Beware of 'free' Bahamas trips and other questionable offers

This is a consumer advice column written by the Better Business Bureau of Northern Indiana. It appears Thursdays in Business.

This list is current as of July 31. Readers should take into consideration the importance of the practice in question and the total performance of the company. For complete information, please visit www.bbb.org.

•“Ms. Harris created a fictitious private vehicle sale on Craigslist for a 2005 Toyota Corolla.” This quote was taken directly from a consumer. The source isn't being referenced for privacy reasons. Here's the story:

“Part of this out-of-state sale was for me to send her $1,934 via Western Union to an eBay Buyers Protection middle person, (Mr. Rickey Saxton of Hamilton, IN.) She emailed me an almost professional-looking eBay Motors Protection Plan (Transaction VPP# 86F8LT14WEM8), but I noticed that the sender was ebaybuyerprotection@gmail.com. This was not an eBay email. After a little internet search, I discovered another person that was taken by this same Internet scam. I never completed the transaction but would like to make BBB aware of this Internet scam so they can alert other consumers.”

•Microsoft does not make house calls to remove viruses. A consumer reported having received a call from Microsoft 35 Technical Department. The agent (Nick) informed her that she had more than 1,000 viruses on her computer and that it was their job to protect her. Nick further stated that his call was a security checkup, that they never send email, and cannot give their number out because the secretary could not identify callers. Further, if he wasn't allowed to remove the viruses right now, her computer would crash and shut down. Then, anyone could get into it, crash it, and steal her personal information. She was smart enough to know it was a scam. Microsoft does not make house calls to remove viruses. If you need viruses removed, visit a reputable company that specializes in computer-virus removal.

•Supplementary insurance for Medicare. If you are receiving calls from any company representative claiming that they provide supplementary insurance for Medicare and then proceed to ask for your check routing number, you can be sure that the caller has bad intentions. Even if the caller doesn’t ask for financial details, insist paperwork be mailed to you so you can be sure who or what company is calling you.