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It can be hard to resist a phone call from a charity seeking desperately needed funds for flood victims, endangered species, or the homeless. A postcard claiming you have won a prize if you'll just call and send in an "administrative fee." Or an investment offer giving you an "exclusive chance to earn potentially enormous profits.

Experts estimate that consumers lose more than $100 billion annually to a broad assortment of frauds, cons and scams. Fraudulent telemarketing and direct mail appeals account for $40 billion of this total.

Alarmingly, the elderly are a major target for con artists, especially phony fundraisers or bogus investment and insurance schemes. Whether they are widowed and lonely, eager to help others or merely intrigued by a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, increasing numbers of older Americans are falling for sophisticated and slick appeals that can wind up costing them thousands of dollars, not to mention untold anguish and stress.

Taking your money is the number one goal of scamming. Many concoct their cons just to get a credit card number so they can go on a spending spree financed by Y-O-U. Other will bill you incredible sums for merely calling them to find out more. And still more want a check or cash as soon as possibly - by overnight delivery, by wire or even courier - so they have your money before you have them figured out. 

Among one of the major scams are postcard sweepstakes offers. In a recent pole, 30% of Americans said they had responded to such mailings, sometimes sending hundreds of dollars to "register" for seemingly fabulous prizes or trips. 

False charities are another popular consumer con. Telephone trouble makers claiming to represent everyone from police officers to the disabled take advantage of American's generosity to the tune of billions of dollars every year. Adding to the problem is an array of fraudulent appeals - in newspaper ads, on television and by mail - about business and investment opportunities, vacation homes, and even "miracle cures" for everything from baldness to cancer.

What can you do:

• If a caller asks for your credit card, bank account or social security number to verify a free vacation, a prize, or gift, say "NO" and hang up.
• If you are calling a 900 number in response to an advertisement or something you received in the mail, make sure you know all the charges up front.
• Before you agree to support a charity that calls seeking money, ask for written information about its finances and programs.

If you feel you've been conned, call the police or Better Business Bureau. Remember: consumer fraud is a crime. And last but not least, remember that an offer that sounds too good to be true, probably is.

HOME SECURITY

A small investment of time and money can make your home more secure and can reduce your chances of being a victim of burglary, assault or vandalism.

Get to know your neighbors. Watchful neighbors who look out for you as well as themselves are a front line defense against crime.

Check the Locks

In almost half of all residential burglaries, thieves walk through an unlocked door or crawl through an unlocked window. Check the following:

• Make sure every external door has a deadbolt.
• Secure sliding glass doors with commercially available locks or broom handles.
• Secure double-hung windows by sliding a bolt or nail through a hole drilled at a downward angle in each top corner of the inside sash and partway through the outside sash. Secure basement windows as well.
• Don't hide keys in mailboxes or under doormats. Give an extra key to  neighbor you trust.
• If you have moved into a new house or apartment, re-key the locks.

Check the Doors

Locks aren't as effective if they are installed on flimsy doors.

• Make sure all exterior doors are solid wood or metal
• Doors should fit tightly in their frames, with hinge pins on the inside.
• Install a peephole or wide-angle viewers in all entry doors, so you can see who is outside without opening the door. Door chains are not a security device.

Check the Outside

To discourage burglars from selecting your home as their target of opportunity, make sure to:

• Prune back shrubbery that hides doors and windows. Cut back tree limbs that could help a thief climb into windows.
• Light porches, entrances, and yards - front and back. Consider times or motion sensors.
• Keep your yard well maintained. Store ladders and tools inside your locked garage, basement, or storage shed when you're not using them.
• Clearly display your house number so police and other emergency vehicles can find your home quickly.
• Help the neighborhood stay in good shape.
• Put lights and radio on timers to create the illusion that someone is at home when you are away.
• Update your home inventory, with complete description, serial numbers, photographs or engravings.

What About Alarms?

If you have valuables in your home, or live in an isolated area or a neighborhood vulnerable to break-ins, consider an alarm system.

Before you invest in alarms:

• Check with several companies and decide on the level of security that fits your needs.
• Look for an established company and check references before signing a contract.
• Learn how to use your system properly.

Other Tips:

• If you come home and find a screen slit or door forced open, don't go in. Call the police.
• If you hear a noise in the night that sounds like somebody breaking in or moving around, call the police and wait for them to come. If you can leave safely, do so. Otherwise lock yourself in a room, or if the intruder is in the room, pretend to be asleep.
• Think carefully before buying a firearm for protection. Guns can be stolen and sold to anyone, or captured and used on you or the police. If you do own a gun, lock it up and learn how to use it safely.