| Volume 138 Number 1 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
The current scam against small businesses involves “selling” equipment and having the business pay for it through a “lease.” Be careful before you sign any lease agreement. Do not sign a form with any blanks, and carefully read everything. If the goods are never delivered or are defective, you may still have to pay the lease. Click here for more.
Three scams that target seniors
(1) The grandparent scam: a young sounding scammer calls an elderly person, calls them “grandpa” or “grandma,” and hopes the victim will give them a name. The scammer pretends to be a grandchild in distress, usually in a minor scrape with the law. The scammer pleads with the victim not to call the parents, but instead to wire money to pay a fire or post bail. (2) The 419 email scam: this scam targets generous and goodhearted individuals, with a scammer pretending to someone who needs help – and money – to come to the United States.(3) The phony bank employee scam: elderly residents have received calls from someone pretending to be an employee of a bank. The victim is told their debit or credit card account has been hacked and that the bank will send someone to their house to pick up the compromised card. While the scammer has the victim on the phone, he tries to learn to card's PIN. Click here for more.
Your Money
3 times you shouldn’t ask for a raise: (1) you haven’t had a positive review or recent wins; (2) you’re unprepared to back up your ask. If you think your pay doesn’t match what you’re worth, research the average base salary for your role, according to your location and industry. Being vague about wanting to earn “more” is less effective than making a reasonable request for a salary increase; and (3) the company is financially strapped. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Job applicant failed to demonstrate that he suffered injury to establish standing under the U.S. Supreme Court's Spokeo decision. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the lower court decision finding the plaintiff didn’t have standing because he couldn’t establish concrete informational or privacy injuries. Nor could he show an appreciable risk of harm based on statutory violation allegations as required under Spokeo. Groshek v. Time Warner Cable Inc. (7th Cir 2017) Click here for more.