Cortalslim, a “miracle pill” that is supposed to help people lose a tremendous amount of weight, has become very popular throughout the United States. Clark knows a talk show host who will do advertisements for anything and anyone, but he refused to do a Cortaslim ad because the pill is actually a farce. The L.A. Times did an investigative piece on Cortaslim and Dr. Greg Cynaumon who pitches the product. It turns out that "Dr" Cynaumon is not really a doctor at all. He earned a psychology degree from a mail-order college that turned out to be phony, according to the Times! More than a million people have spent at least $50 for a month of Cortaslim, allowing the company to gross more than $200 million. The truth to the matter is that Cortaslim does not help people lose weight. In 1994, Congress passed a law that allowed companies to say anything they wanted to about dietary supplements, whether their claims were true or not. Clark thinks this law is absolutely ridiculous. He wants you to know that while Cortaslim is a hoax, there is a foolproof way to lose weight. All you have to do is change your nutrition and get good exercise. While it’s not as easy as taking a pill, you will see results.
Do you have old cell phones lying around your house? Trade your old cell phones for cash at one of the following websites: oldcellphone.com, cellforcash.com, ripmobile.com. You can also try craigslist.com, especially if you recently changed to a different cell phone company. Wirelesstoys.com is selling both cell phones and cell phone rates across the market, but the service agreement is a bit suspect.
The latest hot export item is discount coffins. Apparently China makes very high-quality coffins and they cost a fraction of American prices. Funeral homes charge even more for coffins because they know you sometimes need one in a hurry and are vulnerable already. Right now, there are a series of lawsuit against the funeral industry for selling overpriced coffins and “price-fixing.” The average American is now paying $6,500 for funeral expenses and that is before the cost of the coffin. The best thing you can do is join a memorial society, which offers reasonable funeral expenses because of group buying power. And consider buying a coffin on your own, instead of saddling your loved ones with it in the event of your death. Look at the Chinese-made coffins, or consider checking out the supply at Costco Wholesale. The company now sells coffins at a huge discount.
Most car purchases are used, not new. When people shop for used cars, we feel relieved when we see a sign that says “certified.” So what does that mean? Well, certified used cars sometimes are good deals, but most of the time means absolutely nothing. Car dealers have learned that people are willing to pay more for certified used cars, so they started adding thousands of dollars to the car cost. But there is no legal definition of the word “certified” when it comes to used cars. And even if the car is certified, you should still get it inspected by an independent mechanic. The only legitimate certified cars are those that are certified by the manufacturer. This means that in return for your money, you have a meaningful extension on the warranty that comes with the vehicle. The idea came about from luxury automakers who wanted more cache for their used cars. Lexus, for example, certifies the car is not above a certain age and the mileage is not past a certain limit. Jaguar is known for having the best program. So, does the manufacturer actually certify the vehicle? No, it's an agreement between the manufacturer and the dealership that the car has been overhauled and inspected. So, it's hard to know if the work has really been done. Yet another reason why you should always have a car checked by an outside mechanic before your purchase it.
Say you get pre-certified from your health care plan to have an elective surgery or procedure. You probably think your out-of-pocket costs aren’t going to be that much. But then you get a bill for thousands of dollars. Now, it can be a simple mistake. But it also may be a lack of homework on your part. When you’re having surgery, you want to make sure the surgeon is on your plan first. Usually people do this, but they don’t make sure the anesthesiologist is on their plan. Another possibility is that the in-plan doctor brings in someone else in his or her absence. You could be out thousands of dollars. What it boils down to is you have to make sure everyone involved in the procedure is in your plan. You have to have this additional conversation despite the hassle to you.
Clark has gotten a steady increase in calls from people who think they’ve won the lottery. This hoax is so bad right now that The Dallas Morning News has a story about the “Unlucky Seven” worst scams out there, and lotteries are – without a doubt – No. 1. Spain, Germany and Holland are just three of the countries that supposedly have lotteries. An 86-year-old woman featured in the story ended up giving more than $88,000 to these crooks. She was told upfront she needed to cover “administrative costs.” Then, each time, it was something more. She never recovered her money, and the crooks were never caught. When you get these e-mails, you want to believe they are real. They certainly look it. But if they ask for money – even a little – to get you your money, it’s a scam. Throw the paperwork in the trash. The second biggest scam is home repairs. These people get upfront money and then do shoddy work or no work at all in some cases. Work-at-home scams are in position No. 3, and phony charities are No. 4. These scams often affect seniors more than others, but everyone is at risk. Fraudulent “living trusts” come in at No. 5. You need a living trust in only a few circumstances, so most of the people are just trying to sell you insurance products. No. 6 is e-mail phishing scams. And, No. 7 is probably the ugliest of the “Unlucky Seven.” It’s when you’ve already been scammed and a service offers to help you recover your money. The very same people who took your money the first time are the ones behind this, and you give them more trying to get it back.
