Here’s a clue to spot fake email addresses and web pages. While studying a recent scam in the publishing world (a man was stealing unpublished manuscripts) I learned something. Scammers can throw you off by creating an email address or a website with the letters “rn” in place of an “m.” As an example, the word home is changed to horne. It looks close enough that you may not notice. See how easy it is to get fooled?
Thanks to readers who informed The Watchdog that the Texas Real Estate Commission no longer handles complaints about home warranty companies. That task now belongs to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which has even created an ombudsman job to assist consumers with claims delays or denials.
A decimal point makes a difference. The Watchdog salutes Roger May who filed a complaint with the (p)ublic Utility Commission that is quite telling. He wants the state-run PowerToChoose.org electricity shopping website to display an additional decimal point for the price of a kilowatt hour when comparing electricity companies’ price offers.
Follow this: May signed up for 10.9 cents a kWh, but he learned it’s actually 10.94 cents. It’s rounded down to 10.9 when, he says, it should be rounded up to 11.0 cents, a more accurate price when he’s shopping. Adding that extra decimal point will make the price more accurate, he told regulators. It’s a good idea, which means the electricity companies won’t stand for it.
My heart is broken. On a…
