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Filed under: College In a report that is a study in obviousness for most families currently putting kids through college, a new report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education suggests that soaring college costs threaten to make college unaffordable for the majority of Americans. College tuition and fees rose 439% from 1982 to 2007 while the median family income rose just 147%, without adjusting for inflation. What is to be done? In recent years, students and families have been financing college with debt, and the federal government has been making this possible with increased in various federal loan programs. The government is trying to help students but the reality is that they're making it worse. By offering ever-increasing amounts of debt to families all too willing to take it, our elected officials are eliminating the natural ceiling on price, allowing colleges to continue to manage their costs irresponsibly. There is no good reason that college costs should be rising so fast except that they can. With the recession socking it to state aid for public colleges and hefty losses for endowments at private colleges, the college cost picture is about to get a lot worse.Report says college is too expensive originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams According to The Register as reported in the Washington Post, one of the biggest bill-paying sites on the Internet, CheckFree.com, has been hacked, potentially opening up its customers to malware. On Tuesday, December 2nd, customers logging in to pay their bills were apparently redirected to a Ukrainian server which attempted to infect their computer. A CheckFree spokesperson acknowledged the attack and claimed that the company wrested control back from the hackers by dinnertime the same day. While CheckFree has not yet finished analyzing the uploaded malware, the spokesperson told the Post that the severity of the infection would be related to the anti-virus software running on the customer's computer and the browser used to access the account. A researcher for Trend Micro told the Post that the virus was a Trojan horse program designed to obtain the customer's user names and password. According to CheckFree, almost a third of all Americans now pay bills online. CheckFree accepts payments for hundreds of companies, includes AT&T, Bank of America, Chevron, DIRECTV, and Time Warner. I don't see any Ukrainian companies on the list, though. Yet. I'm awaiting a return call from Checkfree to learn what actions customers concerned about the security of their data might take, and will update this post as soon as I have this information. The company's published guarantee states that, when notified within two business days of a unauthorized transaction, your liability will be limited to $50. If you pay through CheckFree.com, I'd suggest checking your linked accounts regularly through the day until this situation is resolved. Checkfree.com hacked: users financial info could be at risk originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams , Shopping With the gift giving season in full swing it's no doubt that many consumers will turn to gift cards for hard to buy for friends or as last minute gifts. While there are many caveats regarding gift cards , including inactivity fees and the ease with which they are lost, sometimes they are the best gift for the situation. But you need to know how to avoid common gift card scams and issues. One of the most prevalent types of gift card scams involves the activation process. An unscrupulous employee can swipe a card first and then swipe the gift card you are "purchasing". By swiping their card first, they end up with an excellent stocking stuffer while you're left with a hunk of plastic. This scam can be done by sleight of hand but many times the clerk will disguise the extra swipe as a step in the activation process. To avoid being taken by a gift card activation scam make sure the number on your activation receipt matches the gift card the cashier hands you. You can also check the balance at another register or call the card balance hotline before you leave the store.Continue reading Everything you need to know about gift cards scams in 2008 Everything you need to know about gift cards scams in 2008 originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments