tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77036211243570565472009-06-11T01:04:13.263-07:00A personal finance blog focusing on alternative sources of income, investing, thriftiness, and how to avoid being scammed.Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-73431489642133570852008-06-24T22:48:00.000-07:002008-06-24T23:14:09.716-07:00

What is check fraud? Well, there are the cases where a blank check is written on and cashed, but today we're focusing on an even more devious method: The washing of checks you've already written on and signed and the adding on of new information.Check washing is performed by taking a check that you have filled out, covering your signature with tape, and soaking the check in acetone. The acetone

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-44446841351679168522008-06-19T20:50:00.000-07:002008-06-19T20:57:20.377-07:00

Now I'm in no way condoning this, but you have got to admit this is a pretty neat no-tech scam of a newer Coke machine. This is for demonstrative and educational purposes only.It pretty much goes like this:1. Insert change and choose drink2. When drink enters chute, have hand up drop door ready to stop soda from falling through3. Hold soda in place until drink chute drops again4. Your money is

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-12777490196965804102008-06-18T19:57:00.000-07:002008-06-18T20:07:48.179-07:00

"Unplugged: Trading Cable TV for Internet TV" - This was the headline that struck my attention on dealnews.com today. I've always had an issue with the cable company in general (it would be nice if my internet access would always be 24/7), and I do agree with most peoples view about how most of the channels/shows on TV are pretty much junk. I've considered doing the same thing as the author many

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-75926128257785730742008-06-15T21:56:00.000-07:002008-06-16T06:08:20.365-07:00

There's no question about it that the drastic increase in gas prices has almost every one of us looking for ways to increase our bang for the buck when it comes to driving. Well, I have 2 ways for you to do this. One is by checking for the best gas prices in your area and the other is hypermilling, which doesn't have a set definition, but is known as a way to increase your MPG in the super-fuel

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-2291956643877138652008-06-12T18:16:00.001-07:002008-06-12T18:24:50.482-07:00

Once again, it's Friends and Family weekend at Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft from today, June 12th, until June 15th. This time around they're offering 30% off instead of the 25% off offered last time. Ladies, now's the time to buy..and fellas, most girls I know love both gifts and Ann Taylor clothing, so you might want to check it out as well. Click on the pic below for the full-size coupon, it

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-76011171603402896292008-06-09T20:53:00.000-07:002008-06-09T21:29:59.281-07:00

Just this week Starbucks announced the Starbucks Card Rewards program. Even if you drink there only occasionaly, this is definitely worth jumping on.The perks are as follows:- Free beverage coupon if you join by July 14th- Free refill on regular brewed coffee- Free select syrup and milk options to add to your drink- Free tall beverage with every purchase of 1 lb. of beans- 2 hours of free WiFi

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-9050429963342074392008-06-05T21:14:00.000-07:002008-06-05T22:07:51.485-07:00

I picked up a book the other day entitled Scam Proof Your Life by Sid Kirchheimer. Pretty good read with alot of decent tips in it covering a wide range of topics. One of the main ones I read over was the Identity Theft section that I'll cover and add my own two cents on.1. Be sure to shred all documents and mail that concerns any personal or financial information. Be sure to use a cross-cut

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-37406157534355168702008-06-02T19:51:00.000-07:002008-06-02T20:23:43.683-07:00

I'm not an Apple evangelist (actually I have both PCs and Macs at home), but I'm a huge fan of their customer support in comparison to all other computer companies, that's why I'm putting this up. Tomorrow is Tuesday and Tuesday is when Apple restocks their refurbished section of the Apple Store (around 8 a.m. EST).Refurbs usually have a bad rap and for the most part it is rightfully so, but

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-23481624778669434602008-05-28T19:53:00.000-07:002008-05-28T20:09:30.160-07:00

This may be coming a little late, but I'm pretty sure that this e-mail is still going around. It was reported by the Internet Crime Complaint Center on May 8th with a warning date of May 10 in it, but alot of us (myself included) still have not received their checks yet so this may still be a very lucrative scam for those that are doing it.Remember: The IRS will never email you asking for your

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-62482392329451855292008-05-27T20:23:00.000-07:002008-05-27T20:55:56.562-07:00

I know that alot of you are looking for sites like Pinecone Research and today I've got one that I hold in even higher regard than Pinecone, Opinion Outpost.Why would I make such a statement when Pinecone Research is so highly regarded. Easy, I've made alot more money in alot less time with them. I've averaged around $1.50 - $2 per survey, but have received and completed invites of up to $15 for

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-67697355247945342522008-05-26T20:40:00.000-07:002008-05-26T20:56:16.613-07:00

Sorry for the downtime with no updates, I was out enjoying the beautiful weather over this holiday weekend and I hope all of you were too!As promised, here's week 2 of my Amazon deals of the Week at my Amazon aStore. Some new ones that are great for the summer weather including:Grill Zone 2 inch Square Charcoal Grill With CartEagle Claw Spinning Rod and Reel ComboJBL On Tour Portable Speaker

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-38009745241524674032008-05-21T18:18:00.000-07:002008-05-21T18:23:16.834-07:00

Most of us have been there before. When you're either behind on bills or right about to get into that bad spot, you know that you're going to need to change your shopping habits . Don't make the same mistake I did and depend on Ramen and boxed macaroni & cheese as your primary source of food. I ended up losing 13 lbs. during my 4 month stretch of hard times and anybody that knows me will tell you

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-40136382718811529462008-05-20T20:00:00.000-07:002008-05-20T20:34:28.343-07:00

Named after the famed chess-playing "robot" that supposedly beat Benjamin Franklin and Napoleon Bonaparte, Amazon.com offers another way for humans to prove they're smarter than machines..and to get paid for doing so. The site that Amazon has set up for doing this is mturk.com, or The Amazon Mechanical Turk. Now, just as a forewarning, you won't get rich by doing tasks on this site, but it is a

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-30026065883575813282008-05-19T19:51:00.000-07:002008-05-19T20:10:27.708-07:00

Well, it was promised, and now it's finally here! I've added the Amazon Deals of the Week page to the front of my Amazon aStore!I've scoured through many of the deals that they are currently offering and handpicked the ones that have the best percentage discount or are a good mix of price and quality so that you can use it as a weekly consolidated resource. My store page will update weekly on on

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-90768102578542955812008-05-17T17:14:00.000-07:002008-05-17T17:32:18.511-07:00

I've received many briefings from various law enforcement agencies concerning this scam. It is a prevelant in the US as it is in the UK, so please be wary when using ATM machines. The reader in the video is more high-tech than some of the other methods, so also pay attention to those behind you and shield your PIN when entering it. Those without the video camera device will try to capture your

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-38525991218166398872008-05-13T17:22:00.000-07:002008-05-13T18:50:17.508-07:00

Here's a good one for all of you amateur or professional photographers out there. There are many sites that will allow you to upload your photos you take and pay you a commission each time the photo is downloaded. All that you need to do is create an account and upload your pictures. Add the appropriate tag (caption) and sit back. Most of these sites average $.20-$.25 per picture download so

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-87530050486641925952008-05-07T18:21:00.000-07:002008-05-07T18:50:39.908-07:00

Skype is at it again, now offering unlimited long distance phone calls througout the US and Canada for only $3 a month. This is by far the best deal they've offered in a long time so I'd hop up on it while you can. On top of this offer, if you buy 3 months of service before June 1st, you get one of those months for free (3 months of unlimted calls for only $6!!).For those of you not very familiar

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-29203207210241172852008-05-06T19:38:00.000-07:002008-05-06T19:49:58.391-07:00

All respect to Louis Ramierez for this great summary on dealnews.com:"Hard drive prices have taken a serious tumble, but despite the notable price drops, many people still don't want to splurge on a new internal or external drive. Fortunately, the Internet is bursting with online storage sites like Box.net and MediaMax, which offer you anywhere from 1GB to 25GB of free online storage space. Most

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-55938550962109322612008-05-05T20:37:00.000-07:002008-05-05T20:56:01.898-07:00

Today I came across this summary products that PC World recommends to prevent laptop thefts. Some products overlap, but all have been proven devices when keeping your laptop in your possession. It covers devices such as locks, motion-sensors, tracking tags, and lojack-like software to locate a stolen laptop. Reading about the lojack-like software that reminded me of a story I read of a MacBook

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-5258857858980239732008-05-04T19:44:00.000-07:002008-05-04T19:49:56.773-07:00

First off...if you're offended by off-color language or at work, Penn & Teller might be something you'd rather not watch. I am including this because it shows an excellent example of how the miscounting of an exchange of money (usually from change as shown in the video) can leave your wallet or purse a little lighter than intended. Now, don't get so worried that you no longer give change for a $5

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-86921602515855665662008-05-03T20:54:00.001-07:002008-05-03T20:55:33.122-07:00

For those that have been considering moving to a new area you've probably wondered about what the difference in the cost of living will be between where you live now and where you want to go. Homefair.com has an excellent cost of living calculator on their page that makes it easy to find out what that difference is.The steps are as simple as it can be:1. Select the state that you currently reside

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-8681721906194626022008-05-02T18:53:00.000-07:002008-05-02T20:04:02.386-07:00

This post came about from an experience I had at work today showing the coworker I share my office with the best way to get your feet wet in stock trading. I've dealt with many online traders and even after their merger with ING (which turned out to be a change for the better) I led her to Sharebuilder.comThis wasn't because of any kind of kickback I would receive (actually, there's a better $50

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-645422543853828542008-04-29T14:53:00.000-07:002008-04-29T15:20:25.100-07:00

***Ethical Grifter Note: The fixed interest part of these bonds will change May 1, 2008....if you are planning on buying, do so tomorrow! The Fed's interest rate cuts are sure to lower the interest rates on these bonds!***Well, I finally got back into the US bond market today due to concerns about my portfolio in the next year or so and the lackluster savings account rates that I'm currently

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-38101921272881366162008-04-28T20:31:00.000-07:002008-04-28T20:33:08.521-07:00

Planners can help you get organized in more ways than you could imagine. The problem is, refills are expensive, almost as expensive as the planner itself. DIY Planner has come up with the best solution to this issue....make them free. Offering different size templates, DIY Planner can refill your traditional planner or you can even create your own Hipster PDA, a 3"x5" card based answer to the

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703621124357056547.post-1867770777896224542008-04-26T22:57:00.000-07:002008-04-26T23:04:05.948-07:00

Just wanted to provide some quick links to some free entertainment for a nice, lazy Sunday.1. Amazon Free Music Downloads - Pretty decent selection for my tastes (A lot of the mid-90's punk), but kind of thin in some of the other departments.2. Public Domain Movie Torrents - A lot of the old black and white movies you see for sale in those "50 movies for only $19.99" sets. These films are

Ethical Grifterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15337120728577766589noreply@blogger.com