Nevada Consumer Myths

These are my five favorite consumer myths as heard from Nevada residents.

Myth one. No one can take money out of my checking or savings account unless I authorize it. Yes they can, and yes they do. Once a scam artist has your account number, he has access to your money. It may not be as convenient to the scam artist as stealing your credit card number but it works. And it is harder for you to recover your money. Most credit card companies now offer protection against identity theft and the unauthorized use of your credit card. Be very careful. When you receive a call from what is supposed to be your bank and they want to confirm your bank account numbers, do not give them any information, hang up. This is the number one way scam artists get Nevada resident's bank account numbers.

Myth two. When I contribute to a charity over the phone the money is used for that charitable purpose. Charitable organizations are not obligated to spend a certain percentage of their income on stated charitable purposes. Charities hire professional fund raisers who take their cut off the top. Most calls for charity donations are from paid solicitors. If you want to donate, mail your check directly to the charity.

Myth three. I have a better chance of winning a prize if I buy one or more of the magazines being offered. It's illegal for sweepstakes promotions to require any type of purchase of payment. Entrants who do not purchase magazines must be given the same chance of winning as those who do make purchases.

Myth four. All the advertisements I see or read must be accurate or they wouldn't be in a newspaper or on television. There is no government requirement that advertisements be submitted to any agency for advance review. By law, it is the advertisers that are responsible for making true statements and claims in their ads. The media outlets are not required by the government to verify those ads. Hence the work at home ads that promise large returns if only you send in a small advance fee. The government and the media know that these ads are usually rip-offs but the government doesn't stop the media from publishing them and the media doesn't stop accepting their money to run the ads.

Myth five. Construction workers are buried in Hoover dam. OK, this isn't a consumer myth but it is one of the longest lasting Nevada myths, my favorite, and one believed by nearly every tourist visiting the dam. The story goes like this. The worker falls in the concrete while it is being poured and is unable to get out. The concrete keeps pouring in and the boss says continue on. The worker is entombed forever. According to records, 96 workers actually did die on the job at Hoover dam. None were entombed. The forms used for pouring concrete were really quite shallow. If you fell in, all you had to do was stand up and your head would be above the level of the concrete. If the concrete wasn't poured this way, it wouldn't cure correctly and the dam would have fallen down by now.