| Volume 86 Number 7 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Do not open email attachments you do not expect or do not recognize. If you receive a notice about your account, or your order, or your bill, and you think it is an error or you may have a problem, go directly to the company's website or call them. If you get an email without a company name, ignore it.
For more general information about the law, visit my website.
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Consumer Reports' Best Tips & Tricks
For the May issue of Consumer Reports, the magazine's testers and writers compiled an incredible list of 101 savvy secrets. ABC reporter Elisabeth Leamy took a close look at the list and picked out some of her favorites.
For example:
* 3 p.m. EST Tuesday is the best time to book airfare.
* You should never use a real word as a password. Why? Because crooks can run programs to try every word in the dictionary.
* Avoid programming your GPS with your "home" address. If your car gets stolen, the thieves will know where you live.
What can you do to save money, save lives, and save your sanity?
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A Look at the Future of Online TV
How long will it be before you can stream network television live on the Internet?
In some areas, it's already possible. The company Aereo is currently expanding across the United States, offering streaming network television for a small price. However, as the company expands, networks are pushing hard to put an end to the service.
ABC is taking matters into its own hands. On Tuesday, the company officially launched the
Watch ABC app that will allow consumers to stream live network content on an iPhone or iPad.
Unfortunately, the app will only be available to consumers in the New York and Philadelphia areas. Additionally, only cable and satellite television subscribers will be able to log in to the app, even though broadcast content is available for free with an antenna.
How long will it be before live broadcast content becomes widely available on the Internet?
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FTC Issues $1.7M in Refunds for Free Government Grant Scam Victims
Were you deceived to believe that you could get free grant money from the government? Be on the lookout for a check from the Federal Trade Commission!
The FTC is issuing 80% refunds to consumers who used a variety of web-based services that claimed to streamline the process of obtaining federal grants.
Are you one of the 22,764 consumers in line for a refund? Find out now!
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Your Money
Are you planning to buy a new car?
Which is better - cash back or low APR?
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For the Lawyers
Lender who repossessed car violated bankruptcy stay.
The Second Circuit held that a car lender willfully violated the automatic stay in a Chapter 13 case by failing to return a repossessed vehicle to the debtor promptly after receiving notice of his bankruptcy petition. The court noted, “[The plaintiff] retained at least an equitable interest in the vehicle under New York law. Thus, under United States v. Whiting Pools, Inc., 462 U.S. 198 (1983), the filing of [the plaintiff’s] bankruptcy petition transformed the equitable interest into a possessory interest held by [the plaintiff’s] estate….” “We conclude that [the defendant] ‘exercised control’ over ‘property’ of [the plaintiff’s] bankruptcy estate in contravention of §362 when it failed to relinquish the vehicle promptly after it learned that a Chapter 13 petition was filed.”
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