The phony e-mail asks the receiver to send money, via Money Bookers, to a personal Yahoo e-mail address.

“Anytime something that’s so catastrophic that affects the world, something is going to come up,” said Better Business Bureau President & CEO Dale Mingilton.

The Better Business Bureau recommends always going directly to an organization’s website, versus using a link in an e-mail. They also recommend taking a good look at the site before donating.

Visit CBSNews.com for the latest on the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

“Why would the British Red Cross be raising money in America for a Japanese incident? So, there’s usually something that triggers a red flag and we want people to pay attention to that,” said American Red Cross Chief Communications Officer Jim Rettew.

The BBB warns the Red Cross scam is just beginning. In the days and weeks after Hurricane Katrina, the FBI reported more than 4,000 new websites for organizations. Some were legitimate, some were not.

“Our message is this. If you are unsure of a source of a solicitation e-mail, just call us,” said Rettew.

Link: Ways To Help

Those interested in working for IKEA can apply now online. The company said those who want to apply don’t necessarily need to know anything about furniture to work in the store, because of the vast array of items available.

(credit: CBS)

“IKEA Centennial will have about 400 jobs that range anywhere from customer service to sales, foodservice, warehouse, replenishment, even playland supervisors to actually help take care of the children ,” said IKEA spokesman Joseph Roth.

Some other positions posted online include interior decorators, graphic designers, visual merchandisers and carpenters.

IKEA is offering both full and part-time positions. Those employees who work 20 hours a week do earn health benefits.

Additional Resources
IKEA Careers

CBS4′s Consumer Reporter Jodi Brooks takes a look at the latest statistics and explains why there’s more to the job outlook than the numbers. Watch her report above.

Even people who have never shopped at Saks before were loading up on the deals. There are some not-so-fancy file cabinets on sale, and naked mannequins must go too.

“These chairs are $25,” Cynthia Petrus with Saks Fifth Avenue told CBS4′s Suzanne McCarroll.

The store’s fixtures are also for sale. And then there are $19 bras. Customers who seldom if ever shopped Saks are stocking up this week.

“I don’t know anybody who wouldn’t like the prices better now, because it’s the same quality merchandise for a lot less,” a customer said. “But it’s sad to see Saks go.”

The designer clothes with the fancy labels are at bargain basement prices since the doors close for good in just a week and a half.

“We’re selling out to the walls, we’re liquidating everything,” Petrus said.

If that theory is true, what Americans are sipping these days suggests the economy is getting stronger.

“It’s pretty recession proof because people drink when they’re down and they drink when they’re celebrating good times,” Brian Daily with Lowry Liquors said.

But what they drink changes, according to the public’s perceived state of the economy.

“As the economy has turned around, a little more confident about job security, so I’m graduating up if you will in my wine buying; more flavor from my wine every time,” a wine customer said.

And he’s not drinking alone.

“My taste hasn’t changed but the budget has,” another customer said. “I feel less inhibition buying the wines that I used to buy that are a little more pricey.”

Apparently as people whined about the economy they were still drinking. But now they’re toasting what is perceived as the higher peaks of the economy with better wines.

Wine store owners say wines from Spain, Argentina and Chile became more popular during the recession because they’re tasty and inexpensive.

CBS4′s Kathy Walsh found a few places offering freebies. Watch her story below.

LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4) – Making healthier choices when going to the grocery store is getting easier. Safeway stores in Colorado have two new ways to help shoppers. One is the simple nutrition shelf tags and the other is one-on-one tours with a pharmacist.

Safeway pharmacist Christy Harmon took CBS4 on one of the tours that teach customers about the food they’re buying.

“We can customize these tours to really any group,” said Kris Staaf, Safeway Director of Public Relations.

“I want to show you what are considered the super foods for someone with diabetes,” Harmon said.

She took CBS4 on the tour specific to someone with diabetes, showing super foods and dietary recommendations by the American Diabetes Association.

“Citrus fruits are your very first super food,” Harmon explained.

During our tour Harmon covered as follows:

– citrus fruit

– berries

– tomatoes

– leafy green vegetables

– sweet potatoes

– nuts

– yogurt

– beans

– seafood

– whole wheat bread

Harmon talked about the nutritional benefits of each of the super foods and how they play into a diabetic diet. The one-on-one time is great for getting answers to specific questions and sharing healthy tips.

“It’s a win/win, both for the pharmacy, for the store, and for the customer,” Staaf added.

During the tour, Harmon was quick to point out Safeway’s new SimpleNutrition shelf tag system. Green tags on the shelves mark food products as “sodium smart,” “gluten free,” or “organic.” There are 22 categories in all and thousands of tags all over the store.

“We think that customers have a lot of choices and are looking to make healthy decisions,” Staaf explained.

The tags offer a quick reference for shoppers to help them navigate a variety of nutrition obstacles.

Safeway employees will be talking about these programs at the American Diabetes Association EXPO on Saturday. EXPO runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Colorado Convention Center.

– Written for the Web by CBS4 Special Projects Producer Libby Smith

DENVER (CBS4) – A series of Internet scams have recently started preying on many Coloradans who are unemployed.

Such people are a very vulnerable group and often when they get an email requesting an interview, they can’t respond fast enough.

But remember, if something seems suspicious, trust yourself because not everything appears as it seems.

“All I want is a job,” said Jerry Dionisio.

It’s the same with Donna Price.

“It’s really difficult finding a job out there,” she said.

Both Price and Dionisio use Craigslist to search for jobs. They’ve had similar situations with drastically different outcomes.

“I didn’t give them any information,” said Price.

And Dionisio did.

“I should have never ever answered this email because now my life is in jeopardy with this. I mean they have the address to my house, they have my cell phone number, they have everything. They could wreck me,” Dionisio said.

Dionisio answered a “Lock Master” ad on Craigslist by sending his resume.

“I heard back two days later, and it was a little fishy,” he said.

The email he received had a lot of funny dashes and dots. It asked Dionisio to submit an online application, and halfway through the application was a request to run a credit check. He admits, reluctantly, that he continued.

“I filled out the credit report, and of course you gave your Social Security number, date of birth, your credit card, you needed a credit card to authenticate that I could go ahead and purchase this,” Dionisio said.

When he finished the application, he got a bad feeling.

He searched the Secretary of State’s website and DORA, Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies, for information about the company.

“There’s nothing listed anywhere,” he said.

Now he’s panicked. He has called his bank, canceled his credit cards and put acredit watch on his credit reports.

“I’m kicking myself because I answered this email,” Dionisio said.

On the other hand, Donna Price trusted her gut.

“I got out when I saw I had to pay some money before I could go any further,” she said.

Remember, when applying to a company online, at the very least verify the address and get a local phone number.

Additional Resources

The website Scam Checker has the scam Price and Dionisio were sent listed as a scam in cities all around the country.

If you go to WhoIs.com you’ll find that the company Jerry Dionisio responded to has a domain name that’s registered in Moscow — todsemanagement.com — and it was just created Feb. 17, 2011.

At ic3.gov, an FBI website, you can file a complaint and look out for other online scams.

DENVER (CBS4) – Whenever making a big purchase chances are the customer is bombarded with offers for extended warranties. But many consumers who pay a lot get little or nothing but paperwork.

A $14,000 entertainment center is Bob Yori’s pride and joy. He likes to watch sports, but his wife Ros prefers a good love story. But the story of the extended warranty they purchased for $1,100 is a sad tale.

“I heard Ultimate was going out of business and they promised me half my cash back if I warranted all my products, so I did,” Yori said.

Now instead of getting $550 back on his unit. He won’t get a penny because the company is going out of business. He has all the paperwork so CBS4 called Ultimate Electronics and were told customers holding the warranties are out of luck.

“Spent your money for nothing,” Yori said.

Warranties are a good idea when purchasing something with a lot of intricate electrical features on it. But Andrew Popek with Sears says a better option than extended warranties can be a protection plan which offers regular maintenance on a purchase.

“You get a free maintenance so once a year we’ll check up on the project,” Popek said.

Most experts say next time Yori should stick with the manufacturer’s warranty that comes with a product. Be wary of paying extra unless certain that there is a product maintenance package that comes with it.

The 203K loan is a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) product that’s named after the section of the Federal code that creates it. It’s HUD’s primary program for helping homeowners pay for rehabilitation and repair of single family properties.

Colorado mortgage lenders say the loan is becoming more popular as home buyers look at buying bank-owned or other properties that need major repairs.

“After buying a house, your bank account could be depleted a little bit so then where do you get the money for that,” said Ray Williams, branch manager of Summit Home Mortgage, Inc.

Caleb and Brianna Weiss are doing major renovations to their new house. They bought a 1920s bungalow in Denver that was in desperate need of updating.

“You could see the character through the things that needed to be updated,” Brianna Weiss told CBS4.

Construction crews knocked out walls, tore the kitchen down to bare bones and even tossed out the basement floor. When the work is done, there will be a brand new bedroom with bath in the basement, a completely new kitchen and a more modern master suite. The couple are financing the renovations through a 203K mortgage. They’re allowed to get up to $35,000 for construction costs.

“We feel more like we’re making money than we’re spending money,” Caleb commented.

The repair money is rolled into the amount of the loan, making it apart of the monthly mortgage payment. It’s important to make sure that you’ll be able to afford the final monthly payment. FHA rules for the loan also require that the home buyer have bids for the work before closing, permits pulled, and inspections done for each aspect of the work. The mortgage lender manages the money from an escrow account. Right now, FHA rules say that only primary residents are eligible for 203K Loans, but any homeowner can qualify. Some homeowners are refinancing into these loans in order to pay for renovations that will add value to their homes.

“For the average homeowner, it absolutely gives them enough money for what they need so the house is what they want it to be,” Williams added.

Andrew Martin used a 203K loan to turn his condo into what he wanted it to be. He put in a brand new kitchen and two new bathrooms.

“I was looking for a place where I could go through and pick out all the fixtures and really make it my own,” Martin told CBS4.

After 3 weeks of work, he’s enjoying fun fixtures and brand new appliances. Pictures show the water damaged rooms he faced when he bought the place.

“Without that loan I wouldn’t have been able to put any money into the place,” Martin added.

“If you can do it now and be done in 60 days and have the finishes you want that home becomes much more comfortable to you and more often than not there’s added equity,” Williams said.

HUD has extensive information about the 203K Loan on its website.

– Written for the Web by CBS4 Special Projects Producer Libby Smith