt when they don’t have the money- often at the expense of paying for rent, food, utilities and other necessary bills. We review a recent case where a debt collection company was falsely threatening people with lawsuits on past due consumer debt. Yorba Capital Management consented to being banned from the business of debt collection to settle an enforcement case filed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. They also consented to a judgment against themselves for $860,000. Ironic that THEY were the ones that had legal action taken against THEM!

To Romans the Ides of March was a time for settling debt. The first new moon of the year at this time was also a time for celebration. While we are celebrating the widespread rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, many are struggling with debt. In this episode you’ll learn about dealing with your personal financial situation and free access to the book “Surviving Debt” a publication of the National Consumer Law Center.

Many Car Dealers engage in a practice called yo-yo sales. They send you home thinking you have bought a car only to call you and say you have to bring it back because the financing “didn’t go through”. Learn the warning signs and what you can do to make sure this doesn’t happen to you. Know your rights and how to keep the original deal you made.

Susan Ingles discusses early wage access programs that are becoming more common. Learn how they can really be just like payday loans and not worth the risk of getting into what really amounts to just another cycle of debt.

SC Dept. Of Consumer Affairs and the Consumer Finance Division of SC State Board of Financial Institutions announce settlement of multi year investigation of state and federal laws. Tune in to find out what it means for you if your loan is serviced by “Mr. Cooper”.

The Federal Trade Commission announced the first 6 companies to fall victim to “Operation CBDeceit” enforcing rules against deceptive health claims by product makers that are unsupported by scientific evidence- here CBD -containing products.

In this episode we review 7 scams surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and 7 ways to avoid them. Don’t let your fears, desire to help or need for investment returns cause you to let your guard down. Scammers really come out of the woodwork when disaster strikes and they prey on these facets of human nature. Don’t get caught unawares!

Lenders who lend money at high interest rates use these top ten statements and more to convince you to borrow from them. Take your time to think about what it really costs and whether you will be able to pay it back.

If you aren’t required to file an income tax return due to the amount of your annual income, and you haven’t filed a return for 2019 and don’t plan to, you can still register until Nov. 21, 2020 to receive an Economic Impact Payment

Lobel Corporation entered into a consent order with the CFPB last week requiring it to pay $1,345,224 to car loan borrowers and a civil money penalty of $100,000 for unfair practices related to the Loss Damage Waiver agreement it requires borrowers to agree to.

This episode reviews a recent sweep by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that resulted in 8 mortgage companies agreeing to enforcement orders. The companies were targeting veterans and military service-members with mailers that contained false and deceptive information. Listen for moee details!

Congress has extended the foreclosure moratorium on federally backed mortgage loans contained in the CARES Act to December 31, 2020. This episode explains what that means, how to find out if your mortgage is covered and also how to get a forbearance of the payments during the moratorium.

Find out if you qualify and what you need to do NOW to get the benefit of the CDC’s moratorium on evictions if you can’t pay your rent right now.

This episode describes the scam where you get a call from a utility threatening to cut off service if you don’t pay within an hour using store bought debit cards or gift cards. If this happens to you, ask yourself- - does the power company operate this way? The answer is NO! They don’t call and demand payment this way. They send a cutoff notice and, if you don’t pay, they cut off the service. Beware the scammers! Also know that during the pandemic Duke Energy has suspended cutoff for nonpayment.

Predatory lenders target people who are already in difficult financial situations. In this episode we list 12 scams, ripoffs and loan abuses that can take a bite out of your financial transactions.

Rules about credit reporting under the CARES Act when a creditor provides you with an accommodation on payment

TRACED The Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act.

It’s the season of giving and many of us give gift cards. Watch out for the other use of gift cards. Ways that gift cards are used in scams where scammers demand payment by gift cards are examined.

On October 2,2019 the FTC announced a 150 million dollar settlement w/Advocare in which the company, its CEO and 2 top promoters are permanently banned from multilevel marketing and “distributors” may get some of their money back.

This episode reviews your rights when it comes to car warranties. They can be express or implied and even disclaimed by the dealer or manufacturer.

Learn about the 9 financial issues you may face after a natural disaster and what you can do about them - common themes as compiled by the CFPB from what people called them about after experiencing a natural disaster.

Find out how the SC Dept of Revenue can collect gov't and quasi gov't debts from you using set off of your refund, wage garnishment, liens and levies. We see this most often with medical debt collection for public hospitals.

Recent cases have addressed state law relief on student loan servicer abuses and the issue of federal preemption. These recent cases and a list of reported servicer abuses are discussed in this episode.

This episode reviews the SC Homeowners Assoc. Act, the requirements of HOAs and it’s provisions for filing a complaint about disputes with the SC Dept. Of Consumer Affairs.

Freedom Debt Relief, LLC entered into a stipulated order with the CFPB in litigation related to its alleged improper practices and misleading advertisements and promises. The order enjoins the practices and provides 20 million in restitution to affected consumers and 5 million in fines and penalties. This episode gives you Ingles' Angle on the lawsuit and why you should avoid debt Settlement companies and settle your own debt.

Get Ingles’ Angle on the protections afforded our Servicemembers under the SCRA 50 USC 3901-4043

A review that provides highlights from A Primer for the Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt from Abby Shafroth at the National Consumer Law Center

This episode reviews the existence of consumer reporting agencies that perform tenant background screening and how the Fair Credit Reporting Act applies.

State is South Carolina Law and Federal law on the “Cooling Off Rule”

Thanks to all my loyal listeners for the last 50 episodes! I look forward to the next 50!

Thanks to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau the "Your Money Your Goals Toolkit w/Focus on Reentry" helps justice involved individuals w/finances. www.consumerfinance.gov National Financial Literacy Month is recognized in the United States in April in an effort to highlight the importance of financial literacy and teach Americans how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits. Second Chance Month, observed in the United States during April since 2017, is a nationwide effort to raise awareness of the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction, and unlock second-chance opportunities for people who have paid their debt to society to become contributing citizens. Hear Joel's story on the YouTube channel of S.C. Legal Services

What are Bankruptcy exemptions and how do they work? Do the new federal exemptions affect you in S.C.?

The IRS issues its annual list of 12 tax scams reminding taxpayers to be vigilant to these aggressive and evolving schemes throughout the year

How to find and dispute Common Errors on Your Credit Report

Changes to credit reporting on medical debt and credit monitoring.

A discussion of romance scams. According to the FTC, complaints have risen substantially in just the last 3 years with monetary losses quadrupled during that period.

This episode explains the dragnet clause of Cross Collateralization with credit union loans and accounts. We also provide information about filing consumer complaints involving credit unions.

S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs published a news release on January 9, 2019 entitled New Year New You outlining 5 considerations before you join a gym. InglesAngle reviews these for the audience.

Consumers provide a lot of personal information to insurance companies. SC is the first in the U.S. to pass this insurance cyber security legislation modeled after the NAIC Insurance Data Security Model Law

This episode provides 12 website addresses where you can find even more consumer information than what was provided in the 12 Days of Christmas series. They include local, state and national organizations.

This episode outlines 3 ways to recover from a used car dealer after buying a car “as is”. It outlines state and federal statutes as well as common law that provide remedies for a used car sale gone wrong.

The S.C. Consumer Protection Code allows a lawsuit for damages and injunction for these 10 and other acts considered to be unconscionable debt collection activities in S.C.

Lenders often suggest including credit insurance with your loan. Since it’s optional, here are 9 questions you should get the answers to before you agree to pay for credit insurance on your loan.

If you’re being tempted to take out a payday loan to pay your bills after spending too much on Christmas, know your rights before you turn that check into cash!

The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) is a federal law that provides a settlement process when your billing statement has errors. This episode provides a list of 7 types of billing errors that can be disputed.

A review of 6 things to consider when co-signing a loan and how it can affect the financial well being of the co-signer.

5 fast facts about credit repair from the S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs

Ingles Angle gives you the 4 points making up the anatomy of a security freeze, including lifting an thawing!

This episode of the 12 Days of Christmas describes 3 common telephone scams and how to avoid succumbing to them.

What is a reverse mortgage? Ingles Angle provides a definition and the pros and cons of reverse mortgages