| Volume 127 Number 10 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Do you want to learn more about your legal rights? More than 50,000 people have attended the free classes of the People’s Law School. The next session will be held at the University of Houston Law Center on Saturday, October 1st. Click here for more.
College Student Spends $1,762 in Gift Cards on IRS Scam
Beginning on her first day of college, Maggie Passino, received several phone calls demanding her to pay the IRS or else she would be thrown in jail. The caller claimed to be from the IRS and had her personal information. Passino was terrified of being arrested because it could affect her financial aid. She was harassed so much by the phone calls that she purchased $1,762 in iTunes gifts cards at a local grocery store as demanded by the IRS scammer. Retailers and banks try to train their cashiers to watch for signs that their customers are victims of fraud. However, the fraud is usually not detected by the retailer as was the case with Passino. Click here for more.
Your Money
Fall season is officially here and with it comes holiday expenses. Save as much money as you can by knowing when to spend. Before September is over, you can still take advantage of last minute back to school sales on computers. October is the month to buy a car, because dealerships have to get rid of older models, including used cars, to make room for the new ones. November has great deals on Black Friday. So you do not become overwhelm with sales that seem to be steals, make a list ahead of time so you don't get dazzled by low prices on things you don't need. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Arbitration designating NAF as forum unenforceable. Plaintiff signed an arbitration agreement providing that any disputes between her and her payday lender would be resolved by arbitration before the National Arbitration Forum (NAF). When plaintiff tried to take her case to arbitration, however, NAF refused to accept it pursuant to a consent decree that prohibited NAF from accepting consumer arbitrations. The Second Circuit agreed with the district court that the arbitration agreement contemplated arbitration only before NAF and thus affirmed the district court's decision declining to compel arbitration before a different arbitrator. Moss v. First Premier Bank (2nd Cir. 2016). Click here for more.