Scam-Proof Your Life

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It can start with a visit from a man in a pickup truck, offering a home repair at a discount price. Or with a letter from a deposed king, promising you millions for shielding his fortune in your bank account. It occurs at the car lot and in the hospital. It happens at home, at work, and on vacation. Everywhere and every day, thousands of Americans get scammed. You need not be among them. In Scam-Proof Your Life, you'll receive the expert guidance of industry insiders, consumer crusaders, relentless researchers—and even the crooks and con artists who once pulled these scams themselves.

Interviewed by AARP's "Scam Alert" expert, Sid Kirchheimer, nearly 100 pros offer sure-fire techniques to outwit financial predators and avoid ripoffs, regrets, and other costly mistakes:

* Car salesmen provide an inside look at the ploys they pull and disclose secret strategies that can save you thousands of dollars on your next vehicle purchase.

* Repairmen share the tricks of their trade—and explain how to get superior service at an honest price

* Corporate whistle-blowers reveal the legal loopholes that increase your costs for everyday goods and services, then tell you how to sidestep them.

* Former thieves give tactics to deprive criminals of your money, your possessions, and your identity.

Scam-Proof Your Life also teems with counsel designed to protect the health and rights of you and your family: Doctors divulge simple, immediate steps to guard against medical errors and lower your health-care costs. Attorneys and career counselors tell how to protect yourself in the workplace. Consumer advocates detail how to get the most for your time and money—whether it's buying a home or applying for a mortgage, getting phone service or credit cards, booking travel, funding a college education, or more.

To stop others from taking advantage of you, this one-of-a-kind guide could be the best life insurance policy you'll ever have.