Nickel and dimed

Do you feel like you are being nipped at on all sides when it comes to money? If so, that's because you are.

According to my local Better Business Bureau, consumers nationwide are reporting mysterious charges on their credit card statements. These charges, generally not more than 25 cents, are coming from “Adele Services” in New York, a company that is not registered anywhere in Mississippi, where I hail from.

“Consumers can easily overlook charges of such an insignificant amount,” said Bill Moak, President/CEO of the Mississippi BBB. "Although they may be intended to rip off tiny amounts from tons of people, they could also lead to a larger problem if the charges are actually an attempt to validate the credit card account before making much larger charges. In other words, if a consumer easily overlooks these charges then it may be likely that they will overlook subsequent charges as well."

There is not an apparent way that the credit card account numbers are getting into the hands of the scammers. Consumer advocates say most likely it is by data theft or simply the use of a computer to generate account numbers.

“Take a look at your credit card statements and don’t let any such erroneous charges slide by," Moak said. "It’s what the thieves want you to do."

Fraudulent charges should be disputed with your credit card company and a complaint can be made to the Federal Trade Commission FTC) at www.ftc.gov.