Death certificate confusion

WINK News Call for Action recently got what very well could be the strangest request ever: I need help getting custody of my dead sister's body.

South Carolina resident, Marci Brado contacted Call for Action as a last resort. Her sister, Maxine, lived in Fort Myers. When Maxine passed away nearly a month ago, the family's plan to put her to rest were put on hold-- all because of a missing signature.

Because a doctor would not sign the death certificate, Marci's sister could not legally be buried. Sound weird? Well it turns out, it may not be that uncommon of a predicament after all!

We'll explain the whole story tonight, Wednesday, September 15th on WINK News at 6pm.

Scam warnings

The Lee Sheriff's Office sent out an e-mail warning of two phone scams. Read an excerpt from that e-mail, below:

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Has this ever happened to you? Your telephone rings and a voice simply says, "Do you own a small dog?" Without thinking you reply with a simple "yes" or "no". The telephone line is silent and the call is disconnected. It’s possible that your voice was just recorded to be used to steal your money. Or perhaps you’ve received a call from someone claiming that a very "distant" relative died and left you an inheritance. You are told that all you have to do to collect your funds is send money to cover your "taxes." If it hasn’t happened to you yet - there is a good chance that it will. That’s why the Lee County Sheriff’s Office wants you to know that although these calls are quite different, they are very much the same. They are both SCAMS!

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The Sheriff's Office also made a scam list. If anyone ever asks for the following, you can be sure it's a scam!

-A promise that you can win money, make money or borrow money easily
--A demand that you act immediately or else miss out on this great opportunity
-A refusal to send you written information before you agree to buy or donate
-An attempt to scare you into buying something
-Insistence that you wire money or have a courier pick up your payment
-A refusal to stop calling after you’ve asked not to be called again

And, if you ever have any questions about whether or not something is a scam, you can call the Lee County Sheriff's Office Fraud Line: 239-477-1242

Great article about mortgage modifications

I've heard from a lot of people who've struggled through the loan modification process. It's disturbing that their stories have the same themes: the bank lost my paperwork, the bank told me to stop paying, the bank wouldn't make the loan modification permanent.

USA Today just published a great article that may strike a chord with you. It certainly did with me. Click here to read it.