The Savvy Consumer: How to Avoid Scams and Ripoffs That Cost You Time and Money (Capital Ideas)

Every month Elisabeth Leamy gets hundreds of consumer calls on her tip line at the Washington DC affiliate of Fox News. Consumers call in after losing hundreds or thousands of dollars to car dealers, mechanics, contractors, movers--you name it! As an investigative reporter Elisabeth has delved into all the scams and now puts what she has learned into this invaluable resource. The Savvy Consumer shows readers how to spar with car salesmen, how to avoid paying crooked mechanics, and ways to bargain down closing costs when you buy a house. Elisabeth explains how to keep a mover from holding your belongings hostage and what your rights are if you’re a renter. She reveals the single step that makes collection agents go away and easy ways you can instantly improve your credit score. Want to find unclaimed money? Bid for bargains at a government auction? Want to make telemarketers stop calling and junk mail stop coming? What are the most common scams and how can you avoid them? It’s all in The Savvy Consumer, along with more than a hundred other topics. Elisabeth educates readers by sharing anecdotes about real consumers and their struggles. She explains the signs to look out for, the questions to ask, how to do your homework, and where to complain. There are hundreds of books about making money. This book is about keeping your hard-earned cash.

Elisabeth Leamy is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning consumer and investigative reporter for WTTG, the Fox station in Washington DC. Her reports air ten times a week and have resulted in arrests, new city laws, and Congressional inquiries. Elisabeth holds a bachelors degree from The University of California at Berkeley and a masters degree in journalism from Northwestern University. She lives with her husband in the Washington, DC area.