As the summer travel season heats up, you might be planning a trip with your family—including Fluffy. Over two million pets and other live animals are transported by air every year in the United States. If you’re traveling abroad, you’ll need to meet the animal health requirements of the country you’re visiting. Before getting on the plane, these tips will help make traveling with your pet safe and enjoyable.

1. Ask your airline about requirements for and restrictions on traveling with a pet. Check with your airline to find out if they allow pets in the passenger cabin. If you can’t bring your furry friend on your flight as checked or carry-on baggage, you might be able to ship your pet as cargo. Also, you’ll likely have to provide a certificate from a veterinarian stating that your pet is in good health. However, airlines may not require health certificates for service animals used by people with disabilities.
2. Make sure you bring an approved kennel. The kennel for a carry-on pet must fit under the seat in front of you, and your airline will likely require your pet to stay in the kennel during the flight and in the airport. You’ll want to de-clutter your pet’s kennel before you get to the airport, in case TSA agents need to do a physical inspection of your pet’s carrier.
3. Carry a leash. Whether you need to walk Fido through a metal detector, or carry him through, bringing a leash can help keep your animal under control in the busy airport environment.
4. Consider your pet’s comfort. Traveling, particularly loading or unloading, can be stressful for an animal, so you shouldconsider your pet’s comfort. Try feeding your pet a light meal two hours before getting to the airport. Walk your pet before leaving for the airport, and again before checking in. While you should leave the sedatives at home, if you’re thinking about giving your pet something to help it sleep easier on the trip, always check with your veterinarian first.

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source: https://www.usa.gov/

You may have heard about the rise of virtual currency. This digital money can be used like traditional money—to purchase goods or services, usually online, or it can be exchanged for other virtual or traditional currencies such as the U.S. dollar. As with any new product, technology, or innovation, virtual currencies have the potential to attract both increased fraud and high-risk investment opportunities. If you’re thinking about investing in virtual currencies, here are five important things to consider from USA.gov:

1. High risk of fraud – Scammers target virtual currency investors with promises of high returns, fake opportunities, and other schemes. If fraud or theft takes place, you have limited recovery options. Learn how to avoid investment fraud.
2. Unregulated – There are no laws in place to protect investors. The currencies, issuers, and exchanges are not regulated by any government. In addition, the funds are not insured from loss if the exchange shuts down or if the value plummets.
3. Fluctuating value – The value of virtual currencies can change dramatically—even in just one day.
4. Security concerns – Virtual currency exchanges may stop operating or permanently shut down as a result of fraud, technical glitches, hackers, or malware. Virtual currencies also may be stolen by hackers.
5. IRS treats virtual currencies as property – Virtual currencies are considered property for federal tax purposes. As a result, general tax principles that apply to property transactions apply to transactions using virtual currency.

If you encounter a problem with virtual currency products and services, you can submit a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). And you can report a problem concerning virtual currency investments to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

source: https://www.usa.gov/

For the majority of Americans who plan to take a vacation, attend a concert, or work on their home or garden this summer, this season comes with its own unique consumer challenges. Here are the top five scams and frauds to be alert for this time of year:

1. Don’t buy gas additives that claim to increase fuel mileage. Even though gas prices go up in the summer, the Environmental Protection Agency has not found any product that significantly improves gas mileage, and some could damage a car’s engine or increase exhaust emissions.
2. Unlicensed home repair or landscaping contractors may come to your door to offer services. Always research contractors, pay for services upon completion–not ahead of time– and consider using a signed contract outlining the work to be done and the exact price.
3. Interested in a summer concert or festival? If you buy tickets from a major vendor, remember surcharges and additional fees may be tacked onto the listed price. Some venues require the same credit card used to purchase tickets be presented when the tickets are picked up, so if you’re buying tickets for someone as a gift, they may have difficulty getting them at will-call.
4. When renting a beach or lake house for vacation, make sure the property actually exists. Do your homework before paying– check out the owner or rental company, consult maps and read the lease carefully. Pay with an online payment service or a credit card so you can dispute the charges if something goes wrong.
5. When flying, make sure you’re aware of the airline’s baggage charges and their policy when it comes to bumping passengers. A lot of airlines “bump” depending on how late you checked in, so check in ASAP!

For more advice on protecting your money, order the Consumer Action Handbook.

source: https://www.usa.gov/

A primary component of using social media is connecting with friends. Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of this in order to steal your identity. Known as “farcing,” these scams start when you receive a friend request from someone who supposedly shares mutual friends with you.

Once you accept the request the scammers search your online profile to collect personal data about you, such as your hometown, schools you attended, employers, siblings, and vacation spots. They often go a step further by contacting you directly through the site’s direct messaging feature to ask more questions about you, based on the information you’ve already posted. After you have accepted their request, they continue their scheme by sending friend requests to your friends, and then their friends.

Take these steps to protect your social media identity:

• Use the privacy settings on social media websites to manage who can access your profile.
• If you get a friend request from someone you don’t know, don’t accept it. If you are interested in accepting it, ask the mutual friends that you supposedly have in common who the person is. If they can’t give you definite answers about the person, ignore the request.
• Be cautious if you receive direct messages from new friends that request details or your personal information.
• Notify the website if your profile has been hacked or images have been stolen.

For more tips to avoid Internet scams in general, check out the online safety information.