Protect Against Bad Deals and Scams that Arrive by Phone, Letter and the Internet
Beware of crooks impersonating legitimate businesses, charities and other organizations

Marketers have lots of ways to find out who you are, where you live, and how you're likely to spend your money. While many unsolicited offers may be good deals for you, others may be costly or inappropriate - or even scams. In particular, crooks have become very good at impersonating legitimate businesses, charities and other organizations to trick people into giving out valuable information that can be used to commit identity theft, which involves stealing money using someone else's name.

"The amount of fake products, investments and services advertised online, by e-mail or by telemarketers is staggering," said David Nelson, a fraud specialist at the FDIC.

While laws and industry practices may limit losses for fraud victims in many cases, innocent victims sometimes end up losing money or spending many hours clearing their good name.

Here are a few ways you can be better prepared to know a good deal from a bad one and protect against a variety of scams, including ID theft.

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