Hints From Heloise

Jul 11, 2023

JULY 29 PET PAL — JAY II

SOUNDING OFF ON COMPUTER SCAMS

Today’s Sound Off concerns a new scam making the rounds:

Dear Heloise: I opened my computer this afternoon and found an online bill from a well-known computer repair company. It had my name and address on it and listed computer parts that needed to be replaced, as well as the hours of labor that were put in to repair the computer. The problem was that I never sent my computer in for repairs. In fact, it’s brand-new (I’ve had it for seven months) and works beautifully.

I’ve never had to use the company that billed me for repairs because my son can repair any problems I have with a computer, so I knew this had to be a mistake. I called the number on this fake bill and got a man who threatened me with legal action if I didn’t pay this bogus bill of over $656 within 24 hours. I told him to go ahead and sue because they were just low-life scammers and wouldn’t dare take legal action.

I called my attorney and told her what had happened, and she said to ignore them. Apparently, she had other clients who were going through the same thing, and it was clearly a scam.

It seems like there are so many people out there these days who try to cheat people out of money — and some who have taken lifetime savings from the elderly. It’s especially important to read all of our mail, even if it looks like junk mail. We shouldn’t let anyone threaten us if we call to question a bill for something we didn’t order or a service we never received.

The older a person is, the more likely they’ll be targeted by scammers. A scammer will assume we won’t remember if we had something repaired or replaced, so save all your receipts. If possible, in a notebook or on a wall calendar, make notes of tax payments and monthly bills with the amount and date of payment, along with the confirmation number. — Loretta M., Garland, Texas

SEND A GREAT HINT TO:

Heloise

P.O. Box 795001

San Antonio, TX 78279-5001

Fax: 1-210-HELOISE

Email: [email protected]

MORE USES FOR CONDITIONER

If you want to save money, buy a big bottle of cheap hair conditioner and use it for more than just your hair. Try a few of these:

— Apply to your legs and underarms before shaving.

— Use on a finger when a ring is stuck and won’t come off.

— Apply around your nails as a cuticle conditioner.

— Coat outdoor tools, then wipe off excess to keep them from rusting.

— Coat your hands with conditioner before you put on gardening gloves.

CLEANING HAIR DRYERS

Dear Heloise: First, let me thank you for your years of hints. I’ve used so many of them, but today I have a hint for you and your readers. My handheld hair dryer had a lot of lint stuck in the air intake screen, and it made me nervous to think it might cause a fire.

I tried to pick out the lint, but finally ended up grabbing a wet cotton swab and running it across the air intake screen. It removed the lint without any hassle. — Claudia F., Daytona Beach, Florida

Claudia, just make sure your hair dryer is unplugged when you use that wet cotton swab. — Heloise

JULY 29 PET PAL

Dear Heloise: This is our 13-year-old cat, Jay II, who is very curious about everything. When we started camping in our RV, we did not hesitate to bring him along.

He investigated every inch of the RV and decided that sitting on the counter gave him the best advantage for looking out every window, so he would not miss any birds, chipmunks, or squirrels that dared to come near the camper. Take care. — Roger and Nancy Soucy, Epping, New Hampshire

Readers, to see Jay II and our other Pet Pals, go to Heloise.com and click on “Pet of the Week.”

Do you have a furry friend to share with our readers? Send a photo and a brief description to [email protected]. — Heloise

©2023 by King Features Syndicate Inc.

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