Sue McConnell, president of the Cleveland Better Business Bureau spoke to America’s Work Force on June 3 about popular scams of the summer.
The first scam involves trying to sell your timeshare. McConnell said that there are companies that will tell someone they can help them sell their timeshares, and end up charging their victim ridiculously high fees for their services. The second scam that McConnell talked about was counterfeit goods online. She warned consumers to be careful when purchasing online, especially from China, because they sell counterfeit products and will scam the consumer out of their money. Lastly, McConnell addressed door-to-door magazine subscription scammers. She said that women will go door to door asking consumers to subscribe to a magazine because the money they make from the subscriptions will help them get their kids back from child services.
Mark Gruenberg, writer for Press Associates Union also appeared on this edition of AWF. Gruenberg talked about the Labor Federation dropping their budget for organizing efforts from 30 percent down to 10 percent of their budget. He also spoke about the Debbie Dingell plan for transportation and infrastructure funding, specifically how raising the gas tax might not be as effective as they think.
AWF host Ed “Flash” Ferenc discussed the American Federation of Government Employees negotiating a new contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs, and also the Trump administration stripping whistleblower protections.
Gruenberg spoke about the list of potential candidates for the upcoming 2020 presidential election. He discussed Joe Biden being incredibly high up on the polls for not even having announced his candidacy yet. Gruenberg then went on and discussed Michelle Obama’s book tour and how she has not been using union laborers to set up her stage production. He said that this is a big problem because of her husband, Barack, positive stance on unions and union workers. Gruenberg also talked about labor law reform along with equal work for equal pay laws being put into place.
Sue McConnell, president of the Better Business Bureau, spoke with America’s Work Force on April 1 about new scams that people have been falling into. One of the scams regards bitcoin where a scammer would pose as someone from the IRS or a utility company and tell you that you have to make a payment as soon as possible or you will suffer a consequence. The scammer then sends the victim a QR code that they scan at a bitcoin kiosk linked to the scammer’s account and wire money to the scammer in order to prevent whatever the fraudulent consequence was. A second scam that McConnell discussed was a kidnapping scam where a scammer would call a victim and tell them that their loved one has been kidnapped and they will let them go if they pay off their ransom.
Gruenberg discussed pro-worker legislation being one of the main targets in the progressive agenda for the year. He said that the pro-worker legislation will include legislation on equal pay for equal work and workers freedom to negotiate act. Gruenberg also touched on the Green New Deal and how some Republicans are in favor of using alternative energy sources over fossil fuels. To wrap up his interview, Gruenberg discussed the long term effects of the government shutdown, such as huge financial hits on government workers who had to dip into their savings and 401k’s because they were not receiving pay during the shutdown.
Sue McConnell, president of the Cleveland Better Business Bureau, discussed a variety of scams for students to be on the lookout for during spring break season. She explained the importance of researching housing accomodations thoroughly before booking and paying for them, and to also look up the address to make sure that it is valid. McConnell also talked about “car wrap” scams and “friends and family” scams.
McConnell, during her Dec. 3 AWF appearance, listed a number of scams to look out for while shopping during the upcoming Christmas season. One scam that motorists and anyone else using a gas or kerosene pump should be aware of is a credit card skimmer at the pumps. She said people’s credit card information is being stolen through the use of card skimmers and explained the steps to take if you fall victim to it. She stressed the importance of checking the validity of websites before making an online purchase. This is especially important on big-ticket items to ensure the company is legitimate so you do not get ripped off. Finally, McConnell talked about doing research and meeting in person before buying a puppy as a gift. By doing so, shoppers will be able to make sure the dog is as described, healthy and gives you the ability to ask any questions about the animal.
Labor writer Mark Gruenberg joined America’s Work Force Radio and discussed the new congress, which will have the ability to rewrite existing labor laws to make them more worker friendly, especially for those who want to organize. He also talked about potential problems that could arise by privatizing the U.S. Postal Service. Gruenberg though, thinks privatization will not happen.