Holidays Bring on Latest Online Scams - Consumer News Roundup for 11/28/11

A roundup of consumer-focused articles from around the web.

• It pays to know what goes into a credit score
  Credit scores can be kind of scary. Perhaps that's why there seem to be so many myths and misperceptions about exactly what's in a credit score. In a recent national survey by Visa Inc. that asked U.S. consumers what factors negatively affect a credit score, plenty of answers were flat-out wrong. About 25 percent mistakenly thought that where you live can ding your credit score.
  
• Holidays bring on latest trend in online scams
  While the holiday season is the time of the year for shopping and sharing, it's also the time for online fraud and scams. Shopping and phishing scams, viruses and malware can turn good cheer into frustration with the click of a mouse. Credit unions can help their members avoid becoming victims this holiday season. Education, as always, is the key to prevention.
  
• Counterfeit bills passed more as holidays approach
  As the holidays approach, shoppers and merchants alike can expect crowded parking lots, long checkout lines, and frayed tempers. One thing most people aren't expecting to run across is counterfeit currency. But according to the U.S. Secret Service, counterfeiting cases tend to rise around the holidays. And the increase may be even more pronounced this year amid the down economy.
  
• Mortgage servicers making progress on fixing bad foreclosures
  Banks and mortgage servicers are making progress in improving their processes and contacting homeowners hurt by invalid or flawed foreclosures, the Office of the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) reported. The regulator released an interim report Tuesday on actions taken by 12 banks and servicers to comply with April consent orders that require them to correct deficient and unsound foreclosure practices.