Check subscription offers carefully
In October 1998, I received a phone call from International Book Corp. The number on my caller ID showed up as (000) 000-0000 in Mesa, Ariz.

Coinstar promotion had expired
Coinstar, the manufacturer of the machines that many supermarkets now have for turning spare change into bills, was offering two new golden dollars for depositing $20 or more in its machines. The promotion started March 16, and, as you can see from the slip my daughter received on April 22 when she cashed in over $20 in coins, it was good through through May 15. When I went to my supermarket on May 1 with more than $20 in change, instead of getting a slip like hers to mail in for my two golden coins, I received a slip that asked "Do you know what's for dinner tonight?" and gave a Web site address.