Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., Iris Taylor column [Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.]

Sept. 12--Learn to say no to four new scams Consumers, the following scams can wreck your budget or your life, so don't fall for them:

--You've won a $650,500 grant from the United Nations.

An e-mail, which a Mechanicsville reader sent us, supposedly comes from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. All you have to do is contact the "UN payment office" in -- you guessed it -- Nigeria.

Simply provide your name, address, date and place of birth, phone and fax numbers, name and address of next of kin, your sex, occupation, marital status, country and nationality -- all the information that a smart thief needs. Then, send an up-front payment or disclose the personal data that leads to your bank account.

Whatever money is promised you, though, will never materialize.

Consumers, if you receive such a communication, delete or trash it. Don't respond. Don't provide any information about yourself. Don't even think about wiring money to a stranger.

--Be my social networking friend -- and could you lend me some money?

Tina Holt at the Office of Consumer Affairs warns of a new twist on the Nigerian scheme: You meet someone on a social networking site, start e-mailing each other and trading photos, then progress to talking on the phone. Sooner or later, you're in a romantic relationship, you think, or a friendship, and the person asks for money.

They start small and ask for increasingly larger amounts, she said. They may say they have to travel for work and need something to tide them over, or they need help paying for a plane ticket.

"Learn to say no," Holt said. Hang up the phone, delete e-mails and throw away any mailings that are questionable.

--Bad credit, no credit, come and get a loan.

The Better Business Bureau in Richmond received at least 22 complaints about advanced-fee loan crooks asking them to wire money as collateral before getting a loan.

The scammers used fake local addresses. At least one crook operated from Canada. Virginians who desperately needed cash lost from $600-$12,000 each, and never got a loan. One was trying to buy a home, another was a construction company that needed financing.

Never wire money to an unknown source, the BBB warns. Once it's gone, it's gone. Check out unknown companies with the Office of Consumer Affairs, (804) 786-2042, and Better Business Bureau (804) 648-0030.

--Buy an "Obama-care" insurance policy today.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners warns that scammers hoping to take advantage of the confusion surrounding details of the new health-care law are hawking 'limited-time-offer' or 'required' health-reform policies from door to door.

Some have even set up toll-free telephone numbers.

Never make a payment before confirming that a policy, agent and company are legitimate, the commission said.

Katha Treanor, spokeswoman for the State Corporation Commission, said its Bureau of Insurance unit hasn't received any complaints about scam artists peddling so-called "Obama-care" policies.

She said consumers with questions or concerns about an insurance offer should call the bureau at (804) 371-9691.

Contact Iris Taylor at (804) 649-6349 or itaylor@timesdispatch.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/RTDIrisTaylor.

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