Radio Smart Talk: Consumer tips; What can PA Home Show tell us about the economy?

Radio Smart Talk for Wednesday, March 6:

Scam artists never seem to lack imagination.  Those trying to steal your money or identity always come up with new ideas on how to do it.  It almost makes one wonder what they could do if they used their creativity to help people instead.

Two scams that aren't new are being resurrected in Pennsylvania.

One is the jury duty scam.  The target receives a phone call from a person claiming to work in law enforcement, who says the target was summoned for jury duty but didn't show up.  The caller then asked for personal information, including a social security number, and maybe even credit card numbers.  The target often becomes a victim because they don't want to be a lawbreaker and is intimidated into providing the information.

The second is the Mystery Shopper scam.  In this one, a person answers an ad to make money mystery shopping -- a job testing products and services.  Sometimes, the scammer says cash should be sent through Western Union to test their services or money has to be paid for fees and licenses in order to be a mystery shopper.  Both are scams.

Renowned consumer advocate Mary Bach will appear on Wednesday's Radio Smart Talk to discuss these and other scams and offer some money-saving tips.

Also, the Pennsylvania Home Show runs through Sunday at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.  We'll hear from Craig Deimler from Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Harrisburg on whether an economy that soured largely on a housing bubble is showing signs of making a comeback.