Minnesota Consumer Rights Blog

When a company gives you a mortgage, you may feel happy and grateful. You feel like they have done you a favor. You needed the loan to buy your dream home, and they agreed to help you out.

It's fine to feel excited about getting the house, but that's not really how a mortgage works. The reality is that they sold you a product. By the time you get done paying it off, they're going to make a lot of money.

When a company considers hiring you, they run a background check. When a landlord considers letting you lease a commercial or residential space, they do the same thing. That background check lets them know if you have been truthful with them, if you are actually qualified and if they can trust you.

But can you trust the background check?

If you slip behind on your car payments, it won't be long before you hear from your lender. At that point, it's critical to do your part in working out an agreement that allows you to keep your vehicle.

Depending on the circumstances, there may come a point when your lender decides to move forward with repossession. If that happens, your vehicle is at risk of being towed away at any point.

In today's world, shopping online is second nature for most people. Not only is it convenient, but it also provides access to the largest selection at the best possible price.

Unfortunately, when you shop online, you'll always have concerns about credit card fraud. Even though there are scammers out there hoping to take advantage of you, there are plenty of steps you can take to protect yourself. It all starts with understanding the most common scams:

• Fake website: It sounds hard to believe, but some criminals set up fake shopping websites with the sole idea of stealing credit card information from unsuspecting consumers. If you don't have 100% confidence that an online store is legit, it's best to move on.
• Phishing scam: This often comes in the form of an email, with a scammer making the message appear as if it's coming from your credit card issuer or bank. When you click the link to learn more and share your information, the criminal now has everything they need to access your account.
• Ad scams: These scams are growing in popularity thanks to the billions of people who regularly use social media platforms. For example, a scammer may post a convincing Facebook Ad for a product or service that doesn't exist. After you pay, the "seller" disappears forever.