HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: There is a new scam going around. You get an email from a company and they list a phony customer ID and a phony invoice number for a “firewall defender.” They would have you believe they are from a well-known software company, but they are not. They even try to make you think they’re giving you a $50 discount and the price is $349. At the bottom of the notice is a telephone number to call, but don’t do it.

Instead of calling these scammers, send the email to your state consumer protection office and to the Federal Trade Commission online, or call them at (877) 382-4357 (8 a.m. to 7 p.m. CDT). You can also report a scam at www.usa. gov/stop-scams-frauds.

Do not call or contact these people and never give anyone your financial information or Social Security number, no matter what they tell you. Thousands of people are cheated out of large sums of money every year by scammers. Don’t be one of them.

— Anna C., Evergreen, Colo.

DEAR READER: Thank you for that information. We receive letters and emails every week from people who were victims of some scammer. Most were just trusting individuals who thought they were doing the right thing. By ignoring the scammer and letting a government agency handle it, you help put the scammers out of business.

DEAR HELOISE: I really hate paying to have things dry cleaned. Should I just bag all the dirty sweaters we’ve got and save them until the fall?

— Jean S., Yakima, Wash.

DEAR READER: No, don’t store dirty items before they’re cleaned. If dry cleaning is too expensive, hand-wash your sweaters in warm to cold (not hot) water with a very mild soap, then lay flat to dry. When they are dry (and they must be or they’ll grow mold), you can fold the sweaters up and store them carefully in a plastic bin. (Don’t hang them as they can stretch.) You also can hand-wash mittens and scarves, but wool skirts, pants, jackets, etc., need to be professionally dry cleaned.

DEAR HELOISE: Whenever one of my kids comes up with a clever idea to reuse or recycle something, I give them one dollar for their piggy bank. My oldest son came up with a useful idea this week: Take a pretty square tissue box when it’s empty and store cotton balls in it or grocery store bags to line the small waste basket in the bathroom.

— Charity D., Rockford, Ill.

HELOISE