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November 30, 2004 12:10 PM

5 Popular Holiday Shopping Scams


Excerpt: While you are looking for the perfect gifts, con artists will be looking for the perfect target. This holiday season, don't get taken by these popular scams.


Ah, the holidays: a time of goodwill toward your fellow man -- for some people. For others, it's an opportunity to grab all they can and run while people's defenses are down.

While you are looking for the perfect gifts, con artists will be looking for the perfect target. This holiday season, don't get taken by these popular scams.

Naming a star
What better gift could you give someone then the symbol of the first Christmas -- a star? Various companies claim they can sell you a star -- for a fee. This year one company is charging $54. These companies will send you a certificate with the name and location of "your star" and promise that your star's name will be in a star registry.

Here's the problem: Stars are named by the International Astronomical Union -- and they aren't selling. Names for stars (and most are given numbers) are assigned according to the internationally accepted rules of the IAU. Anyone else who claims to be able to name stars has no more legal standing than your neighbor's Rottweiler. When they say your star is going into a "registry," they mean whatever registry they made up -- not the official catalog that is kept by the IAU and used by all astronomers.

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Slick Tips for Holiday Shopping (November 28, 2004)
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Read all 21 posts in the same category of Spending:

Cell Phone Calls In Flight? - Dec 09, 2004
Holiday Tipping - Dec 09, 2004
Tunes Coming To Callers? - Dec 08, 2004
Electronic Ways to Pay Eclipse Checks in Number - Dec 07, 2004
The Trouble With Rebates - Dec 07, 2004
Customers Tire of Excuses for Rebates That Never Arrive - Dec 07, 2004
'Phishing' Attacks Surge In 2004 - Dec 06, 2004
Bush Signs Internet Tax, Special Ed Bills - Dec 05, 2004
The Wide World Of Online Shopping - Dec 04, 2004
Shopbots: Your Own Automated Shopping Assistant On The Web - Dec 04, 2004
Traveler: Know Your Options - Dec 04, 2004
Worried Merchants Throw Discounts at Shoppers - Dec 04, 2004
Regifting 101 - Dec 02, 2004
Health Costs Up 7.5% - Dec 02, 2004
Slick Tips for Holiday Shopping - Nov 28, 2004
Give Gifts That Give Back - Nov 28, 2004
Tips For Stretching Your Holiday Budget - Nov 26, 2004
Meet The Bargain Hunters: Three Everyday Experts Share Their Tips - Nov 26, 2004
Smart Holiday Shopping - Nov 25, 2004
Some Shoppers Find Fewer Happy Returns - Nov 07, 2004