Con artists are working to get their share of all that money flying out of your pocket this season. Don't let the festivities blind you to scams and rip-offs.
By Bankrate.com
Ah, the holidays: a time of goodwill toward your fellow man -- or, for some, an opportunity to grab all they can and get away while people's defenses are down.
While you're looking for the perfect gift, con artists are looking for the perfect target. This holiday season, don't get taken by these popular scams.
Naming a star
What better gift could you give someone than the symbol of the first Christmas -- a star? Various companies claim you can name a star for between $20 and $150. These companies will send you a certificate with the name and location of "your star" and promise that your star's name will be in a star registry.Here's the problem: Stars are named by the International Astronomical Union -- and they aren't selling. Names for stars (and most are given numbers) are assigned according to the internationally accepted rules of the IAU. Anyone else who claims to be able to name stars has no more legal standing than your neighbor's Rottweiler. When they say your star is going into a "registry," they mean whatever registry they made up -- not the official catalog that is kept by the IAU and used by all astronomers.
According to the IAU's Web site, "such 'names' have no formal or official validity whatever. Like true love and many of the other best things in human life, the beauty of the night sky is not for sale, but is free for all to enjoy."
If you want to give someone a star, save yourself some money: Go to the closest planetarium, pick a star you think is pretty and ask the astronomer for the coordinates. Then go home and make your own certificate on your own computer.
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