2008: The Year in Rip-Offs

It hasn’t been an easy year to be a consumer. The stock market melted down, home equity shrank and strapped companies cut costs, leaving millions jobless. Conditions like those leave some people particularly vulnerable to bad deals, rip-offs and outright scams—of which there were plenty. (And as we learned with the recent allegations about Bernard Madoff’s hedge fund, not even the super-wealthy are immune.)

Here’s a look back at the year in rip-offs—and what you can do to avoid them:

Equity Stripping: Signing Away a House

Distressed homeowners were easy prey for con artists during 2008. Fearing foreclosure, folks were susceptible to pitches that promised them easy solutions to stay in their homes. Among the most popular cons were so-called equity-stripping scams. One common scenario involved con artists, who posed as mortgage brokers, would promise troubled homeowners they could stay in their homes while repairing their credit — if, that is, they temporarily signed over the deeds to their homes. Homeowners would be told they could rent their homes back for free, and then in a year buy back the property.

In the meantime, the fraudsters would borrow against the value in the home, stripping the property of any equity built up over the years. Because the illegitimate companies rarely kept up with mortgage payments, consumers targeted in these scams were likely to lose their homes altogether. Some of the other scams under this umbrella included mortgage-related bankruptcy schemes. In June, the Federal Bureau of Investigations announced the results of a massive investigation that included more than 400 defendants nationwide for crimes that accounted for $1 billion in losses.

Loan-Modification Fraud: Mortgage “Help” That Hurts

A less publicized homeowner rip-off is the fraudulent loan modification scheme. So-called mortgage counselors promised to lower interest rates and sometimes even reduce the principal on a loan so consumers could afford to stay in their homes. Unlike legitimate loan-modification services, these rip-offs required the consumer to pay an upfront fee – usually in the range of $500 to $1,500. Once the fee is paid, the scammers take off, leaving the homeowner to deal with the original mortgage terms.

Legitimate loan-modification services exist, but they do not charge an upfront fee for negotiating with lenders. Instead they typically charge a percentage of the loan value upon successfully completing a negotiation for better terms with the lender. Homeowners can also seek to modify the terms on a mortgage for free by contacting the lender directly or reaching out to a legitimate housing counselor. The Hope Now Alliance (888-995-HOPE) provides referrals to counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Read our story for more on fake mortgage fixers.

Stimulus Check Cons: Another Take on Identity Theft

During 2008 Uncle Sam sought to give the economy a boost by mailing out economic stimulus checks to taxpayers. Even before the tax rebates had been approved by the Senate, identity thieves had started calling consumers. The ploy: Posing as a representative from the IRS, the scammer insists that the consumer provide their Social Security numbers, bank account information and credit card numbers in order to receive the money. The goal, of course, is to clean out consumers’ bank accounts, run up charges on existing credit cards and apply for new loans and credit accounts under the victims’ names.

If you ever receive a phone call or email from someone claiming to represent the IRS, hang up. The IRS already has your personal information and only contacts taxpayers by mail.

Credit Cards: Raising Rates While Interest Benchmarks Plunge

As the economy faltered, many consumers started spending less — and some started having a tough time paying off their existing debt. That translated to revenue shortfalls at credit card issuers. So issuers tried to make up for lost revenue by raising the interest rates they charge — even though outside the world of credit cards, interest rates were dropping as the Federal Reserve cut benchmark rates. Many issuers also decreased credit limits for some customers, cutting consumers off from funds at a sensitive time. And since the credit card industry is loosely regulated, consumers had no choices but to pay more. The good news is that regulators have finally stepped in with plans to curb some of the most abusive credit card practices, including retroactive interest rate increases and interest charges on debts that have already been paid off. But the new rules won’t go in effect until July 2010.

Airline Fees: Now Everything Costs Extra

As the price of jet fuel took off during the first half of the year and cut into airline profits, carriers looked for new ways to make money off customers. They started charging fliers for everything from baggage to frequent flier mile redemptions. AirTran went so far as to charge customers $20 for an exit row seat. And Spirit assessed folks who wanted to request a seat: $15 for one by a window, $10 for an aisle and $5 for the middle.

Now the price of oil has plummeted, but guess what? The airline fees are still here. When shopping around for airline tickets, make sure to factor in all the extra charges and costs.

Fuel Surcharges: Pay More When Oil Goes Up — Then Keep Paying

It was bad enough that consumers got crushed filling their tanks last summer as unleaded hit a staggering $4.11 a gallon. But they also got hit at the airport, the florist and even when they got their kitchen sink fixed, as businesses across a number of industries tacked on fuel surcharges.

Then the price of oil started to drop – by November prices had fallen by as much as 50% -- but the extra fees stuck. Now that oil is officially 77% lower than its July peak, many of the surcharges are gone, but in some cases, customers are still paying more. Many airlines and cruises, for example, have simply shifted the fees into their regular ticket prices. Read more about the fuel surcharges here.