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Clark Howard's Tips

Feb. 2, 2006

Have you heard of the NFIC — the National Fraud Information Center? It's become a great source for information about the latest scams around the world.

Repeatedly, someone drafting your checking account has become one of the favorites for thieves. Sweepstakes are another top complaint.

The average loss in a fraudulent lottery is $5,000, which is huge. The No. 2 scam is phony scholarship help.

The third most popular scam is magazine sales and callers who are "renewing" subscriptions. No. 4 is credit card offers and No. 5 is fake check scams with the average loss being about $4,000.

Advance fee loan scams are also huge, as are work-at-home schemes and lottery pools.

We've all experienced some type of phishing scam, and finally are the phony vacation offers.

Clark has talked about each of these at some point in the show, but you still need to be on the lookout.

Consumer advice courtesy of