New York, U.S.A. — Cyber Monday has emerged in recent years as a convenient way to get great holiday shopping deals from the comfort of your home and avoid having to brave the crowds on Black Friday or rise before daybreak to save money on those must-have gifts.

However, buyer beware. Scams abound online, and Cyber Monday is a time to be particularly vigilant about protecting yourself from becoming a victim of online theft. AARP’s consumer expert, Sid Kirchheimer offers tips on how to shop safely at home on Cyber Monday.

Surfing for gifts in cyberspace can be risky, courtesy of copycat websites that shoppers sometimes visit inadvertently after typing the name of that sought-after item into a search engine.

Although legitimate online retailers pop up on the screen, so do “cybersquatters,” bogus businesses that steal or alter the Internet addresses of well-known companies to launch copycat sites.

Some are simply fronts for scammers to collect shoppers’ credit card numbers. Others actually sell things, but their “incredible deals,” if delivered at all, are usually poorly made knockoffs.

How to Shop Safely Online

• When you click through to a website, carefully read the domain name — the Internet address — that appears at the top of your browser. Beware of any site whose name has even the slightest change from a legitimate online retailer’s — extra words or letters, misspellings — and anything but the usual .com or .org ending.
• Make sure that addresses of ordering pages always begin with “https://” instead of “http://.” The “s” means it is secure.
• Pay attention to disclosures at the bottom of the page. Most legitimate online retailers have a “Contact Us” page with a phone number and physical address, and a “Terms and Conditions” link detailing return policies and such. Bogus websites may lack these pages or have them but not tell you what you need to know.
• Avoid any website that doesn’t provide a physical address, which you can verify by looking up the company on the Internet, or a phone number. Scam sites often allow only for e-mail correspondence, which makes for better hiding in cyberspace. If a phone number is listed, call it to ensure it’s not a fax machine or voicemail with no live operator — two more red flags for a potential scam.
• Watch for “scammer grammar.” Although legitimate retailers may not moonlight for Webster’s dictionary, their websites tend to be absent of the frequent misspellings and grammatical errors of the websites, ads and e-mail of scammers, who are often foreigners with poor command of English or fly-by-nights with little time to spell-check while trying to stay one step ahead of the law.
• Reject any requests for wire transfer payment. It’s the quickest way to lose money, especially if it’s sent overseas. Legit online retailers accept credit cards, which offer you more protection than debit transactions if you need to dispute payment.
• Don’t believe sob stories. Beware of “act now” offers that tell you the seller is a soldier needing cash for possessions before deploying to a war zone or a recent divorcee wanting to unload her former husband’s belongings. These tactics are often bait to empty your wallet; the items typically don’t exist.
• Research the prices. Similar items typically fall into a general price range. If one being offered to you falls way below that range, you need to ask yourself why. The usual answer: Scammers use ridiculously low prices to lure consumers into a bogus bargain.
• Be on guard at online auctions. Lost the winning bid on eBay or another auction website? Don’t be taken in by follow-up e-mails offering the same deal. Scammers often cruise online auction sites to pounce on losing bidders and direct them away from those secure buying environments.

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Washington, U.S.A. – Memo to Experienced Workers: AARP is offering a unique new way to advance yourself in today’s tight job market with Work Reimagined, a social network based experienced worker jobs program that connects employers seeking experienced workers with qualified professionals searching for new or more satisfying careers. The site (www.workreimagined.org) will leverage the platform of professional networking site, LinkedIn.

AARP President Rob Romasco announced the multi-pronged Work Reimagined online initiative today, outlining some of the key elements, which include:

• original and curated content with advice and insights relevant to experienced workers in today’s job market, and
• access to current job openings with the nearly 120 employers who have taken the Work Reimagined pledge, publicly committing to treat all employees equally regardless of age.

“Work Reimagined enables experienced workers to come together in a vibrant online community to share your views and help move through ‘what’s next’ career moments,” said Romasco. “It opens the way for access to workforce resources, as well as the opportunity to connect with other experienced workers in a peer-to-peer environment.”

The dynamic nature of Work Reimagined is demonstrated by the decision by dozens of forward-looking employers with at least some immediate hiring needs to sign a pledge to recruit across a level playing field when considering experienced workers. These firms are looking for the strong work ethic, maturity, and customer orientation that experienced workers bring to their jobs.

Employers who sign the pledge agree that they have:

• Openness to the value of experienced workers;
• Nondiscriminatory HR policies;
• At least some immediate hiring needs at the time of pledge signing.

With the integration of LinkedIn information, qualified workers are put together in the same space with employers who value those workers.

“Over the past decade, the digital world has transformed how most people look for a job,” said Romasco. “Today, Work Reimagined harnesses the power of social media to offer great opportunities for experienced professionals to connect, to access information and resources, and to leverage their professional network in their pursuit of more fulfilling work and career.”

Work Reimagined also offers job listings independent of LinkedIn, as well as articles, columns, tips and tools to help people navigate today’s workplace.

“This service is especially valuable in the face of a difficult economy that has found many professionals unemployed for, in many cases, a year or more,” Romasco added.

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Washington, U.S.A. — In an exclusive interview with AARP The Magazine, Hollywood legends Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones discuss the often taboo subject of mid-life sexuality. It’s the theme or their new movie, the highly anticipated ‘ Hope Springs,’ which focuses on a couple embarking on an entertaining yet poignant adventure to regain their sexual passion. The indomitable icons speak about their upcoming project, finally learning to live for the moment and why “nobody can tell [them] anything.”

The following are excerpts from the upcoming AARP The Magazine cover story featuring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones, available in homes today and online at www.aarp.org/magazine.

On being “bored” in a relationship:

Streep: “If you’re bored with somebody, it’s because you’re bored with yourself. If you have a problem with somebody, often it’s something in yourself.”

Jones: “I always told my children when they whined….Only the boring are bored.”

On finding passion at any age:

Streep: “I find the older I get, the more intense my appetite for living and for appreciating life gets…You realize you’ve got just seconds.”

Jones: “I don’t do anything that is not fun. I just don’t do it. I’m a hedonist.”

On making marriage work:

Streep: “You live through all sorts of stuff when you’re in a long marriage: real highs and lows, and things that strain—and solidify—your relationship.”

On their fellow sexegenarians:

Streep: “I don’t think it’s unusual for my friends and people my age [to feel the way I do]. I only see bored 20-year-olds. I don’t see any bored 60-year-olds.”

On what drew them to ‘Hope Springs’:

Streep: “I like things that seem like they have a problem…Built into it was something really funny but lodged in something very real.”

Jones: “At long last, I had a chance to work with Meryl, so there was no question in my mind that I wanted to do it.”

On their prolific careers:

Streep: “I think there’s not a sell-by date on actors…But you also understand what a crapshoot it is and how serendipity plays a huge part. It’s not a piece of cake by any means.”

Jones: “I’ve been lucky and happy. I’ve made some bad movies. And I really enjoyed it!”

On passing the acting torch to their children:

Streep: “I’m delighted that we can share some things and that I have some experience that can be of comfort to her.”

Jones: “It makes you feel good when your kids choose to do the thing that you do even as much as you come home and complain about it.”

On endlessly pursuing their passions:

Streep: “I like everything. There’s just not anything I don’t like to do. That’s the problem. It means I’m very distractible.”

Jones: “I like being a director, and I’m never going to stop being an actor.”

The complete interview can be found online now at www.aarp.org/magazine.

Image Courtesy of   cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com

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The filing deadline for candidates planning to run for office in Idaho is looming, and Idahoans will know who to expect on the ballot come May 15, 2012.  What they may not know is where those candidates stand on key issues, such as financial security and other pocketbook concerns. AARP Idaho plans to change that.

As candidates gear up to start hitting the campaign trail, AARP Idaho announced its first-ever statewide effort to help the most powerful voting group in the state, the 50+ and the public learn the candidates’ positions on some key issues before the primary. The effort will be marked with the debut of AARP primary voter guides for every state legislative race as well as the Governor’s and Lt. Governor’s races. This will be the first time the Association has done voter guides for primary elections in the Gem State.

In the 2010 Idaho primary, voters age 50 and older accounted for an astounding 73% of all votes cast – nearly 3 out of every 4 voters were 50+.

For the voter guides, AARP will ask the candidates their positions on critical issues, such as how they will work to help consumers have a stronger voice when utility rate hikes are proposed; what they plan to do to address long-term care and aging issues in Idaho; how they will help the increasing number of Idahoans who struggle to pay for health insurance; and what they will do to help improve the state’s economy to put people back to work.

“AARP will work to engage our members, Idaho’s 50+, and the public this primary season, giving them a new tool to learn where the candidates stand on issues that matter to many voters,” said Angela Cortez, interim State Director for AARP in Idaho.  “Idaho’s 50+ are the strongest voice and voting group in primary elections in Idaho and across the nation, and we want to make sure candidates are addressing their issues.”

AARP will work across the state to engage its members and the public this election season, meeting with members in person, on-line and via phone to discuss the issues and distribute the voter guides.  Starting in early May, the voter guides will be available, to the public.  As part of the efforts, AARP will also work to let voters know about changes in the voting process, such as the new closed Republican primaries and voter identification requirements.

“It’s important that voters have nonpartisan tools and resources to help cut through the rhetoric and noise to get the facts they need on the issues they care about,” said Cortez.

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/IdahoGOP

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Utility company projects often mean one thing for consumers: Higher rates.  Yet in most cases, consumers have no idea of the impact the project could have on their monthly bills until it’s too late.   That may soon change in Idaho and consumers could be armed with better information to fight unfair rate hikes.  AARP Idaho announced its support for the move.

A new bill, House Bill 554, introduced at the Idaho statehouse calls for utility companies to disclose the projected costs of major investments up front, so the public would know how much monthly bills could be affected.  The effort to “shine the light” on Idaho electric companies’ expenditures is being sponsored by Representative Marc Gibbs (R-Grace) and could provide consumers with a better glimpse into the murky waters of rate hikes and a stronger chance to fight them.

AARP is supporting the legislation because it would include the projected cost to consumers as a consideration when utilities plan for major expenditures.

“On the heels of recent electric rate hikes across Idaho, consumers, particularly those on limited incomes such as the 50+, are struggling and quite frankly a bit upset that their electric bills keep climbing,” said Angela Cortez, Interim State Director for AARP in Idaho. “Right now it seems utility companies hold all the cards when it comes to information on their projects that’ll cause rates to climb. This changes the game a bit in favor of the consumer and that’s the right move.  AARP commends Rep. Gibbs for moving this issue forward.”

The legislation will require the electric company to fully disclose the anticipated impact of large capital expenditures on rates during the planning process, as opposed to afterwards.  By providing the information upfront, the measure would better allow the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to make informed decisions during the planning process, and give consumers a better opportunity to evaluate projects that could result in future  rate hikes.

“At the end of the day utility issues come down to what effect they’ll have on Idahoans kitchen table economies, and AARP stands in support of efforts to ensure rate hikes are fair and justified,” Cortez said. “AARP will work with other stakeholders on this issue, including the PUC utilities and other customer groups, to ensure this legislation is as strong as it needs to be to level the playing field for all Idaho consumers.”

AARP Idaho also is gearing up for another utility issue fight over the creation of a utility consumer advocate office to represent consumers in utility rate hike and regulatory cases. Idaho is currently the only state in the West (and one of a handful nationwide) lacking such an office.  With more than 40 percent of the state’s 50+ reporting difficulty paying their utility bills, this issue is AARP Idaho’s top legislative priority.

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The holidays mean food, family, and friends for many Illinoisans, but it also means snow, sleet, ice, and fog on the roads for travelers. No matter how many years of driving experience you have under your belt, winter weather never fails to present a wide variety of challenges.

“Understanding how to drive safely in harsh weather conditions can protect you, your passengers and your vehicle,” said Bob Gallo, AARP Illinois State Director. ”Like many Illinoisans, I will be traveling this holiday season as well – and I definitely plan to take a few moments to review these tips and hope others do as well so we can all arrive at our destinations safely.”

AARP offers the following tips for staying safe on winter roads:

1. Winterize your vehicle to make sure your brakes, wipers, defroster, headlights and heater are all working properly.
2. Stop gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
3. Turn on your headlights to increase your visibility to other motorists, and keep your lights clean and free of ice or debris.
4. In unfavorable driving conditions, reduce your speed and increase the distance between your car and the one in front of you. Remember that it takes more time to stop on icy roads.
5. Stay alert. Look ahead to give yourself more time to react safely to situations without suddenly braking or skidding.
6. Before driving, clear all snow and ice from your vehicle’s hood, windows and roof.
7. Use snow or all-season tires or chains for better traction and smoother slowing. Remember that even with snow tires, you should use extra caution while driving in inclement weather — no tires allow you to drive on snow or ice at normal speeds.
8. Take extra precautions on bridges, overpasses, and shaded areas, which can freeze first, and remain icy longer than roadways. A road on which ice and snow are completely frozen is pretty slippery, even though it provides more traction than a road with melting ice.
9. In wet driving conditions, do not drive faster than the windshield wipers can clear water from the windshield. Make sure your wiper blades are in good shape, and replace them yearly.
10. Equip your car with emergency supplies, such as blankets, food, water, spare fuses, a flashlight with batteries, an ice scraper, flares and a first-aid kit.

Changing seasons bring new and different driving conditions, so consider registering for a driver-improvement course, such as the classroom or online courses offered by the AARP Driver Safety Program (www.aarp.org/driversafety) to learn valuable safety tips to keep you and your passengers safe all year round.

Huguette Roe / Shutterstock.com

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