FIGHT BACK : IN PROTECTING YOURSELF, SOME TIP-OFFS TO COMMON RIP-OFFS.

Byline: David Horowitz 

Con, scam and rip-off artists are like rattlesnakes who signal to their victims before they bite. But instead of rattling their tails rapidly and dripping venom, they blurt out tip-offs to impending rip-offs.

You can save yourself money and time if you listen carefully. Here are some of the common tag lines they often use to hook suckers:

``Sign now, or the price will increase''; ``You have been specially selected ... ''; ``You have won ... ''; ``All we need is your credit card (or bank account) number - for identification only''; ``All you pay for is postage, handling, taxes ... ''; ``Make money in your spare time - guaranteed income ...''

Sound familiar to you? Here are more of the same:

``Be your own boss! Never work for anyone else again. Just send in $50 for your supplies and ... ''; or ``A new car! A trip to Hawaii! $2,500 in cash! Yours, absolutely free! Take a look at our ... ''; or ``Your special claim number entitles you to join our sweepstakes ... ''; or ``We just happen to be in your area and have toner for your copy machine at a reduced price.''

More fraud tip-offs

Law enforcement workers know all the words and phrases that can be tip-offs to rip-offs. So, why should you get involved in a potential scam? It just takes careful listening and common sense to avoid becoming a victim.

When in doubt, toss out suspicious mail, walk away from offers that appear too good to believe, and hang up on phone pitch artists. Before you bite the bait, always check out the rate, the price, the company and the product.

When a telemarketer wants you to stay home so a courier can pick up your money for a product, service or charity, or ... wants you to send money by wire; wants to automatically withdraw money from your checking account; offers you a free prize but charges handling and shipping fees; asks for your credit card, checking account, savings account or Social Security number, or other personal information; tries to get payment in advance, especially in the case of employment referrals, credit repair or providing a loan or credit card, and on and on - beware.

Also, stay away from lotteries, pyramid schemes and multilevel sales schemes. They are all good ways to separate you from your money.

Blocking telemarketers

How do you stop telemarketers? You can legally tell them where to go when you know what rules the federal government has imposed for maintaining your privacy and protecting your money.

You have a right under federal law to tell a company not to call you by phone or contact you in writing. The company must keep a list of these people and not contact them; so keep a record for your file. You have a right not to get calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. or receive unsolicited ads by fax. You also have a right to be disconnected from a pre-recorded, machine-delivered message within five seconds of hanging up.

States do not allow telemarketers to call people who do not want to receive calls. Your state or local consumer protection agency can fill you in on laws that are on the books. To report violations of the federal telephone order rule, contact the regional office of the Federal Trade Commission. If you made the telephone transaction in response to a postcard or other mailing, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

If you want to stop annoying telemarketers cold, check out local electronic stores for reasonably priced phone answering machines that screen calls and offer prerecorded messages telling phone sales people not to call again in a tone they won't forget.

Now you can contact David Horowitz with your gripes, complaints and comments at www.fightback.com. He will use as many questions and answers as space permits every week in this newspaper.