Insurance Archives

Don’t Fall for Auto Warranty Scams

Auto warranty scams can lead to financial pain, or even disaster, for an unwary consumer. Here’s what to know about these scams and how to stay safe.

How the scams play out

In an auto warranty scam, a scammer reaches out to a target supposedly selling or offering to extend an existing warranty on their car. The scammer claims to represent the automaker or policy company and may know the exact model and make of the car. Unfortunately, though, if the driver buys or extends a warranty on their car through this call, they’ll be giving their money and information to a scammer.

Red flags

Watch for these red flags:

Robocall. When the pitch to buy a new auto warranty, or to extend an existing one, starts with an automatic message, you’re dealing with a scam.
Extend now! Pressured to buy an extended warranty for your vehicle? Probably a scammer.
How about some ad-bombing? If you keep running into the same ad on every site and social media platform, it’s quite possibly a scam.

Plus shipping and handling. If the alleged representative selling the extended auto warranty starts asking you to pay any processing fee, or even a down payment, before providing real details, hang up and block the number.
Restricted callers only. If your Caller ID is showing “private number” or “restricted,” you are likely being called by a scammer.

Protect yourself

First, never share personal information with an unverified contact while on any platform. Next, if you’d like to purchase a new policy or extend the one you have, reach out directly to an auto warranty company. Finally, if you are constantly getting ad-bombed and robocalled for illegitimate offers, mark the email as spam/or and block the number.

If you’ve been targeted

Take quick steps to mitigate the damage. Do not engage with the scammer, and report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Lastly, close any accounts that may have been compromised and consider a credit freeze, if warranted.

Stay safe!

Your Complete Guide to Homeowners Insurance

Q: I’m taking out a homeowners insurance policy on my new home. What do I need to know?

A: Homeowners insurance is designed to protect you and your family members from liability and cover your home, plus possessions, in the event of disaster or theft.

What kinds of plans are available for homeowners insurance?

Here are the most common types of homeowners insurance plans:

HO-2 – A policy that only protects against 16 specified perils.

HO-3 – A broad policy that protects against all perils other than those excluded in the policy.

HO-5 – A premium policy that usually protects newer homes and covers all perils except the few excluded in the policy.

HO-6 – Insurance for co-ops/condominiums, which includes personal property coverage and liability coverage.

Each plan type will also include some extent of liability coverage.

Are all catastrophes covered by insurance?

Most policies will only cover events if they are sudden and accidental. Some natural disasters, like earthquakes and floods, require a separate policy for coverage.

Should I choose a plan with a lower deductible?

A lower deductible means your insurance coverage will kick in sooner, but you’ll also have a higher premium. When choosing a plan, find one offering a deductible you can comfortably afford along with the lowest possible premium. Your Financial Institution may have a maximum amount allowed for your deductible.

Will my insurance cover all of my belongings?

Every policy will have a cap on payouts, and there are also sub-limits at play. For example, an insured dwelling that’s valued at $400,000 will typically have a 50% sub-limit. In case of a major catastrophe, the insured will only receive up to $200,000 in payouts.

Most policies will also have a replacement cap on specific items. If you own valuables, like pricey jewelry, firearms and artwork, consider purchasing a rider to separately cover these items.

Should I choose a replacement-cost plan or an actual cash-value plan?

A replacement-cost plan will pay for the full cost of replacing a damaged dwelling or your belongings up to a predetermined cap. An actual cash-value plan, on the other hand, will only offer payouts to cover what the damaged item was worth at the time of the disaster.

A replacement-cost plan offers more robust coverage, but the premiums can be a lot higher. The perfect plan for you depends on your financial standing, the value of your home and belongings, and the price you put on peace of mind.

Will all of my claims be honored?

For your claims to be honored, your property and home must be well-maintained. Be careful to take the necessary measures to ensure that your home is in excellent condition.

Should I use the insurance company my lender recommends?

You’re under no obligation to use the company your lender recommends. It’s best to get at least three different quotes before making a decision.

Tips for Recent Homebuyers

Becoming a homeowner is a major milestone. There’s a thrill in owning your own place, and you’ve got a new, large investment to maintain. Successful homebuyers are those who can perfectly balance that new freedom and responsibility.

There are several upcoming firsts for recent homebuyers. Check out these common homeowner situations, and you’ll be prepared for a possible setback.

1. Something major breaks

As a renter, if the refrigerator breaks, the landlord repairs it. In contrast, when something like an appliance or major system breaks in your home, you’ll be responsible to fix it.

If you’re counting on homeowner’s insurance or a home warranty to cover you, check your policies carefully. Most home warranties end at the walls of your house, and insurance won’t cover damage outside of a disaster. If your home needs significant work, you’ll probably be covering the costs yourself.

Consider practicing self-insurance. Start a home repair and renovation fund, and build major expenses into your monthly budget. These expenses become manageable when spread out over the course of several months. Expect to spend 1-4% of the value of your home in repairs and maintenance annually.

2. Costs increase

When considering a budget in your new location, housing costs aren’t the only thing likely to increase. If you’re moving from a smaller apartment into a larger home, utility costs will rise. If you’re moving into an older house, appliances won’t run as efficiently.

Additionally, transportation costs may rise if you’ve moved further away from work. A larger kitchen might encourage more cooking and entertaining, increasing the grocery budget. Lawn maintenance costs may appear on your budget for the first time.

During your first month as a homeowner, document your new living expenses so you can budget for them properly. If, after a month, you see that your expenses are too high, you’ll have an idea about where you can make cuts.

3. Tax bills come due

Property taxes can wreak havoc on your budget. While many mortgage companies include these costs in your regular mortgage payment, other homeowners are responsible to pay them at tax time. If that’s the case for you, it’s important to determine what your tax bill might look like.

The U.S. average property tax bill is under $3,000, or $250 per month. Here also, setting the expense aside monthly instead of paying it in one shot makes it manageable.

4. Maintenance requirements increase

There are dozens of things around the house, such as smoke alarms and toilet bowl seats, that decay with time. Some of these objects can damage your house if they don’t work properly.

Make a list of chores that need to be done monthly, weekly or annually. Keep a spreadsheet so you know the last time maintenance was performed on major items in your home. As always, it’s a good idea to fix little problems before they turn into big ones.

What School Doesn’t Teach You About Money

With the new school year either here or just around the corner, it’s time to fill your shopping carts with No. 2 pencils, protractors and all the goodies the kids will lose by the second day of school. If they’re headed off to college, it can be even more exciting. But, instead of needing you to replace their pens on day two, your college-aged child will probably be calling to ask for money by then.

It’s such a ritual that, at this point, many of us don’t really question it. But how much do our kids actually know about money? You might want to only include the lessons you taught them, because their school probably didn’t teach them much at all.

Common core and other national guidelines don’t include requirements for teaching budgeting skills, how to balance a checkbook, or even explanations of basic concepts such as credit, loans or mortgages. Basically, the last time your children learned about money at school, it probably involved finding out how many apples and oranges they could buy in some middle school math word problem.

We talked to some credit union members about the lessons they want to pass on to their kids, and below you’ll find some of our favorite lessons to teach your kids.

Pay yourself first

No one else is going to make you a financial priority, so don’t make them your financial priority.

If you want to know if you can afford something, check your budget. When you have to check your checking account, you can’t afford it.

If you reconcile your accounts every month, you’ll have a pretty good idea how much is actually in each account. Plan ahead. Make a budget. Execute the plan by sticking to that budget.

Take risks while you’re young

You can afford to be more aggressive with your retirement and college funds while you have plenty of time to make it back up, so don’t be afraid to push those funds a little bit. That said, not saving for retirement is not a risk. It’s just a bad idea.

Make sure the Joneses are keeping up with you

It’s easy to get lost trying to compete with your peers and almost as easy to ignore those consumer pressures entirely. But what about the third option? Instead of ignoring their financial situation, check in every now and then to see if they need help. Our communities are better when we care about each other.

Whether your kids are in diapers or their kids are wearing them, it’s never too early or too late to teach financial literacy. Make sure you’re instilling the right lessons, and check back in with Olean Area Federal Credit Union, because we’ve always got plenty of resources for young people to learn the lessons they aren’t getting in math class.

Always in
your corner.

Category: Insurance