FBI- Online Pharmacies

It couldn’t be easier—ordering prescription drugs online with a few clicks of the mouse and having them delivered right to your door, without ever having to see a doctor.

But is it safe? Is it legal?

Often not. And you need to know the risks.

Yes, there are plenty of legitimate U.S. pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies (including online ones) that follow all the laws and regulations and put public safety first.

But there are many that don’t—they are just out to make a fast buck at your expense. These shady businesses fill orders without prescriptions. They pay doctors just to take a quick glance at your brief medical questionnaire. They don’t know if you are drug-addicted, underage, or have another condition that their medications could make worse. And they don’t care.

Worse yet, the products they peddle are questionable, at best. The drugs may be way past their expiration date. They may be counterfeit, mislabeled, adulterated, or contaminated. And they may well be made from suspect raw materials in underground laboratories in the U.S. and abroad, far from the safety-conscious eyes of the Food and Drug Administration.

Part of the problem is that these illegal pharmacies are all over the Internet. More than 80,000 “portal” websites currently sell ad space for these medications and link to one of more than 1,400 “anchor” websites that allow customers to place orders through illegal pharmacies. You don’t even have to search for these offers—they often come straight to your inbox as e-mail spam, enticing you with a cornucopia of drugs on the cheap.

Are there ways to tell whether an online pharmacy is legal? Definitely, and here’s what to look for. Legitimate pharmacies:

• Require a prescription from a licensed doctor, usually by mail (if they accept a fax copy, they will always call your doctor to verify the prescription);
• Make you submit a detailed medical history;
• Clearly state their payment, privacy, and shipping fees on their sites; and
• Use secure or encrypted website connections for transactions.

Many legitimate online pharmacies are also certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy—check its website for a listing. Bear in mind, some of the larger Internet pharmacies may not be certified because of their already well-recognized names.

To help protect you, the FBI has made Internet pharmacy fraud one of its top health care fraud priorities. We work—and train—with federal investigators from our partner agencies. We also work closely with state and local law enforcement, and, because many illegal online pharmacies have global connections, we often coordinate with our overseas partners.

Just one example of a major crackdown: in August 2007, a San Diego grand jury handed down a 313-count indictment against 18 people, charging them with operating an illegal online pharmacy that netted more than $126 million over a two-year period. Incredibly, this network—which included everyone from doctors and druggists to credit card processors and affiliated websites that advertised the illegal wares—allegedly received over a million Internet orders from customers in all 50 states.

Our bottom-line advice: do your homework and steer clear of illegal Internet pharmacies, even if the prices are tempting. It’s your health, after all.

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FBI- Work at Home Scams

Everyone’s seen them—seductive work-at-home opportunities hyped in flyers tacked to telephone poles, in newspaper classifieds, in your e-mail, and all over the web, promising you hundreds or thousands of dollars a week for typing, stuffing envelopes, processing medical billing, etc. And it’s just a phone call or mouse click away… Might be tempting during these uncertain economic times, but beware of any offers that promise easy money for minimum effort—many are scams that fill the coffers of criminals. Here are a few of the most common work-at-home scams. Advance-fee: Starting a home-based business is easy! Just invest a few hundred dollars in inventory, set-up, and training materials, they say. Of course, if and when the materials do come, they are totally worthless…and you’re stuck with the bill. Counterfeit check-facilitated "mystery shopper:" You’re sent a hefty check and asked to deposit it into your bank account, then withdraw funds to shop and check out the service of local stores and wire transfer companies. You keep a small amount of the money for your “work,” but then, as instructed, mail or wire the rest to your “employer.” Sound good? One problem: the initial check was phony, and by the time your bank notifies you, your money is long gone and you’re on the hook for the counterfeit check. Pyramid schemes: You’re hired as a “distributor” and shell out big bucks for promotional materials and product inventories with little value (like get-rich quick pamphlets). You’re promised money for recruiting more distributors, so you talk friends and family into participating. The scheme grows exponentially but then falls apart—the only ones who make a profit are the criminals who started it. Unknowing involvement in criminal activity: Criminals—often located overseas—sometimes use unwitting victims to advance their operations, steal and launder money, and maintain anonymity. For example, they may “hire" you as a U.S.-based agent to receive and re-ship checks, merchandise, and solicitations to other potential victims…without you realizing it’s all a ruse that leaves no trail back to the crooks. Add identity theft to the mix. As if these schemes aren’t bad enough, many also lead to identity theft. During the application process, you’re often asked to provide personal information that can be used to steal from your bank account or establish new credit cards in your name. On the job. A host of law enforcement and regulatory agencies, including the FBI, investigate these schemes and track down those responsible. But the most effective weapon against these fraudsters is you not falling for the scams in the first place. A few tips: Contact the Better Business Bureau to determine the legitimacy of the company. Be suspicious when money is required up front for instructions or products. Don’t provide personal information when first interacting with your prospective employer. Do your own research into legitimate work-at-home opportunities, using the “Work-at-Home Sourcebook” and other resources that may be available at your local library. Ask lots of questions of potential employers—legitimate companies will have answers for you! And if you think you’ve been the victim of a work-at-home scam, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel or our Internet Crime Complaint Center.

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IIHS: New crash tests demonstrate the influence of vehicle size and weight on safety in crashes; results are relevant to fuel economy policies

In front-to-front crash tests, each involving a microcar or minicar into a midsize model from the same manufacturer, show how extra vehicle size and weight enhance occupant protection in collisions. These Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests are about the physics of car crashes, which dictate that very small cars generally can't protect people in crashes as well as bigger, heavier models.

"There are good reasons people buy minicars," says Institute president Adrian Lund. "They're more affordable, and they use less gas. But the safety trade-offs are clear from our new tests. Equally clear are the implications when it comes to fuel economy. If automakers downsize cars so their fleets use less fuel, occupant safety will be compromised. However, there are ways to serve fuel economy and safety at the same time."

The Institute didn't choose SUVs or pickup trucks, or even large cars, to pair with the micro and minis in the new crash tests. The choice of midsize cars reveals how much influence some extra size and weight can have on crash outcomes. The Institute chose pairs of 2009 models from Daimler, Honda, and Toyota because these automakers have micro and mini models that earn good frontal crashworthiness ratings, based on the Institute's offset test into a deformable barrier. Researchers rated performance in the 40 mph car-to-car tests, like the front-into-barrier tests, based on measured intrusion into the occupant compartment, forces recorded on the driver dummy, and movement of the dummy during the impact.

Laws of physics prevail: The Honda Fit, Smart Fortwo, and Toyota Yaris are good performers in the Institute's frontal offset barrier test, but all three are poor performers in the frontal collisions with midsize cars. These results reflect the laws of the physical universe, specifically principles related to force and distance.


Size and weight affect injury likelihood in all kinds of crashes. In a collision involving two vehicles that differ in size and weight, the people in the smaller, lighter vehicle will be at a disadvantage. The bigger, heavier vehicle will push the smaller, lighter one backward during the impact. This means there will be less force on the occupants of the heavier vehicle and more on the people in the lighter vehicle. Greater force means greater risk, so the likelihood of injury goes up in the smaller, lighter vehicle.

Crash statistics confirm this. The death rate in 1-3-year-old minicars in multiple-vehicle crashes during 2007 was almost twice as high as the rate in very large cars.



Some proponents of mini and small cars claim they're as safe as bigger, heavier cars. But the claims don't hold up. For example, there's a claim that the addition of safety features to the smallest cars in recent years reduces injury risk, and this is true as far as it goes. Airbags, advanced belts, electronic stability control, and other features are helping. They've been added to cars of all sizes, though, so the smallest cars still don't match the bigger cars in terms of occupant protection.

Celebrate Earth Day April 22nd

Making a few small changes in your home and yard can lead to big reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and save money. Explore our list of nine simple steps you can take around the house and yard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions:

1. Change 5 lights
   Change a light, and you help change the world. Replace the conventional bulbs in your 5 most frequently used light fixtures with bulbs that have the ENERGY STAR and you will help the environment while saving money on energy bills. If every household in the U.S. took this one simple action we would prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars.
2. Look for ENERGY STAR qualified products
   When buying new products, such as appliances for your home, get the features and performance you want AND help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Look for ENERGY STAR qualified products in more than 50 product categories, including lighting, home electronics, heating and cooling equipment and appliances.
3. Heat and cool smartly
   Simple steps like cleaning air filters regularly and having your heating and cooling equipment tuned annually by a licensed contractor can save energy and increase comfort at home, and at the same time reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When it's time to replace your old equipment, choose a high efficiency model, and make sure it is properly sized and installed.

4. Seal and insulate your home
   Sealing air leaks and adding more insulation to your home is a great do-it-yourself project. The biggest leaks are usually found in the attic and basement. If you are planning to replace windows, choose ENERGY STAR qualified windows for better performance. Forced air ducts that run through unconditioned spaces are often big energy wasters. Seal and insulate any ducts in attics and crawlspaces to improve the efficiency of your home. Not sure where to begin? A home energy auditor can also help you find air leaks, areas with poor insulation, and evaluate the over-all energy efficiency of your home. By taking these steps, you can eliminate drafts, keep your home more comfortable year round, save energy that would otherwise be wasted, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

5. Use green power
   Green power is environmentally friendly electricity that is generated from renewable energy sources such as wind and the sun. There are two ways to use green power: you can buy green power or you can modify your house to generate your own green power. Buying green power is easy, it offers a number of environmental and economic benefits over conventional electricity, including lower greenhouse gas emissions, and it helps increase clean energy supply. If you are interested, there are a number of steps you can take to create a greener home , including installing solar panels and researching incentives for renewable energy in your state .
6. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
   If there is a recycling program in your community, recycle your newspapers, beverage containers, paper and other goods. Use products in containers that can be recycled and items that can be repaired or reused. In addition, support recycling markets by buying products made from recycled materials. Reducing, reusing, and recycling in your home helps conserve energy and reduces pollution and greenhouse gases from resource extraction, manufacturing, and disposal.
7. Be green in your yard
   Use a push mower, which, unlike a gas or electric mower, consumes no fossil fuels and emits no greenhouse gases. If you do use a power mower, make sure it is a mulching mower to reduce grass clippings (PDF, 8 pp., 1.59 MB, About PDF). Composting your food and yard waste reduces the amount of garbage that you send to landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. See EPA’s GreenScapes program for tips on how to improve your lawn or garden while also benefiting the environment. Smart Landscaping can save energy, save you money and reduce your household’s greenhouse gas emissions.
8. Use water efficiently
   Saving water around the home is simple. Municipal water systems require a lot of energy to purify and distribute water to households, and saving water, especially hot water, can lower greenhouse gas emissions. Look for products with EPA's WaterSense label; these products save water and perform as well or better than their less efficient counterparts. There are also simple actions you can take to save water: Be smart when irrigating your lawn or landscape; only water when needed and do it during the coolest part of the day, early morning is best. Turn the water off while shaving or brushing teeth. Do not use your toilet as a waste basket - water is wasted with each flush. And did you know a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water per day? Repair all toilet and faucet leaks right away. See EPA's WaterSense site for more water saving tips.
9. Spread the Word
   Tell family and friends that energy efficiency is good for their homes and good for the environment because it lowers greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Tell 5 people and together we can help our homes help us all.

Energy Star Kids (April 2009)

Celebrate Earth Day April 22nd. For thousands of years our planet’s given us energy, lots of energy! But in the process, we’ve put our planet under stress and now it needs our help. If we want to keep our planet healthy, we must find better ways of getting and using energy. You can make big changes! There’s tons of stuff we can do everyday to save energy and our planet. Find out what you can do.

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Teacher Takes Students to 'club'

A school spokesman said a southwest Ohio teacher has resigned after acknowledging she accompanied four female students to a male strip club.
The teacher told administrators that the students, all cheerleaders, asked her to take them to the bar in February. The teacher told school officials in an e-mail that she got permission from the parents of the 17- and 18-year-olds to bring them to the club.


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“Where’s Smithy?”

The Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies announces the debut of “Where’s Smithy?” at its Web site www.SmithsonianEducation.org/Smithy. In this scavenger hunt and “photo challenge,” kids discover that a mischievous border collie named Smithy has run away and is at large somewhere at the Smithsonian. The object is to figure out where Smithy is and then follow him by visiting Smithsonian museums on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The player examines photos of Smithy at three Smithsonian locations. Each photo is accompanied by a cryptic clue. For example:

In a museum that’s home to a great many bones,

We prefer that all dogs come with chaperones.

The site encourages families to work on the clues together in preparation for a visit to the Institution. The Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies will send a prize—an official “Smithy Frisbee”—to players who photograph themselves at the exact spots where Smithy stood and then upload the photos they have taken to a Flickr page.

Dog lovers of all ages can explore “Where’s Smithy?” to sample some of the Smithsonian’s hundreds of dog artifacts and representations of dogs, which range from dog whistles to dogs by Whistler. Visitors to the site will find an aviator dog, a mailman dog, some mythological dogs and dogs painted by George Catlin and Mary Cassatt.

The site also includes downloadable activity pages for young children.

The Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies is the central gateway to the Smithsonian for teachers, students and families. It publishes Smithsonian in Your Classroom, a magazine for teachers that is distributed free of charge to every elementary and middle school in America. Its Webby Award-winning Web site, www.SmithsonianEducation.org, attracts 3 million visitors each year.

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read the fine print when responding to ads on Facebook

the Better Business Bureau is advising social networkers to read the fine print when responding to ads on Facebook or other social networking sites. This is because the large print doesn’t always tell the whole story. The ads for weight loss products, work-at-home opportunities and offers for 'free' computers can cost shoppers more than they bargained for in the long run.

According to Nielsen Online, social networking sites were more popular than e-mail in 2008. Facebook’s 108.3 million members spent 20.5 billion minutes on the site last year alone. Advertisers are going where the people are and eMarketer estimates that $1.3 billion will be spent on social networking advertising in 2009.

According to one BBB spokesperson. “One of the big red flags we’re seeing is ads that link to blog platforms designed to look like a personal testimonial from a satisfied customer. In our experience, if an ad takes you to a blog, it’s best to hit the back button immediately.”

In January, BBB issued a warning to consumers about online ads and Web sites that use Oprah’s name to sell acai berry supplements as weight-loss miracles. Despite the warning, these ads are still common on Facebook and MySpace and link to fake blogs such as www.jennylosesweight.com that are designed to look like testimonials of women who lost weight on the acai supplements. Recent research by the Center for Science in the Public Interest identified more than 75 different phony blogs that led to Web sites touting acai-berry supplements as a weight loss miracle.

The Fine Print: The phony blogs link to Web sites that offer a free trial of an acai supplement, and while the customer may think they only have to pay shipping, they could get billed as much as $87.13 every month if they don’t cancel before the trial period ends. The fine print also explains that the trial period begins from the moment the customer orders the supplements and not after they receive the shipment.

BBB Warns: Not only do health experts question the legitimacy of the weight loss claims linked to the acai berry, BBB has received thousands of complaints from consumers against such acai supplement companies because many were billed despite never receiving their free trial or were billed every month despite numerous attempts to cancel.

The Pitch: Learn How I Make $67,000 a Year Being a Stay-at-Home Mom!
There are many ads on Facebook that advertise ways to make easy money from home. Similar to the acai berry ads, the ads link to blogs that were supposedly created by people who made money through a work-at-home program. One such blog written by a “Sarah Roberts” claims that she added “$67,000 a year to my family’s income working 10 hours a week (that’s over $128 an hour!)” by creating Web sites that host Google ads. Another, "www.jasongetsrich.com", is ostensibly written by the newly married Jason who makes “around $5,500 to $7,000 a month from Google.”

The Fine Print: The blogs direct readers to Web sites for programs such as Internet Money Machine and Easy Google Cash where they can sign up for a seven-day trial access to information on how to make money from home. While the free trial supposedly only costs $1.95-$2.95, the individual will be charged $69.90 every month if they don’t cancel seven days from signing up. The fine print also states that the company does not give refunds.

BBB Warns: Use extreme caution when signing up for a work-at-home job or money-making opportunity online. In 2008 alone, BBB received more than 3,500 complaints from people who signed up for offers to learn how to work from home but were ultimately disappointed. Job hunters should also be aware that while some work-at-home opportunities have the word “Google” in their name and use Google’s logo on their Web sites, they are not actually affiliated with Google.




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The Weekend Gardener

Easter Lillies...just in time


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How to Choose Comfortable Walking Shoes

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Walking every day is a non stressful, easy way to stay fit and healthy. Like any activity, having the right equipment is a key to your success. This guide gives you tips for finding the most comfortable walking shoes.

Steps

1. A walker's foot hits heel first and then rolls gradually from heel-to-toe. So, you will need a flexible sole and more bend in the toe than a runner. You should be able to twist and bend the toe area. Manufacturers like New Balance and Brooks make specialized shoes for walkers.
   
2. Look for a shoe that is light weight and breathable. The last thing you want is a heavy walking shoe.
   
3. Make sure the shoe that fits properly. Be sure your foot has enough room in the toe box. There should be a thumbnails width (or about a half inch) between your toes and the end of the shoe. The shoe should be wide enough in the toe that your toes can move freely. Your heel should not slip, and the shoe should not pinch or bind, especially across the arch or ball of your foot.
   
4. Try on new shoes at the end of the day or after your walk when your feet may be slightly swollen. Also be sure to wear the same socks you will be wearing during your walks. This can make a huge difference in how the shoe fits. Try on both shoes. Your feet may not be the same size (really!).
   
5. Walk around for a few minutes on a hard surface. It is worth the effort to find the right shoe for you and it is worth spending a few extra dollars.
   
6. Wear your shoes in the house for a few days to try them out. Don't venture outdoors until you are sure the shoes are going to work for you. (If the shoes are not going to work out you will want to exchange them before scuffing them up outside.)
   
7. Keep track of how many miles you have put on your shoes, and replace them every 300 to 600 miles. (If you are wearing very light weight shoes, are overweight, or you are hard on your shoes stay toward the low end on mileage.) To extend the life of your shoes be sure to only wear them only for your walks. Also rotating two pair of shoes will give them time to "bounce back" between walks.
   
8. Keep these items in mind when purchasing your next walking shoes. Your feet and legs will thank you for it.
   

Tips

• Comfortable walking shoes can be purchased just as easily online now as in a store. If you are buying shoes online make sure that the online merchant offers free return shipping (many do) so that if you need to exchange, this won't pose a problem.
  
• If you are "a person of size" you may benefit more from purchasing shoes that are made for jogging or running. These shoes have support and padding for extra impact that an overweight walker will need to be comfortable and avoid unnecessary pain.
  
• Everyone's foot is different, but there are some universal basics.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Choose the Right Pair of Everyday Shoes
  
• How to Tie Strappy Shoes
  
• How to Stretch New Leather Shoes
  
• How to Tie Your Shoes
  
• How to Polish Shoes
  

Sources and Citations

• http://www.most-comfortable-shoes.com
  
• A consumer guide to comfortable shoes, for walking and other activities.
  
• http://www.thewalkingsite.com
  
• A walking enthusiast's site - a guide to getting started.
  
• http://walking.about.com/
  
• A guide to creating fitness through walking.
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Choose Comfortable Walking Shoes. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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What would you do if you found $357,959?

In LA, a woman found a $357,959 cashier's check. She did the honest thing to do. She returned it.

At first glance the check looked like a junk mail sweepstakes offer that was lying on the ground. The woman thought she would pick the trash up and throw it away. She then noticed it was a real cashier's check with a real signature.

"I couldn't believe it. I almost passed out," "I have never seen a check that big. Not in my possession, anyway."

She located the check's owner, who had arrived at her bank in a panic.

"I think she had walked in at the same time the bank manager called me back," "I could hear her walking up to him. and I could hear all this commotion in the background."

She never thought of keeping the check for herself, and she declined the woman's offer of a reward.

Even though she never got to meet the rightful owner,
"I just wanted to see her face," . "I just wanted to let her know that there are honest people left in this world."
amen

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Fortune Magazine's 50 Most Admired Companies

For the 50 most admired companies overall, FORTUNE's survey asked businesspeople to vote for the companies that they admired most, from any industry.

Rank	Company
1	Apple
2	Berkshire Hathaway
3	Toyota Motor
4	Google
5	Johnson & Johnson
6	Procter & Gamble
7*	FedEx
7*	Southwest Airlines
9	General Electric
10	Microsoft
11	Wal-Mart Stores
12	Coca-Cola
13	Walt Disney
14	Wells Fargo
15	Goldman Sachs Group
16	McDonald's
17	IBM
18	3M
19	Target
20	J.P. Morgan Chase
21	PepsiCo
22	Costco Wholesale
23	Nike
24	Nordstrom
25	Exxon Mobil
26	Bank of America
27	United Parcel Service
28	BMW
29	American Express
30	Hewlett-Packard
31	Cisco Systems
32	Honda Motor
33	Singapore Airlines
34	Starbucks
35	Caterpillar
36	Intel
37	Marriott International
38	Nestlé
39	Sony
40	Boeing
41	Deere
42	Nokia
43	Northwestern Mutual
44	Best Buy
45	General Mills
46	Toyota Industries
47	Lowe's
48	AT&T
49	Accenture
50	Samsung Electronics

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North Dakota and Minnesota Floods Help

For information on FEMA's activities in North Dakota, please visit North Dakota Severe Storms and Flooding from FEMA.

For information on FEMA's activities in Minnesota, please visit Minnesota Severe Storms and Flooding from FEMA.

Red River Valley Resources

• Know More: Red River Valley Flooding Resources - Where to volunteer, how to stay safe and more....
• Red River flood: Resources and links - A list of resources with information about the flooding in the Red River Valley.

Minnesota Resources

• Clay County Flood Information - From the Clay County Sheriff's Department, Clay County Highway Department.
• City of Moorhead Flood Information - Up to date information on the 2009 flood in Moorhead

North Dakota Resources

• City of Fargo Flood Information - The City of Fargo has prepared a contingency evacuation plan for residents who live within the secondary dike system.
• The "Fargo Flood" Homepage - The Fargo Flood Homepage provides access to scientific and historical information on flooding in the Fargo region. City of Grand Forks 2009 Flood Fight - Designed to help residents follow the level of the Red River in Grand Forks, ND..
• Fargo Geology - Current water levels for the Red River and its tributaries in the Fargo region
• Flood Information: Disaster Education - What to do before and after the flood, from sandbagging to sump pumps
• North Dakota State Government - State resources supporting flood fight efforts
• Federal, State, And Local Partnerships Key To Flood Fighting In North Dakota - FEMA and numerous federal and state partners are continuing to join forces to support North Dakota communities facing severe flood threats.
• Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) Floodplain Easement - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) assists landowners in restoring the hydrology and native plant communities within the easement area.
• North Dakota Water Science Center - Flood tracking charts for North Dakota and selected tributaries

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Tax Day Links from the IRS

Download forms and publications by: Form and Instruction number (PDF) Publication number (PDF) Topical index Accessible tax products All Tax Products (PDF) Previous years Tax Products (XML/SGML) Directory list of filenames View online: Tax publications Instructions for tax forms Topical index to forms and publications Order: Forms and publications by U.S. mail Tax packages Employer forms and instructions Specialty distribution program products Tax products on DVD (Pub. 1796) Purchase certain popular tax products Important Changes: What's Hot in forms and publications Highlights of Recent Tax Changes Information about: Extension forms Community based outlet program (CBOP) Tax forms outlet program (TFOP) Viewing and printing forms File formats Fill-in forms "Information only" forms Commenting on forms and publications Downloading Acrobat Reader Related web sites: State tax forms FedForms.gov Business.gov forms

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FTC- Get rid of your old Cell Phone

Permanently Removing Personal and Sensitive Information

Encrypting passwords and other sensitive data stored on your cell phone, and “locking” the keypad while your phone is not in use, can help prevent unauthorized access even after your cell phone is no longer in service. Still, certain data on your phone, including personal contacts, photos and Web search terms, may be recoverable with relatively simple and inexpensive software programs.

It’s a good idea to remove personal information before you dispose of your phone. Permanent data deletion usually requires several steps. Remove the memory or subscriber identity module (SIM) card from the phone. That’s an important first step in deleting information, but you likely will need to do more to erase all the sensitive data on your device. You can command a cell phone to delete certain data, but that will only delete the references to where the data is located; the actual information stays on the phone’s operating system.

Permanent data deletion also may require you to clear data from the phone’s contacts and other stored information. Your owner’s manual, your wireless provider’s website, or the manufacturer will likely provide information on how to permanently delete information from your mobile device (and even how to save or transfer information to a new device before deletion). Make sure that you have removed the following data: phone book, any lists of calls (received and made), voicemails, sent and received email and text messages, organizer folders, Web search history and photos.

Disposal Options

Once you have a “clean” phone, here are some options for disposing of it.

• Recycling – Cell phone manufacturers, service providers, and non-profit groups often have programs to refurbish mobile devices or recycle their components, including peripheral devices like chargers.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has information on electronic product recycling programs at www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/donate.htm.
  • The U.S. Postal Service’s free “Mail Back” pilot program allows customers to recycle small electronics and inkjet cartridges. Some 1,500 Post Offices have free envelopes so you can mail back PDAs, cell phones, digital cameras, and music players without having to pay for postage. For more information, visit www.usps.gov.
• Donating – Many organizations collect old mobile devices for charitable purposes.
• Reselling – Some individuals and organizations will buy your old mobile devices. You can find names and addresses online.
• Disposing – Keep the environment in mind when disposing of mobile devices. Cell phones contain batteries, which should not be put in your trash because they will end up in landfills where they could be harmful. Many cell phones also contain heavy metals which can contaminate the earth. The EPA recommends that you check with your local health and sanitation agencies for the proper way to dispose of electronics safely.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

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