Current Events in July 2013

“If it ain't broke, don't fix it” might as well be the motto of traditional scammers who are sticking with tried and true schemes to defraud consumers.

While many fraudsters keep dreaming up technology-related cons, a few are going with what seems to work – the sweepstakes and government grant scams. Over the years these schemes have stolen millions from unsuspecting people.

With the sweepstakes scam, the victim receives a letter, email or phone call with great news! They have won a huge cash prize in a sweepstakes! Sometimes the victim is so excited they fail to realize that they haven't registered for any sweepstakes.

To receive the prize, of course, the victim has to pay a fee or tax – usually a few thousand dollars – in order to receive the huge cash prize. That, of course, is the scam.

Winners International Sweepstakes

John, of Ordway, Colo., is a little different from victims picked at random. He says he enters hundreds of sweepstakes each year. Last week he says he got a call from a “Mr. Miller,” who said he was from UPS, telling him there was a package from Winners International Sweepstakes containing $25,000.

“He wanted $499.00 for this $25,000.00,” John wrote in a ConsumerAffairs post. “It was less than an hour later he calls back telling me 'I've talked to my supervisor and he's agreed that if you send us $250.00 now we can hang on to your $250,000.00;" (yes from $25,000.00 to $250.000), prize until you get us the rest the first of next month.'"

John points out this supposed UPS representative couldn't give him a tracking number. Larry, of Corpus Cristi, Tex., also had a brush with someone who said they were from Winners International Sweepstakes. Larry, the caller said, had won $2.5 million plus a brand new Mercedes Benz.

“He then stated that I would need to go to the Walgreens or CVS and get a Green Dot card and get $1,500.00 and put on the card and call him back and give him the number off the card then I could receive the sweepstakes money and the delivery of my car to my house,” Larry writes. “He said the $1,500.00 was for a government approved stamp to be put on the check. He also said when they deliver the check and car they would escort me to the bank so I could safely make the deposit. He wanted to know how quick I could do that and why I couldn't do it now. I told him I could do it tomorrow morning.”

Prepaid cards

Fortunately Larry recognized it as a scam and didn't send the man any money. In the past scammers favored Western Union or other wire transactions to receive money, but that industry has recently adopted some scam safeguards. Scammers now favor prepaid money cards like Green Dot.

Another old school scam is the government grant scam. It is very similar to the sweepstakes scam. Valerie, of Baltimore, Md., was a recent target.

“On July 17 I received a phone call stating that at random my name was picked from U.S Federal Government grant services to receive $9,000.00 dollars because I did have a criminal record,” she wrote.

Valerie said the caller had a foreign accent, suggesting she might be calling off-shore. She hung up and reported the call to law enforcement.

Melissa, of Wilmington, N.C., said she also got a call from a young male claiming to work for the “Federal Grant Program” in Washington, DC. There is, of course, no such program.

“He claimed I was selected to receive $7000.00 dollars as a reward for being a good citizen and paying my bills on time!” Melissa wrote. “Anyway he gave me three choices of receiving the money. By electronic deposit to my bank account, my bank card, or Western Union! I knew it was a scam, I gave him no personal info, and he kept repeating himself.”

Googled phone number

Melissa Googled the Washington, DC telephone number the caller gave her and found many entries warning it was associated with a scam.

Erin, of Avon, Ind., also reports getting a call from the phony “Government Grant Department” in DC. Her caller ID told her the call originated from a cell phone in North Carolina.

“The man told me I qualified for a grant of $8,500 that I could use towards anything, except alcohol or drugs,” Erin wrote. “I would never have to pay it back. He needed my bank account information or a credit card to place the funds in my account in the next 40 minutes. I asked why he couldn't send me a check. He said that they used to send checks, but some of the people weren't receiving them and got angry so they don't mail checks anymore. He said I had been chosen because I have a clean criminal background (I got an OWI in 2006), never filed bankruptcy (I did in 2011) and some other reason.”

What both of these scams have in common is an “advance fee.” In other words, the victim is enticed to pay an advance fee in order to reap a greater reward.

Fortunately, none of our five readers fell for these old school scams. Unfortunately, thousands still do, which is why they are still around.

Remember how annoying all thosee radio and TV ads used to be? Pandora, HBO and so forth have helped cut down the irritation factor but now it's the Internet that's starting to really annoy consumers.

Boarding an airliner will soon be less of a hassle for a lot of people.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says a new process it's adding will let more U.S. citizens enroll in TSA PreCheck, an expedited screening program.

Being signed up for the program allows pre-approved airline travelers to leave on their shoes, light outerwear and belt, keep their laptop in its case and their 3-1-1 compliant liquids/gels bag in a carry-on in select screening lanes.

To be eligible for TSA PreCheck, travelers had to opt-in through an airline’s frequent flier program, or be enrolled in one of CBP’s Global Entry, SENTRI or NEXUS Trusted Traveler programs. As a result, more than 12 million travelers have experienced TSA Pre-Check at 40 airports nationwide. This action will expand the availability of the program to a larger portion of traveling U.S. citizens.

The National Air Transportation Association  (NATA), an aviation lobbying organization, says the new process is a step in the right direction.

“NATA welcomes the expansion of the PreCheck program and TSA’s continuing efforts towards developing a more risk-based solution to aviation security,” said Thomas L. Hendricks, the group's president and CEO.

Online application

Starting later this year, U.S. citizens will be able to apply online and visit an enrollment site to provide identification and fingerprints. TSA will start the program at two initial enrollment sites -- Washington Dulles International Airport and Indianapolis International Airport -- with plans to expand to additional enrollment sites nationwide.

“This initiative will increase the number of U.S. citizens eligible to receive expedited screening, through TSA PreCheck,” said TSA Administrator John S. Pistole. “TSA Pre-Check enables us to focus on the travelers we know the least about, adding efficiency and effectiveness to the screening process.”

Not a freebie

The TSA Pre-Check application program requires a background check, fingerprints, and an anticipated enrollment fee of $85 for a five-year membership. Once approved, travelers will receive a Known Traveler Number (KTN) and the opportunity to go through TSA Pre-Check lanes at security checkpoints at participating airports.

That doesn't mean the end of pat-downs, though. TSA says it will always incorporate random and unpredictable security measures throughout the airport and no individual will be guaranteed expedited screening.

When you were growing up, you probably heard over and over that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

This may be why: According to a study reported in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, men who reported that they regularly skipped breakfast had a higher risk of a heart attack or fatal coronary heart disease.

Bad news for skippers

Researchers analyzed food frequency questionnaire data and tracked health outcomes for 16 years (1992-2008) on 26,902 male health professionals ages 45-82. Among the findings:

• Men who reported they skipped breakfast had a 27% higher risk of heart attack or death from coronary heart disease than those who reported they didn't.
• The men who reported not eating breakfast were younger than those who did, and were more likely to be smokers, employed full time, unmarried, less physically active and drank more alcohol.
• Men who reported eating late at night (eating after going to bed) had a 55% higher coronary heart disease risk than those who didn't. But researchers were less convinced this was a major public health concern because few men in the study reported this behavior.
• During the study, 1,572 of the men had first-time cardiac events.

"Skipping breakfast may lead to one or more risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, which may in turn lead to a heart attack over time," said Leah E. Cahill, Ph.D., study lead author and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass.

"Our study group has spent decades studying the health effects of diet quality and composition, and now this new data also suggests overall dietary habits can be important to lower risk of coronary heart disease," said Eric Rimm, Sc.D., senior author and Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School.

Breakfast benefits

Men who reported eating breakfast ate on average one more time per day than those who skipped breakfast, implying that those who abstained from breakfast were not eating additional make-up meals later in the day. Although there was some overlap between those who skipped breakfast and those who ate late at night, 76% of late-night eaters also ate breakfast, researchers said.

The study collected comprehensive questionnaire data from the participants and accounted for many important factors such as TV watching, physical activity, sleep, diet quality, alcohol intake, medical history, BMI, and social factors like whether the men worked full-time, were married, saw their doctor regularly for physical exams or smoked currently or in the past.

While the current study group was composed of men who were of 97% white European descent, the results should also apply to women and other ethnic groups, but this should be tested in additional studies, researchers said.

"Don't skip breakfast," Cahill said. "Eating breakfast is associated with a decreased risk of heart attacks. Incorporating many types of healthy foods into your breakfast is an easy way to ensure your meal provides adequate energy and a healthy balance of nutrients, such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. For example, adding nuts and chopped fruit to a bowl of whole grain cereal or steel-cut oatmeal in the morning is a great way to start the day."

Your home continues to rise in value.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) says its monthly House Price Index (HPI) rose 0.7% in May, marking the sixteenth consecutive monthly price increase in the purchase-only, seasonally adjusted index.

While the increase puts house prices up 7.3% from May of last year, the HPI is still 11.2% below its April 2007 peak and roughly the same as the January 2005 index level.

The HPI is calculated using home sales price information from mortgages either sold to or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

For the nine census divisions, monthly price changes from April to May ranged from -1.5% in the East South Central division to +1.8% in the South Atlantic division, while the 12-month changes ranged from +2.7% in the East South Central division to +15.8% in the Pacific division.

Looking ahead

The government is scheduled to release its new-home sales report for June on Wednesday morning. Analysts surveyed by Briefing.com are forecasting sales will have risen to 483,000 homes from May's total of 476,000. The report will contain the latest figures on prices as well.

Earlier this week, the National Association of Realtors reported the median price for existing homes rose in June for a sixteenth straight month.

So let's say just for argument's sake that you are HIV-positive, or perhaps you have a sexually-transmitted disease. Makes it kind of hard to find a date, no?

Ah, but there's an online dating site that caters to folks in your situation. It's called PositiveSingles.com and it lures clients by painting itself as a "warm-hearted and exclusive community for singles and friends with STDS." It also promises confidentiality.

And therein lies the problem, a class action lawsuit claims. The suit charges that PositiveSingles.com is in fact part of a vast miasma of dating sites run by SuccessfulMatch.com.

That would perhaps by OK except that user profiles are shared among the many SuccessfulMatch-affiliated sites, the suit charges, according to Courthouse News Service.

When the profiles of users from PositiveSingles show up on the other dating sites, their HIV and STD status is there for all to see, say the two plaintiffs, unidentified women from Canada and Washington state.

The PositiveSingles site promised a free -- and "fully anonymous" -- profile in a "100 percent confidential and comfortable community," according to the complaint. And the registration page assured that it would not disclose, rent or sell personally identifiable information to third parties.

The lawsuit seeks class action status. The attorney for the plaintiffs is Robert Green, of Green & Noblin, Larkspur, Calif.

Private, for-profit schools have been criticized in recent years for taking students' money and giving them a degree that has little or no value. But you can't say that about the University of Northern Virginia.

It took students' money and enabled them to get a visa that allowed them to stay in the U.S. while they got a degree in some high-tech field that would perhaps make it possible for them to get a job with the federal government or, you know, as an Edward Snowden-style federal contractor, which is what most people in Northern Virginia seem to be.

The school, home of the Fighting Commuters, had a lot of spirit but, according to state education officials, not much else. It only had four classrooms on the ground floor of an obscure office building but it managed to crank out 198 degrees over the last 15 years.

Things began to unravel when state education officials started taking a closer look at UNVA. You had to look closely, after all, since there wasn't much there, according to published reports. It failed four state inspections and lost its accreditation several years ago.

Last week, the State Council of Higher Education ordered the school to close and advised students to check with the Department of Homeland Security, which is likely to have some bad news about their visas.

Northern Virginia has a number of obscure for-profit universities that critics say make it easy for foreign nationals to get education visas and then either stay in the country illegally or pursue legal residency after getting an information technology job with a government agency or contractor.

Much has been written in recent years about the decline of the middle class in America. Another chapter was added today as the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) documented the unfair and discriminatory treatment working families receive at the hands of some major insurance companies.

The non-profit consumer organization released an analysis showing that many major auto insurers -- including GEICO, Progressive, Liberty Mutual, Farmers and American Family -- charge much higher rates to drivers with less education and lower-status jobs, even those with perfect driving records. 

 “In effect, auto insurers are discriminating on the basis of income and race.  States should prohibit the use of these demographic factors that bear no logical relation to insurer risk,” said J. Robert Hunter, CFA’s Director of Insurance, a former Texas Insurance Commissioner, and a former Federal Insurance Administrator.

Findings released

Among the findings released today by CFA:

• GEICO often charges a factory worker with a high school degree far higher annual premiums than a plant supervisor with a college degree – 45% more in Seattle ($870 vs. $599), 40% more in Hartford ($1299 vs. $926), 33% more in Oakland ($922 vs. $693), 23% more in Louisville ($2200 vs. $1791), 21% more in Chicago ($1013 vs. $840), and 20% more in Baltimore ($1971 vs. $1647).
• At GEICO, these differences would be even greater if, for education, the comparisons also included no high school degree and a graduate degree.  For example, the Baltimore factory worker would pay an annual premium of $2061 with no high school degree, an annual premium of $1971 with a high school degree, an annual premium of $1801 with a college degree, and an annual premium of $1722 with a graduate degree.
• Progressive also often charges a factory worker with a high school degree higher annual premiums than a plant supervisor with a college degree – 33% more in Baltimore ($1818 vs. $1362), 14% more in Houston ($1406 vs. $1236), 9% more in Louisville ($2390 vs. $2185), 9% more in Denver ($995 vs. $911), and 8% more in Oakland ($736 vs. $684).
• Liberty Mutual charges a high school graduate higher annual premiums than a college graduate – 13% more in Baltimore ($2116 vs. $1877), 13% more in Houston ($1373 vs. $1216), 12% more in Phoenix ($1592 vs. $1418), and 10% more in Hartford ($1913 vs. $1735).  In five other cities studied – Atlanta, Louisville, Chicago, Denver, and Seattle – Liberty’s website quoted rates for a college graduate but not for a high school graduate.
• In many cities, Farmers charges those who are neither professionals nor certain government workers five percent higher premiums.

In all of the cases cited, all factors except education and income were constant. 

“Auto insurers charge high premiums for minimal coverage to most working people, even those with perfect driving records, who live in urban areas,” said Stephen Brobeck, CFA’s Executive Director.  “Since most Americans need a car and almost all states require the purchase of auto insurance, many lower-income workers are faced with the choice of paying these high, and often unaffordable prices, or breaking the law by driving without insurance,” he added. 

CFA estimates that one-quarter to one-third of drivers with household incomes under $36,000 – 40 percent of all households – are uninsured.

There are exceptions

State Farm, Allstate, USAA, Nationwide, and Travelers apparently do not use education or occupation in their rate-making, at least in the ten states studied, CFA said.

“We commend auto insurers who are not using education and occupation in their rate-making,” said Brobeck.  “One reason insurance commissioners should address this issue is because these insurers may well feel pressured to adopt the discriminatory practices of GEICO and Progressive,” he added.

Allstate’s website did not ask for specific information about occupation but did require one to indicate whether one was employed or unemployed in many states, and in some states, to identify certain occupations such as firefighter or policeman, though it is not clear how Allstate used any of this information in rate-making.

Only in California did Travelers’ website ask for specific information about occupation, though it is not clear how the insurer uses this information in rate-making in that state.

Americans love to complain about their airlines but, believe it or not, there is some unanimity in choosing the airlines they dislike the least, if we may put it that way.

Virgin America, JetBlue and Southwest leave their old-line competitors sitting at the gate when it comes to consumer affection and loyalty, although they're not necessarily seen as more reliable -- with the notable exception of Southwest.

Fully 44% of those surveyed by E-Score said Southwest was reliable, more than twice as many as said the same for American or United. Southwest was also ranked as the most family-friendly, perhaps because of its open-seating policy, which makes it easier for families to travel together.

"The survey suggests the relatively solid loyalty scores for Virgin, JetBlue and Southwest are reflective of consumers not being nickel-and-dimed for things like bags and meals,” said Gerry Philpott, president of E-Poll Market Research.

“While only a handful of consumers feel the airlines are reliable and trustworthy, the higher scores for appeal would seem to indicate a price and convenience sensitivity,” Philpott noted.

Overall, a majority of consumers gave the U.S. airline industry a big thumbs-up on overall appeal and brand loyalty,but not for attributes such as reliability or trustworthiness.

Okay, so you've found the person you were always looking for and the two of you have embarked on a committed relationship.

In the beginning, it's a wonderful blur of romantic dinners, long strolls and meaningful conversations. 

And by the time you have a few months under your belt, it only confirms that you've picked the right partner, which makes you want to delve into the relationship even further.

But then the inevitable happens.

Uh-oh

An argument breaks out and you soon realize that your perfect union isn't so perfect after all. And although you don't argue all the time, when you do things get pretty bad with a lot of yelling and name calling.

And you wonder to yourself, "How can I communicate my frustrations without things turning into a big fight; what am I doing wrong?"

It's a question plenty of couples have.

Marriage experts Sheri and Bob Stritof, who have been married for almost 40 years and conduct marriage workshops, say it's important to let your partner know when something is bothering you because holding it in will only increase the chances of a bad fight occurring.  

Get it out there

"Don't let little things that bother you build up until one of you explodes the issue into a large fight," the couple writes. "That's not fighting fair in your marriage. If you are angry about something and don't try to talk about it with your spouse within 48 hours, let it go. Otherwise, you are not fighting fair."

If you've ever been in a relationship, then you probably know that both sexes tend to communicate very differently. Some would say that most women need to communicate in order to get rid of their frustration and most men need to get rid of their frustration before they'll communicate.

This of course can create a lot of tension in a relationship, because one person is ready to lay everything out and the other would rather retreat and sort things out mentally first.

But that difference is okay, say the Stritofs. If one person doesn't want to discuss something on the spot, you should carve out a time within the next 24 hours to revisit it. 

Relationship myth

But isn't going to bed mad a big no-no, you might ask? Shouldn't you resolve things before turning in for the night?

That's one of the biggest relationship myths, says Dr. John Gottman, the author of "The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work." He says one of the worst things you can do is force someone to discuss something when he or she isn't ready.

"The idea that it's helpful to air their grievances in the heat of the moment is probably one of the most dangerous marriage myths out there," said Gottman in a published interview. "Often nothing gets resolved -- the partners just get more and more furious."

Some may believe this piece of advice differs from what the Stritofs say about communicating your feelings on the spot, but it really isn't.

The Stritofs suggest that you simply tell your partner what's on your mind when something is bothering you. It doesn't mean that you have to have a full-on conversation about it.

And again, there will be times when the two of you will just have to go to bed mad.

The best medicine?

Dr. John Gray, author of the "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus" books, says going to bed angry could be the best medicine for an argument.

"I shock couples when I tell them it's better to go to bed angry than force a make-up before bedtime," he said. "When tensions arise in a relationship, her hormones encourage her to talk more, but his hormones are designed for fight or flight, not a good combination when both of them are already tired. It's better to let things cool off and tell your partner you want to talk about it later, even if that means in the morning."

And when you do talk about it, do your best to be specific about what's bothering you. Don't bring up things from the past or bring up something that has nothing to do with the problem at hand. 

And of course no name calling.

"Relationships really depend on a deep reservoir of affection. The best couples have that all the time and every time you make those hurtful comments it drains that a little bit," said Andrew Trees, the author of the relationship book "Decoding Love," in a TV interview.

"So over time once that withers away, it really undermines the relationship, so that makes a huge difference. And being specific gives people something to respond to. Much healthier than saying 'You're a slob or you're so lazy.' There's no answer to that. There's no good response in a fight with that.

"Where if you say I need you to pick up more around the house, that's something you can talk about," says Trees.

Winning versus losing

Probably the most common mistake that couples make when they're arguing is trying to win the argument. Experts say arguments should be kept on the relationship, not on how hurt you are.

"When you fight to win, you get wrapped up in who's right and who's wrong," writes relationship expert Dr. Laura Berman. "Your strategy is in service of yourself. You keep tally of past wrongs, missteps, and hurts." your pride or your power than about your relationship. Fighting to win is the biggest mistake couples can make. It's also the most common, especially when in the midst of a passionate argument."

A setback for sales of previously-owned homes in June.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports sales of existing homes, which includes single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, were down 1.2% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.08 million.

That's about the extent of the bad news though, as sales were still 15.2% higher than the 4.41 million-unit level posted a year ago. And we haven't even gotten to prices yet.

“Affordability conditions remain favorable in most of the country, and we’re still dealing with a large pent-up demand,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “However, higher mortgage interest rates will bite into high-cost regions of California, Hawaii and the New York City metro area market.”

The national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage, according to Freddie Mac, rose to 4.07% in June from 3.54% in May, and is the highest since October 2011 when it was also 4.07%; the rate was 3.68% in June 2012.

Total housing inventory at the end of June rose 1.9% to 2.19 million existing homes available for sale, representing a 5.2-month supply at the current sales pace. In May, it was 5.0 months. Listed inventory remains 7.6% below a year ago, when there was a 6.4-month supply. “Inventory conditions will continue to broadly favor sellers and contribute to above-normal price growth,” Yun noted.

Home prices

The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $214,200 in June, 13.5% higher than a year ago. This marks 16 consecutive months of year-over-year price increases, which last occurred from February 2005 to May 2006.

Distressed homes -- foreclosures and short sales -- made up 15% of June sales, versus 18% in May, and are the lowest share since monthly tracking began in October 2008; they were 26% in June 2012. The decline in sales of distressed homes, which typically sell at a reduced price, accounts for some of the price growth.

Eight percent of June sales were foreclosures, and 7% were short sales. Foreclosures sold for an average discount of 16% below market value in June, while short sales were discounted 13%.

Where they're selling

Existing-home sales in the Northeast declined 1.6% to an annual rate of 630,000 in June but are 16.7% above June 2012. The median price in the Northeast was $270,400, which is 6.8% above a year ago.

Sales in the Midwest were unchanged at a pace of 1.21 million, but are 17.5% higher than last year at the same time. The median price was $170,100, up 8.9% from June 2012.

In the South, existing-home sales slipped 1.5% to an annual level of 2.03 million in June but are 16.0% above June 2012. The median price in the South was $186,300, which is 13.7 percent above a year ago.

Existing-home sales in the West dipped 1.6% to a pace of 1.21 million, but are 11.0% above a year ago. With continuing supply constraints, the median price in the West was $282,000, a jump of 19.9% from June 2012.

There's nothing like a good, brisk workout to get the heart pumping. In fact, it may help it keep on pumping.

New research in the American Heart Association journal Stroke says breaking a sweat while working out regularly may reduce your risk of stroke.

Researchers followed more than 27,000 Americans -- 45 years and older -- for an average of 5.7 years. Here's what they found:

• One-third of participants reported being inactive, exercising less than once a week.
• Inactive people were 20 percent more likely to experience a stroke or mini-stroke than those who exercised at moderate to vigorous intensity (enough to break a sweat) at least four times a week.
• Among men, only those who exercised at moderate or vigorous intensity four or more times a week had a lowered stroke risk.
• Among women, the relationship between stroke and frequency of activity was less clear.

"The stroke-lowering benefits of physical activity are related to its impact on other risk factors," said Michelle McDonnell, Ph.D., study author and Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at the International Centre for Allied Health Evidence, University of South Australia. "Exercise reduces blood pressure, weight and diabetes. If exercise was a pill, you'd be taking one pill to treat four or five different conditions."

The study is the first to quantify protective effects of physical activity on stroke in a large multiracial group of men and women in the United States. And, it supports previous findings that physical inactivity is second only to high blood pressure as a risk factor for stroke.

Who they studied

Study participants were part of the Reasons for Geographic and Ethnic Differences in Stroke (the REGARDS study). They were divided relatively equally between black and white and male and female, with more people from the "Stroke Belt" states in the southeast.

The stroke belt is an area of the country where strokes are more common (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia).

The study included self-reported data on the frequency of exercise, but not how long people were physically active each day.

"We can tell you how much your stroke risk improves for each cigarette you cut out or every point you reduce your blood pressure, but we still need good studies on the amount you can reduce your risk of stroke by taking up exercise," McDonnell said.

McDonnell also noted that the weak relationship with physical activity and women observed in this study may be because women can get the benefit with less vigorous exercise such as walking, which was not the focus of this analysis.

What to do

The American Heart Association recommends healthy adults (ages 18-65) get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least five days a week, or at least 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity at least three days a week, for a total of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity.

Adults should also get at least two days a week of muscle-strengthening activities that involve all the major muscle groups.

Volcano Company is recalling all lots of Volcano Male Enhancement Liquid and Volcano Male Enhancement Capsules.

Test results revealed the Volcano Male Enhancement Liquid has been found to contain undeclared drugs used to treat male erectile dysfunction, making these products unapproved new drugs.

Volcano Company says it has not received any reports of adverse events related to this recall.

Volcano Male Enhancement Liquid is marketed as a dietary supplement for male sexual enhancement to increase desire and sexual performance and is packaged in a 2 oz. Bottle, UPC 609613859960, LOT 301, distributed from January 1, 2013, to July 2013.

Volcano Male Enhancement Capsules is packaged in a black or white round plastic pop top container with 1 capsule inside, UPC 609613859977, LOT 7455, distributed from January 1, 2013, to July 2013.

The products, distributed through the Internet, can be identified by the Volcano Male Enhancement logo displayed on the front side of product package.

Volcano Company is notifying its distributors and customers by telephone and email and is arranging for return/replacement etc. of all recalled products. Consumers/distributors/retailers who have the recalled products should stop using them and return them to place of purchase or directly to Volcano Company P.O. Box 90277, Long Beach CA, 90809. Consumers are asked to have order number or proof of purchase.

Consumers with questions can contact Volcano Company at (562) 363-5362, Monday thru Friday, from 10 am to 3 pm, PST.  

Everyone is looking for a travel deal, whether it's a cheap air fare or half-price on a four-star hotel. But don't let your search of a bargain blind you to the growing number of travel scams.

The travel industry pulls in billions of dollars each year and the cost of everything travel-associated is going up. That's a big advantage to a scammer, who knows consumers are more motivated than ever to save on a vacation.

MarkMonitor, a company that protects businesses from cyber-criminals, says the scams are growing day by day. Consumers, the company says, need to be able to recognize a bogus travel offer when and if it comes their way.

The phony ticket voucher

For example, you might be offered an airline ticket voucher – particularly a non-refundable voucher – at an unbelievably low price. But when you arrive at the airport to board your flight, you find out the voucher is a fake. Not only is your trip ruined, you're out the money you spent on your “bargain.”

Sometimes the scammer just wants your user name, password and credit card information. They use the tried and true method of phishing – sending you an email that appears to be from a legitimate travel site.

It just requires you to log in and provide your credit card information, which the scammer steals. The site might also download malicious code to your computer.

Association that doesn't exist

Watch out for this one: a website displays a well-known company logo, suggesting a corporate relationship with a brand you know and trust. It makes you less skeptical of this new company you've never heard of.

But there is no association with the well-known company. MarkMonitor says these sites could be selling anything from counterfeit luggage to tours that lead nowhere.

“Cybersquatting” is a common way of tricking consumers in search of a deal. The scammer registers a domain name that is almost identical to a well-known site, but just misspells it slightly. The consumer who misspells the domain name gets diverted to an illegitimate website.

Cybersquatted sites can post a wide variety of threats, from counterfeit products to phishing sites. They all have one goal, however, and that is to scam consumers.

What to do

MarkMonitor CEO Frederick Felman says there are a number of ways consumers can protect themselves from these schemes. For starters, pay attention to the domain name that appears in your address bar. Make sure it reflects the site you are seeking.

The site itself can be a dead give-away. Scammers aren't always good web designers. The bogus site might look professional at first glance, but look closely. A misspelled word or typo or two could identify it as a fraudulent copy. Also, a fraudster probably isn't going to bother having a privacy policy. Any legitimate site will.

Finally, be skeptical of really low prices. Yes, travel businesses do offer discounts but they don't give away the store. The old adage “if it sounds too good to be true it probably is” holds true in these cases.

Consumers spend $855 billion a year on travel and scammers are working hard to get a slice of that market. Don't let them do it at your expense.

For decades medical researchers have embarked on what seemed an impossible mission – to find a cure for cancer. In recent months the mission has appeared a bit more realistic.

Scientists say the breakthrough has come about because of an entirely new approach to battling the dread disease. For years, physicians have treated cancer externally. They've bombarded cancer cells with radiation, poisoned them with chemicals and cut them away from the body with surgery.

The results have been mixed, at best. Cancer isn't as lethal as it once was but thousands of U.S. residents die from it each year. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates there were 1.6 million new cancer cases in the U.S. in 2012 with 577,000 cancer deaths.

Arming the body's own defenses

The new approach uses the body's own immune system to attack and kill cancer cells.

Private researchers in Cambridge, England have been working with immunotherapy to treat cancer and say, to date, the results have been promising. Researchers working for Immunocore designed a therapy using the body's 'T-cells to find cancer cells and destroy them. 

T-cells are a type of lymphocytes – a type of white blood cell – that plays a key role in regulating the body's immune system. On their own T-cells don't do a very good job of distinguishing between healthy or cancerous cells. The Immunocore system basically arms the body's T-cells with a guidance system that helps them target the cancer cells.

Other cancer research is being done at Stanford Medical Center, again focusing on using the body's own tools to destroy cancer. In this case it's a protein called CD47.

An override system

Actually, CD47 is the problem. It prevents the body from destroying cancer cells. Stanford scientists, however, have discovered an antibody that acts as an override, preventing the CD47 from protecting cancer cells.

The antibody allows immune cells within the body to hunt down and kill cancer cells. Researchers say not only is it effective, it is gentler on the patient than some of the current cancer therapies.

Stanford scientists say they plan to begin clinical trials involving cancer patients next years. In the video below, the researchers elaborate on their findings so far.

A decade of work

The Stanford researchers say they have been working on this approach to cancer treatment for at least a decade, after discovering a link between cancer cells and CD47 during a study of leukemia.

In fact, this approach is already being applied to leukemia treatment. ConsumerAffairs reported last December on an experimental treatment carried out at the University of Pennsylvania.

Doctors at the University of Pennsylvania medical school extracted T-cells from 12 leukemia patients, genetically engineered them to attack cancer cells, and injected them back into the patients. The clinical trial participants, all of whom had advanced cancers, included 10 adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and two children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Two of the first three patients treated with the protocol remained healthy and in full remissions more than two years after their treatment, with the engineered cells still circulating in their bodies.

Will this kind of approach to treating leukemia prove effective with other types of cancers? Researchers at Immunocore believe it will. More importantly, so do some major drug companies, which have already signed on to support development of these treatments.

I remember having a conversation with my sister years ago about marriage. She was 28 at the time and she had that marriage itch. "I thought I would have been married by now," she said. "Like mom was."

Apparently, she was a little stressed about the whole wanting-a-husband-thing, so I reminded her that things were much different back then.

"People aren't getting married like they used to," I remember saying. And a new report released by the National Center for family and Marriage Research (NCFMR) explains why that is.

The report finds that the U.S. marriage rate is 31.1, which is the lowest it's been in 100 years. 

Dr. Susan Brown, co-director of the center, said women have way more options these days, so marriage isn't a must for them. Plus, a lot of couples want to test the waters before they get married, so they choose to stay in relationships longer.

"Marriage is no longer compulsory," said Brown. "It's just one of an array of options. Increasingly, many couples choose to cohabit and still others prefer to remain single."

Let's just wait

Stephanie Coontz, who teaches history and family studies at Evergreen State College, says a lot of people are fine with not getting married these days. And if they do get married, they'll just wait until they're much older.

"One of the things that you have to bear in mind is that 1960 was probably the most atypical year in 150 years," said Coontz in a TV interview. "The age of marriage was at an all-time low. Half of all women were married before they got out of their teens. And the rate of marriage was at an all-time high. So, what happened since then? Primarily what's driving this is the rise in the age of marriage."

Brown says people are getting married later on in life because they want to pursue more education.

"Increasingly, young adults are spending more time in school as they pursue college and advanced degrees," she said. "This tends to delay family formation -- whether childbearing, cohabitation, or marriage -- as most people aim to achieve financial security prior to starting a family."

But Coontz says just because the marriage rate is going down, it doesn't mean that people view it negatively -- it just means there are more people who are fine with being single.

And the overall flow of life has changed too, she says. There was a time that women were looked at strangely if they didn't get married. But that isn't the case anymore.

"Most people will marry in America, but most people will spend substantial portions of their adult life outside marriage," said Coontz. "It's a more fluid situation than it used to be. They will move through. They may cohabit for a while. They may get married. They may get divorced. So these are the sorts of things that our social policy and even our emotional expectation of family life have to catch up with."

Not just women

But it's not just women who aren't too excited about getting married -- a lot of men aren't excited either.

A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that only 29% of men between the ages of 18 and 34 plan to get married. Writer and researcher Suzanne Venker, who wrote a Fox News article entitled "The War on Men," said a lot of men feel today's marriage roles are too blurred, so they rather stay single.

"Men are tired," she wrote. "Tired of being told there's something fundamentally wrong with them. Tired of being told that if women aren't happy, it's men's fault."

But getting married and raising a family is still considered the most normal thing to do in the U.S., says Coontz.

"Just look at work family policies that just assume that it's only married couples who are going to have children, or just ignore the fact that signals also have responsibility for aging parents," she said.

"There are so many ways in which we are still acting as though, American families are like 1950s sitcoms, instead of the tremendous diversity."

Who was it who said, "Our long national nightmare is over? Toyota? No, but that may be how Toyota is feeling today. 

A federal district judge in California has given tentative final approval to a settlement valued at as much as $1.63 billion in the long- but not fast-running class action lawsuit claiming that recalls related to unintended sudden acceleration hurt the resale value of consumers' cars.

This is surely the first time a company has been sued for doing safety recalls instead of not doing them. It's sort of the reverse of the situation the company faced with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In December 2012, NHTSA fined Toyota $17.35 million for not reporting the safety defect soon enough. 

That $17.35 million doesn't sound like much next to $1.63 billion but it was then and still is the single highest civil penalty amount ever paid to NHTSA for violations stemming from a recall.

Massive recalls

As everyone knows by now, Toyota staged several massive recalls of about 10 million of its most popular models after consumers said the cars surged forward suddenly, sometimes resulting in accidents. Sticky accelerator pedals and misplaced floor mats were blamed.

Toyota drivers -- or, more precisely, their lawyers -- said the recalls and the problems that caused them made their cars less attractive to purchasers.

U.S. District Judge James V. Selna in Santa Ana, Calif., posted his tentative decision earlier this week, saying the settlement was "fair, adequate, and reasonable" and is expected to give final approval to the settlement as early as today.

The settlement calls for cash payments of $757 million to Toyota owners whose models were affected by the safety allegations and recalls. Another $227 million is slated to slide into lawyers' bank accounts. And $875 million will go to finance free installation of a brake-override system on many of the vehicles included in the recalls.

Not over yet

Although this is the latest, and one of the largest, settlements to come out of the Toyota saga, it is not necessarily the last.

Toyota still faces a raft of personal injury cases filed by individual consumers and their survivors, seeking compensation for the injuries they allegedly suffered because of the acceleration problem.

In an example cited by Bloomberg, trial is set to open later this month in Los Angeles in the case of a 66-year-old woan whose Toyota Camry crashed into a tree in 2009. Her family blames Toyota for the crash.

What do you look for when you shop for a laundry or kitchen appliance? If you are like the consumers in the latest J.D. Power Appliance Studies, you value performance, reliability and warranty as much as price, styling and appearance.

Warranty, in fact, appears to be gaining in importance – perhaps because consumers have had, or expect to have, problems with their appliances. Granted, ConsumerAffairs tends to hear from appliance owners only when they have a problem, but our pages have cataloged thousands of issues with all types of appliances over the years.

The J.D. Power studies of laundry and kitchen appliances measure consumer satisfaction in five categories of major home appliances: clothes washers; clothes dryers; dishwashers; cooktops/ranges/ovens; and refrigerators. Overall customer satisfaction is measured in six factors: ease of use; features; performance and reliability, including how well the appliance functions, noise level and energy efficiency; price; styling and appearance; and warranty.

Warranty

When it comes to kitchen appliances, consumers in the study said a lower cost appliance with a good warranty was of prime importance. In the laundry room, consumers placed greater importance this year on the warranty, as well as ease of use.

The studies show the length and scope of warranty contributes approximately one-tenth to overall customer satisfaction across all major appliances, which has increased by nearly two percentage points during the past three years.

"We continue to see a tightening of scores among the highest-ranked brands, which is very telling in that, although specific brands have specific strengths, in the end there are a number of brands delivering an outstanding customer experience," said Christina Cooley, director in the home improvement industries practice at J.D. Power.

"In this extremely competitive environment, brands that have already proven themselves through their products will likely be able to further differentiate through their relationships with their customers, as demonstrated through their warranty, and ultimately providing a consistent and strong value message that incorporates both the product and long-term relationship with customers," Cooley said.

Samsung

When it comes to washing machines, J.D. Power found Samsungranks highest in customer satisfaction for a fifth straight year, scoring 822 on a 1,000-point scale. While many consumers obviously may be satisfied with their Samsung washers, we tend to hear from the ones who are not.

“Purchased a Samsung washer on October 8, 2011,” writes Steve, of Charlotte, N.C., in a ConsumerAffairs post. “The enamel paint is coming off on the underneath lip of the inside of the tub. Possible manufacture defect? Samsung says, 'sorry, warranty only one year.'”

Maureen, a consumer from Texas, says she purchased a new Samsung washer and dryer in 2012.

“So far the washing machine has been repaired twice for the same problem and now the dryer is on the fritz,” she writes. “These are brand new machines purchased at around $1,000 per unit.”

LG

LG ranks highest in the J.D. Power study when it comes to dryers. LG performs particularly well in performance and reliability; ease of use; styling and appearance; features; and warranty.

But some of the consumers who have contacted ConsumerAffairs about their LG dryers say they have stopped drying.

“I contacted LG service who, after attempting to diagnose the problem, sent a service rep out on Monday,” writes Cecelia, of St. Michael, Minn. “He found the problem to be the electronics board, but he did not have a replacement. He set up a return appointment for Wednesday, but called that morning to say the part was back ordered. It is now almost one week since I was last able to dry laundry.”

Sub-Zero

In the kitchen, Sub-Zero is number one in refrigerators. ConsumerAffairs has fewer gripes about Sub-Zero refrigerators than almost any major brand, but not everyone is a satisfied customer.

“I just experienced my third, expensive major repair with my Sub-Zero refrigerator in the past eight years,” writes William, of Brentwood, Tenn. “This time it was a compressor motor for $350 including labor. Last time it was a condenser coil with about $400 for labor plus a double charge for the part. I am 70 years old and have never ever once experienced any problem with any other refrigerator.”

Not every appliance that rolls off the assembly line is going to work to perfection. However, consumer reviews can be telling. When researching appliances, consumers should look for what appear to be trends in reported problems.

J.D. Power's advice to consumers is this: shop based on your specific needs related to function and style. Don't wait until after the purchase to figure out how to use the appliance or its special features. Ask the salesperson to explain and demonstrate the appliance's functions as well as to discuss the regular maintenance required.

The airline industry has dramatically changed over the last couple of decades. There's more competition but fewer flights. Published fares have remained stable but a myriad of fees can quickly raise the cost of flying.

To maximize profitability airlines try to fly with every seat sold and to do that, they offer tickets at different prices at different times. Knowing how the system works can give consumers an edge when it comes to buying a ticket. Not knowing how the system works, on the other hand, can end up costing you money.

The first thing to know is that there is an optimal day to buy your ticket. According to a study by CheapAir.com, an online airline booking site, the fare difference between the best day to buy your airline ticket and the worst is $236. If you wait to book within seven days of the flight the spread is even wider.

The study looked at 25 million fares and determined that, on average, the best time to buy an airline ticket is 49 days in advance. However, that's just the average. There can be a huge variance depending on where you are going and when.

Like the stock market

Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, likens buying an airline ticket to investing in the stock market. You have to follow the market by checking air fares on a regular basis. Timing is everything.

“It's crazy, it's unpredictable and if you are checking frequently you are much more likely to catch it when suddenly there's a sale,” Klee said.

Airline tickets are very sensitive to supply and demand. Each flight has a finite supply of seats. The variable is the demand. When there is less demand the fares are lower. When demand goes up, so do the fares.

“Every flight probably has 10 to 15 different fares,” Klee said. “The first tickets sold are at the lowest fare and it goes up from there.”

While buying your ticket far enough in advance – but not too far – will save you money, so will flying on the right day.

When you fly matters

“Airlines generally fly the same schedules every day but there are obviously going to be some days that are more popular to fly, like Fridays and Sundays,” Klee said. “When airlines discount fares they normally target the flights that are toughest to fill up.”

Tuesdays and Wednesdays are generally the least expensive days for domestic flights and Friday and Sunday are the most expensive. Monday, Thursday, and Saturday are somewhere in the middle. According to CheapAir's study, the difference between a Tuesday flight and a Sunday flight is $29 each way on average, or $58 round trip.

When flying during the holidays, says Klee, “all bets are off.” Cheap fares are going to be almost impossible to find. It will pay to book as early as possible since the airlines will be confident they can sell every seat.

Don't forget fees

When looking at an airline's published fare, make sure you also know its fee structure. These days airlines tack on fees for bags, seat assignments and other things passengers took for granted in the past.

“For the airlines it's great because there are no taxes on them, it all goes into the airline's pocket,” Klee said.

If you are flying to or from a major city, make sure you consider flights from all area airports. Generally that will pay off by having more flights to choose from. That raises the level of competition for your ticket dollars among the airlines and can generally result in a deal. For example, when checking for flights from Washington, DC to Los Angeles, CheapAir.com shows flights leaving from all three DC area airports to the airports in the Los Angeles area.

When traveling with your family or a large group, don't expect to get a group discount. In fact, you could easily end up paying the highest fares. That's because the flight probably has a limited number of cheap tickets, which you won't get if you try to buy four or five at a time.

Klee suggests first seeking fares for the whole group to make sure the flight still has enough seats to accommodate all travelers. Next, search for tickets for just two people. If the flight still has two low-price fares left, you'll get them. Book the tickets two at a time until you the group completely booked.

“It can be tricky and it's not necessarily easy to do but it's valid, though very counter-intuitive,” Klee said.

Mix and match

Finally, don't be afraid to “mix and match” airlines. For example one airline might have the best fare going to your destination while a competitor might have the best fare on the return flight.

“You once had to buy a round-trip ticket to get any kind of a good deal,” Klee said. “Over the last five years or so airlines have gone more and more to one-way fares. The Internet has really encouraged this. That gives you the ability to book on one airline going and another coming back and not be penalized for it. In fact, to the contrary, you can often benefit from that.”

To get a good airfare Klee said it helps to stay in touch with what the airlines are charging. One way to do that is to sign up for airfare alerts. Just remember that these alerts will mostly present the cheapest fares that often come with plenty of restrictions and won't be practical in most cases.

However, they can give you an idea of what the base fare is going to be. When choosing a flight, realize that in most cases, you aren't going to get the lowest fare offered. In other words, don't be overly picky.

“If you're dead set on getting the absolute lowest possible fare you're probably not going to get it right,” Klee said.