Rockford Regional Office

Having lived in this area for all but 6 months of my life, I don't have any experiences, good or bad, with moving companies. However, since we do live in a state that's leading the nation in people leaving, I'll bet that someone reading this has a story to tell.

I always look forward to our twice-monthly phone chats with Dennis Horton, Director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), because I learn something new about how to guard against scammers every single time we talk.

There's no sugar-coating how tough things have been for most people over the last year, especially when we're talking about finding a job. With record-high unemployment comes desperation, and desperation brings out the scam artists.

For many people, the idea of having someone else doing your taxes is very appealing, assuming that you've hired them to handle that task. It stops having any appeal when you find out that someone did your taxes without your knowledge.

At this writing, it's Wednesday, March 17th, and St. Patrick's Day. It's also the official payment date for the third round of stimulus payments to Americans who are eligible for them.

Dennis Horton, Director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), joined the WROK Morning Show this week with a stack of information on ways to avoid being scammed, and some somewhat good news about robocalls.

Someone said to me recently "You sure do write a lot about scams and scammers." As I started to explain why, he quickly added "And I appreciate it. There are several you've written about that people I actually know have fallen for."

Scam artists tend to go where the money is. Considering how many of us have leaned heavily on Netflix and/or other streaming services to get us through pandemic lockdowns, scammers are finding ways to trick you out of your subscription fees.

If you've been thinking that scammers will use absolutely any crisis or situation to try to extract money from your pockets, you are absolutely right. This polar vortex, or frigid weather system we're currently receiving is another opportunity for them.

As I look at an email I just got from the Illinois Lottery, I see that tonight's Powerball drawing has about $730 million reasons for you to consider playing. As the Illinois Lottery's Jessica Perez explains, "This is the fourth largest Powerball prize in game history and the sixth highest jackpot in U.S. lottery history."