06.03.26 Enter Entrepreneurs / Facts On Finding Unclaimed Funds

Summary

The Clark Howard Podcast

Episode Title: 06.03.26 Enter Entrepreneurs / Facts On Finding Unclaimed Funds
Date: June 3, 2026
Host: Clark Howard (with guest co-host Lane Howard)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Clark Howard shines a spotlight on entrepreneurship and the pivotal role small businesses play in economic growth. He delves into practical guidance for those considering starting a business, especially younger entrepreneurs, and discusses the modern ease of launching a venture. The second half of the episode revisits a popular and actionable topic: how to find and claim unclaimed funds that might rightfully belong to you. The episode also features listener questions on business formation, employment verification tools, the tiny home movement, travel safety, cruise issues, and scam avoidance, tackled in Clark’s signature direct, optimistic, and helpful style.

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Key Themes & Discussions

1. The Power and Promise of Small Business

[00:35–08:46]

• Clark’s Entrepreneurship Obsession: Clark emphasizes how accessible it is today to become an entrepreneur, crediting technology and a more resource-rich environment.
• Small Businesses Drive Job Growth:
  • "ADP…said that 95% of the job gains for the data they had so far for '26, 95% of the job gains in the United States have been with small business." (Clark, 02:04)
  • Clark contrasts inefficient, bureaucracy-laden big corporations with the agility and motivations of small businesses.
• Challenges and Opportunities:
  • The risks are real, but the upside is control, potential, and personal fulfillment.
  • Encourages experimentation, especially for those feeling stagnant in mid-career and notes the value of side hustles becoming full-time work.
  • "If there's an entrepreneur in you…maybe you can do it part-time on the side to see if it's got any legs." (Clark, 06:30)
• Personal Notes:
  • Lane, his wife and co-host for the episode, jokes about being married to a nonstop entrepreneur, highlighting Clark’s enthusiasm.

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2. Listener Q&A: Getting Started in Business

[08:11–12:09]

• Kate in Virginia - Helping a Teen Entrepreneur:
  • Her 18-year-old son wants to start an AI-based business, potentially high-revenue.
  • Clark’s Advice:
    • Liability is key: Once there’s real income and clients, set up an LLC for legal protection.
    • Don’t rush into formalities before the first client, but once revenue flows, open a business bank account, ideally with Schwab or Fidelity for low/no fees.
    • "When you're young enough, you don't talk yourself out of something…just go and do it. When I opened my first business, I never thought about…not being able to do it." (Clark, 11:27)
    • Even a failed startup experience is invaluable for young people.

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3. Listener Q&A: Employment History & Background Checks

[12:09–14:48]

• Karen in Texas – Equifax Employer Verification Tool:
  • Discovered concerning errors in her employment and salary report.
  • Clark’s Advice:
    • These reports are often inaccurate. Always review what employers see; correct or freeze as needed.
    • Warns of "services" being unreliable: "You want to know what's on your report…you want to tell them, 'hey…they've got a job on there I never had.'"
    • Stresses the importance of being proactive, just as with credit reports.

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4. Listener Q&A: The Tiny House Movement

[14:48–18:52]

• Rose in North Carolina – Tiny vs. Mobile Homes:
  • Clark’s Guidance:
    • Research local zoning and regulations.
    • Prefab tiny homes offer real savings, especially if simply placed on land; custom builds diminish savings.
    • Mobile homes typically offer more space, variable quality—get recommendations from happy owners.
    • "With a mobile home, having it properly anchored is so very important…in a heavy storm…a not anchored mobile home can be a very dangerous place to be." (Clark, 17:39)
  • Lighthearted Moment:
    • Lane asks, "Do you think you could live in a tiny home?"
    • Clark: "Not a chance on earth." (18:02)
    • The couple jokingly agrees it's not for them, referencing Clark’s cargo shorts and their dogs.

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5. Featured Segment: Finding Unclaimed Money

[21:08–26:51]

• Clark revisits his “free money” tip—search for unclaimed funds left in bank accounts, retirement plans, or insurance proceeds.
  • "Depending on whose estimate you believe somewhere around 75 $80 billion…just hanging out there lost." (Clark, 21:47)
  • Urges listeners to use missingmoney.com—a free, legitimate database—not pay any finder's fees.
  • Shares personal/family anecdotes: A relative recently claimed over $10,000; Clark's brother found $50.
  • Even small amounts can be worth the effort.
  • At Clark.com there's a comprehensive guide on recovering unclaimed funds of all kinds.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "You go there [missingmoney.com] and you have about a 15% chance of finding your name there." (Clark, 24:16)
• "Why would you walk away from money?" (Clark, 22:45)
• Lane teasing Clark: "What's the smallest amount of money that you would go for? $1, I bet." (26:51)
  • Clark shares his penchant for returning airport luggage carts for their quarter deposits.

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6. Listener Q&A: Travel and Consumer Safety

[28:18–37:46]

• Camera Detection in Hotels/Airbnbs:

  • Jennifer from Michigan asks if Clark checks for hidden cameras.
  • Clark confidently: "No, I've never done anything like that…I don't think anybody…is particularly interested in looking at me." (28:33)
  • The hosts acknowledge the reality of such risks and the spread of inexpensive detection devices.

• Cruise Shortchanges:

  • John in North Carolina complains about a cruise company cutting port time.
  • Clark: Changing schedules is endemic to cruising; contracts afford no real recourse to travelers. He shares personal cruise disruptions—sometimes due to serious emergencies.
  • "This is part of the deal when you go on a cruise…the ports are not guaranteed." (32:27)

• Travel Scams – Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA):

  • Molly in California overpaid for a UK ETA via a scam site; only the official gov.uk ETA site should be used.
  • Clark issues a strong warning, explains how phishing websites proliferate with every new travel requirement worldwide, and details enormous risks to personal data.
  • "You never look for a company's customer no service number on a Google search because virtually everyone you'll see is phony." (36:17)

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Noteworthy Quotes

• On Entrepreneurial Mindset:

  • "When you're young enough, you don't talk yourself out of something…you just go and do it." (Clark, 11:27)

• On Unclaimed Money:

  • "There's money for you that's just hanging out there lost." (Clark, 22:07)
  • "Even if it's a dollar, I'd do it!" (Lane to Clark, 26:55)

• On Scam Avoidance:

  • "You never look for a company's customer no service number on a Google search because virtually everyone you'll see is phony." (Clark, 36:17)

• On Living Small:

  • "Not a chance on earth [of living in a tiny home]." (Clark, 18:02)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:35] – Clark introduces the episode’s twin topics: entrepreneurship & unclaimed funds.
• [02:04] – Small business job growth statistics.
• [08:11] – Listener Q&A begins: Teen starting AI business.
• [12:09] – Verifying and fixing employment/salary background checks.
• [14:48] – Is buying a tiny home a good idea?
• [21:08] – Finding and claiming unclaimed funds.
• [26:51] – Discussion: Is it worth recovering small ($1) amounts?
• [28:18] – Security concerns: Hidden cameras in travel rentals.
• [31:07] – Cruise lines cutting vacation time: No recourse.
• [33:33] – Travel authorization scams and how to avoid them.
• [37:48] – Closing thoughts and next episode preview.

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Episode Tone & Takeaways

The episode combines Clark’s energizing optimism for entrepreneurship with a strong commitment to consumer advocacy and financial empowerment. Lane’s presence brings playfulness and a listener’s perspective to the Q&A. Each segment offers actionable advice, punctuated with Clark’s real-life stories, optimism, and humility. The tone is direct, approachable, and occasionally self-deprecating—making complex topics accessible and actionable.

Central Message:

• Seize the new opportunities to start a business—but plan for risks.
• Never leave money unclaimed—especially when finding it is free and easy.
• Stay vigilant in protecting your finances and personal info, especially when traveling or searching online.

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For more information or to submit your questions, visit clark.com/askclark. To start your search for unclaimed funds, visit missingmoney.com and check Clark’s updated guide on clark.com.

Transcript

[Clark Howard]

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[Clark Howard]

It's my pleasure to welcome you to the Clark Howard show, where our mission is to serve you with advice and information that empowers you to make better financial decisions in your life. In this episode, I'm going to begin with one of my favorite topics, you becoming an entrepreneur. It is an obsession of mine and the reality is starting a business today is so much easier than it used to be. I mean, it's shockingly easy today, the technology that's available to you. And I'll just talk about my obsession straight ahead. And later, we've had so much feedback about something I talked about last year, I'm going to do it again. I want to talk about you finding free money for yourself. And it's not a scam. That's coming up later. So starting your own business is the key to American economic growth and potentially in your own life, with risk. It's long been said, and it's a fact that roughly half of the jobs in the United States are with small businesses. But listen to this. Listen to this. This was reported in the business press, not really elsewhere. Adp, which is the huge payroll processor, and they tend to do larger companies, they said that 95% of the job gains for the data they had so far for 26, 95% of the job gains in the United States have been with small business. Think about that. Big lumbering bureaucratic companies routinely try to please Wall street by their CFOs talking to analysts and saying, bragging, yeah, we're looking forward to in the next quarter, laying off 7,200 people. Yay. And then the stock goes up. No thought about the harm to those loyal employees, to their families, to their wallets? Nope. It's like, we gotta get that stock bumped up because I got those executive bonuses that I only get if the shares are at whatever value. So let's see how many people we can ruin their lives this quarter. Yeah, that's how I mean, think about the announcements. The announcements you hear are always about these big company layoffs because companies, as they get bigger, become much less efficient. And maybe they did over hire, who knows? But the reality, small businesses are fleet of foot because you wonder how anybody could start a small business with all the other businesses that are there. You drive by and you see shopping center after shopping center after shopping center. And when I'm at a red light, which is a pessimistic thing to never call them traffic signals, but call them red light because you just assume it's going to be red. But anyway, you're sitting at the red light and you look over to the right or the left and there's a strip center, it's got all the little stores. And you wonder how do people find that business? How do they make a go of it in that business? Sometimes they will, sometimes they won't. But that's somebody's dream at work in that little store. But it doesn't even have to involve retail of any kind. It can be so many different things. So many businesses start as micro businesses, just that individual. And as they need services, they can get them online. When they need extra help for a particular thing, they hire somebody initially, almost like contract worker. So the risk up front and the resources available, so much better than they were before. And if you're, let's say you're mid career and you're just feeling like go to work because I got to get my money, hate what I do, I'm brain dead when I do it. And outside of work you got things you really love doing any of those things you love any of the skills you develop working for the bureaucracy, whatever corporate bureaucracy it is, are there things you can go out and do better than they do, do it cheaper than they do, or a more innovative way than they do? The things you learned in that job. Think about if there's an entrepreneur in you because yeah, you're subject to being successful or not in that business. True. And some of us just aren't risk takers. It's not something we're going to do. But if you are somebody who has something you'd love to do, you'd love to be your own boss, maybe it's something you can even do part time on the side to see if it's got any legs, if it does, that part time on the side thing can become your thing. But if you're working somewhere where you get paid vacation, you get the medical from them and all that, there's additional risk involved. Because any day you don't work, there's no money coming in. Well, when you work for somebody else who gives you vacation, you go Take that vacation, you get paid for it. And health coverage, that is an issue right now. A lot of times where somebody becomes entrepreneurial, it'll be in a married couple or where people are living together and the other has domestic partner benefits and they get the health insurance and they provide you coverage. And so, you know, you have that if you go out on your own, you got to think those things through and you got to work on your business plan. The most important part of the business plan is cash flow management. How long do you have the resources to try to grow that business till the revenue ends up being positive in that business? And you got to be honest with yourself. But I want you to know that every time you hit a time like just like we're in right now, where there's a malaise, you know, Americans overwhelmingly saying we're on the wrong track and the US Is going in the toilet and all that, those are the times where there's opportunity as an entrepreneur that when others feel like, why bother? That's when you bother and that's when you can make it happen. And Wayne.

[Lane Howard]

Yes, hello.

[Clark Howard]

I mean, it must be funny for you being married to somebody who is an entrepreneur through and through my entire body.

[Lane Howard]

Oh yeah, you love an entrepreneur. You light up when someone starts asking you questions about this.

[Clark Howard]

And if you missed our last few podcasts, Krista will be back. Next podcast. My wife Lane is filling in for Christmas.

[Lane Howard]

Hello there.

[Clark Howard]

For several days. So thank you for that.

[Lane Howard]

Sure.

[Clark Howard]

And what are we starting with today?

[Lane Howard]

All right, we are starting with Kate in Virginia and she says, speaking of entrepreneurs, my 18 year old son has developed an AI business that according to him, could really take off in the months ahead. My husband and I don't know where to start in terms of helping him set up a business. Could you please provide some advice on how to shepherd him in the process, if it helps. He thinks he could earn really big money. Potentially tens of thousands per client. Wondering if the dollar amount makes a difference in how you would approach this.

[Clark Howard]

Okay, Kate, I love this. I mean, we. Lane, remember the other day we had a 19 year old who had already saved all kinds of money and was looking to buy a house and all that. Now we've got an 18 year old.

[Lane Howard]

These kids are on the ball.

[Clark Howard]

Kate's son. Yeah. Who wants to start his own AI company. This is great. Now with AI, there's liability risk. The good thing with an 18 year old, he probably doesn't have anything to worry about. But if the business starts to establish, he does start to Develop a client base. He needs to establish an LLC at that point, a limited liability company. They're cheap to set up online. And he needs to do business as that llc. Probably not from his first client because he's got to get that first client. But once he gets going, you want to do business only as that llc because getting involved in AI there are obvious and not obvious liability risks. And so you need the liability shield. And your son always holds himself out as CEO of X Company. Never just himself, his name always as a business entity. There's not a lot of setup particularly involved when you first start. I mean, once he, once he's at a point that he's got his first client, revenue is going to come in. Then he goes and opens a bank account. Generally I like for someone as entrepreneurial as your 18 year old son to look if, if your family already does business with Fidelity or Schwab, do the business account, he should do the business account with one of them instead of with traditional banks because they charge very high fees on business accounts. Schwab and Fidelity, the accounts are generally free. They're trying to capture the investment money that a successful entrepreneur eventually has in the financial house. So they make these business accounts free to, to have and use and no minimums on them. But I want to hear back, Kate, how your son does with this, because I think this is inspirational for other people that are teenagers, 20 somethings or later who feel like, you know, I got that idea. I really think I can do it. When you're young enough, you don't talk yourself out of something, you know, you just go and do it. When I opened my first business, I never thought about the idea that, that this was something I wouldn't be able to do. When we get some age on us, we always talk ourselves out of taking risks. He's at a point that I love it. And even if the business does not successfully launch, just the fact that he has the spirit like that is going to serve him well as he moves forward.

[Lane Howard]

All right, Karen in Texas says hi Clark. Can you please share more information about this new to me? Equifax Employer verification slash salary info tool. Oh, I see that. I can freeze my account. I created an account. Okay, deep breaths, deep breaths. I created an account and downloaded my employment salary report and see quite a few errors and missing employers. Even an employer that I worked for for five plus years. Thanks for all that you do for us.

[Clark Howard]

Well, thank you for bringing this up. This has only come up once before and I think it's Been a good while. So I talked months ago about the new study that found enormous errors on credit reports, but even more significant, the failure of the credit bureaus to properly correct incorrect information on reports, just as you have found with an employment history verification process, all kinds of inaccurate information. That's also what we've heard from other people. So employers want to do a background check. They use these services. I use the word services loosely because of the inaccuracies involved. And so when you're looking for a job, you can see your report from Equifax or whatever service they're using. In this case, it was an Equifax employer verification. So you can. You can see the report and then in theory, you can correct errors on it, and you should do so. You can also freeze it. Krista of our crew checked hers before and found that it was mostly accurate. But she's worked for only two employers over the last quarter century and so a media company and me. So, I mean, hers is pretty simple, but a lot of people have a lot of different jobs on there, people of same or similar name. The files end up messed up. So you want to know what's on your report. If you give permission for an employer to see it, you want to tell them, hey, by the way, I've looked at mine and they've got a job on there I never had. Must be somebody of a similar name. And you also can put a freeze on your report that keeps an employer from looking at it. And only if you decide to give permission, you can thaw it just like a regular credit report. And you should.

[Lane Howard]

Rose in North Carolina says, hello, Clark, thank you for all you and your staff do for us. I've been thinking of downsizing and I've been watching videos about the tiny house trend. What is your opinion on purchasing a tiny home and is it any different than buying a mobile home?

[Clark Howard]

So, Rose, a lot with buying a tiny home depends on where you live. And you need to check in your county in North Carolina and find out are there any bureaucratic hurdles you have to jump through in order to buy a tiny home and put it on a piece of property you'll need? Depending on the tiny home and your property, you'll need either some form of foundation many times or you can leave it. Tiny homes can be mobile, although it's safer if it's on some form of slab or its own foundation. But that adds a lot to the cost. There are a lot of prefab tiny homes you can buy and have them trucked. Right to you. As long as the county rules where you live allow that, the savings are fantastic. I did in my TV work, I did a tiny home story and I and I spent time in tiny homes and it's really crazy how efficiently you can take a space of 250 to 450 square feet and make it livable, particularly for one person. Now I did one of the homes I visited a couple was living in and you better really be compatible with that person to live in that little tiny home. But the, the savings are phenomenal and you really only save the big money if it is a prefab that's just dropped at your spot. If you have stick build or custom built at your property, you're not going to find the savings that you want it versus buying a mobile home. Mobile home many times will be more square footage than a tiny home. Quality of mobile home construction varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, even factory to factory. And so if you know people who own a mobile home, live in one and they're really happy with the one that they're in, you want to know the model and manufacturer as a potential alternative to a tiny home. But yes, either is a very affordable method of housing. And with a mobile home, having it properly anchored is so very important. A lot of people cheap out on that don't have them properly anchored and in a heavy storm, hopefully never a tornado, a not anchored mobile home can be a very dangerous place to be. But great ways to save money.

[Lane Howard]

Do you think you could live in a tiny home?

[Clark Howard]

Not a chance on earth.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Lane Howard]

I'm not sure between our dogs and your cargo shorts, we would have room.

[Clark Howard]

Just saying, yeah, tiny home is, I mean I really enjoyed visiting with people who, who had them, who lived in them and how they use space with maximum efficiency. The videos I've seen of people who live in Hong Kong, whole families in spaces that are under 200 square feet and how they use every square inch of the place, they're so efficient is just amazing. And so I'm really spoiled. I like a little bit of space, so not for me.

[Lane Howard]

All right.

[Clark Howard]

You couldn't do it, I couldn't do it.

[Lane Howard]

I could know it. There's not a chance.

[Clark Howard]

No, no, not happening for you. Coming up ahead, how'd you like to find some free money and have it not be a scam? I'm going to tell you about that.

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[Clark Howard]

I have free money for you and I am not a scamster. So we did this. I think it was like back before Christmas and we kept hearing from people thank you, thank you. It was a Christmas gift. So for any of a number of reasons, former job, some kind of insurance money, something from an employer, retirement plan, whatever. There could be money of yours that got lost in space. Happened recently to a family member of mine that they believe it or not, this is crazy story. Got over $10,000 from an insurance policy they didn't even know was out there from a relative who died just sitting there unclaimed. Depending on whose estimate you believe somewhere around 75 $80 billion billion with a B sitting many times in the hands of a state. But it could be other sources too Money for you that's just hanging out there lost. One of the areas money sitting now is often from retirement plans because people change jobs so often now. I mean, it's not all unusual for somebody to have one to two dozen jobs over a working lifetime. And many of those jobs may have had a 401k long since forgotten about and money just lost in space. Now there are organizations that are not crooks, but are unnecessary, that might send you an email, a letter telling you, hey, there's money we found of yours. We'll reunite you with it for 30% finder's fee. And yes, there are times that you'll get a email like that as a scamster trying to get your Social Security number and other key information. But most of the time it's an actual legit notice you're getting from a finder fee service. But this information is on public databases and is available to you at any time for free. And I'm sure after today, just like so many other times recently, we will hear from people who got reunited with money. Now, my middle brother just found 50 something dollars and he did the work to get his 50 something dollars. Good for you, Neil. I mean, why would you walk away from money? Because most of the time it's not going to be ten grand, is going to be a few hundred dollars, maybe a couple of thousand, something like that. And the lift you have to do to find if there's money for you is really tiny. Most states in the country, so only a couple of exceptions cooperate on the missing money.com database. Missing money.com and you go there and you have about a 15% chance of finding your name there. If you throw in friends and relatives, it'll go way beyond 15% chance. Now then the fund starts. Depending on laws in a state, you may have a little bit of work to do or a lot of documentation to provide. After my mom died years later, there was money that turned out to be there in her name and her estate. I'd been one of the executors of my mom's estate. The paperwork that had to be done, I had to go down to a county courthouse. I had to do all kinds of things to shake that money tree. Most of the time it's not going to be that bad. But just know follow up and follow through is going to be key. And a lot of times, depending on the state database, when you find yourself on missingmoney.com or you find a relative and they go to work at it, they may tell you a Zone of money. Maybe less than $500, less than $100 or less than 10,000, whatever. Some states do that and you can decide, well, I'm lazy. I would go after if it was, you know, less than a thousand, but I'm not going after it for less than 100. You got to make that decision yourself. And then there's a database for employer kind of money that could be sitting out there. And so we have put together a really easy to use [e-mail] and you can click on it in our show. Information from today. Unclaimed money. How to find and claim missing funds for free. Could we make it any easier as a title? You just do that [e-mail] and go find your money. We just updated the article again recently to guide you through the various places you can look for old 401ks, bank accounts, any of these kind of things. Insurance policies. Your money. I don't want your state to have it. I want you to have it. Lane, what you got?

[Lane Howard]

Well, my first question is, what's the smallest amount of money that you would go for? $1, I bet. I'm just guessing.

[Clark Howard]

All right, true story. And I don't know if you remember this. We were changing planes once in Raleigh, North Carolina.

[Lane Howard]

Okay.

[Clark Howard]

And we took a delay and I said, I'm going to go walk around. Left you in the terminal. Had to go through security again and all that. Tell me if you remember this.

[Lane Howard]

I do remember this.

[Clark Howard]

I saw one of those luggage carts that people use and it was a quarter you got back if you returned it. And people just abandoned these. All worth by saying, care about the quarters. And I had a couple of hours to kill. So he's collecting cards around and I'm getting these cards and I made like $4 and something. Taking these cards.

[Lane Howard]

So excited. Yeah, that was great.

[Clark Howard]

So that's the answer. A 25% return. Now, I think you get more money if you return those cards.

[Lane Howard]

Yeah. So you need to get up there immediately.

[Clark Howard]

Need to get on a plane, go to Raleigh.

[Lane Howard]

Yes.

[Clark Howard]

And just go around the airport.

[Lane Howard]

I think you need to do that.

[Clark Howard]

And return carts.

[Lane Howard]

I knew the answer before I asked. Actually, I was just letting you know. Okay. You ready?

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Lane Howard]

Okay. Jennifer in Michigan says question, since you travel so much, Clark, do you travel with a camera detection device to check the places that you're staying to see if you're being recorded or checked on?

[Clark Howard]

Jennifer, I assume you're referring to the terrible stories about voyeurs who rent out Airbnbs. It's happened A couple of times in hotels. There was one years ago that happened to a female sports reporter who was being videoed in hotel. In a hotel room. No, I've never done anything like that. I don't. I don't think anybody who's using a hidden camera is particularly interested in looking at me. I guess that's why I've never thought about it. But it does happen. And what I'm surprised about is that it keeps happening in Airbnbs. And I don't know what the owners, if they have a camera and tell you they have a camera in a living room or something like that. I get that. If they want to make sure the place isn't, there's not a big party going on or something, I'm still not

[Lane Howard]

sure I'd be comfortable with that.

[Clark Howard]

Well, I mean, people aren't. That's why Jennifer's asking the question. But, no, I've never done anything like that. And, Jennifer, what you and I have just done very successfully here is we've made everybody paranoid. Exactly. They go to a hotel or rent an Airbnb.

[Lane Howard]

How much is a device like that? I mean, is it.

[Clark Howard]

I don't. I didn't even know there was a device that sniffed out that the cameras were in use. So, Jennifer, thank you for that. I guess Sally can check later and we can put in our notes if there are simple devices like that you can get.

[Lane Howard]

Yeah. Might be good to have one.

[Clark Howard]

Why not?

[Lane Howard]

Okay. John in North Carolina says we were cheated out of two hours of our upcoming cruise vacation so that they could slow the boat down and save on fuel. What are the best ways to inform people about this shady practice? Here is the email that we received. Dear guest, we're looking forward to welcoming you aboard the Blank Boat. Ship, I should say not boat. For your upcoming sailing. Before you begin to plan and pack, we want to inform you about an update to our itinerary to ensure a timely return to Baltimore, Maryland. We will now depart Royal Navy Dockyard, Bermuda at 11:59am on day four. Not to worry. You'll still enjoy an overnight visit with plenty of time to experience everything this beautiful destination has to offer. We're sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause.

[Clark Howard]

Right, John, you are going to hate what I say here. Lane and I have been on a few dozen cruises. Routinely, they delete ports, they cut port stop short. A lot of people will have plans for excursions on an island that cruise is scheduled to stop at, and then they just mysteriously they Delete that port 2 hours haircut on time in a port. You have no rights with that. That every cruise contract says clearly that they can change the itineraries, ports of call, blah, blah, blah. And when you and I were on the shipboard fire back 11 years ago.

[Lane Howard]

Yeah.

[Clark Howard]

And unfortunately people were hurt in that fire. We were just stranded at sea and took a while to. To resume the cruise. But we were out in the floating. Or. Adrian, we were in one of those. Off the Greek isles.

[Lane Howard]

Yeah, I don't.

[Clark Howard]

And we lost a stop that we were looking forward to, but that was not the big deal is the people hurt on the ship and the fire. And there's no compensation for that.

[Lane Howard]

No, it's just.

[Clark Howard]

It's just what it is.

[Lane Howard]

And we lost. I guess we had several engines down, no stabilizers. It was.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah, you got really seasick.

[Lane Howard]

I got really.

[Clark Howard]

Okay. And so.

[Lane Howard]

And I said, I'm never doing this again. And then I did.

[Clark Howard]

So the. The point is, John, this is part of. Part of the deal when you go on a cruise is the ports are not guaranteed. And we were. Lane and I were booked on a cruise just to go to Egypt, Israel, Turkey and Greece, I guess. And it was right after the Hamas thing in Israel in I guess was that 24. So the cruise first reoriented all the stops, all those were out and a lot of it was sailing at sea. And then they moved the ship completely. And so we ended up having to go on a completely different cruise. And there are no rights. The only thing they did was they didn't charge us a change fee.

[Lane Howard]

In that case, they make the rules. All right. Molly in California says I'm traveling with my mother to the UK next month and learned that we needed to get an electronic travel authorization from the UK ahead of time. Uh oh. I somehow used a third party website that charged me $282. It should have only been $13 a person. And even though I was able to dispute the charge with my credit card company, I don't feel good about a scammer website having our passport information. Please warn others to use only the official gov.uk ETA website.

[Clark Howard]

Molly, thank you. Is going to become a much bigger issue in just a short while. As separate from the uk the EU is coming up with a new ETA that was already supposed to be implemented, but has been delayed because they're having some technology problems. And the scammers. Anytime a country comes up with an electronic travel authority, the scammers invade. And the curse is a Google search or anything like that. And if you look at The Australian website for their electronic authority. I think Thailand has one, the UK there. There are these scattered around the world. Every one of these governments at the real website says beware. There are scam websites that you're not supposed to go to. But unfortunately because people do a a Google search or any other kind of search, they end up at these phony sites. And the least bad thing that happens is they steal your money like they tried to do from you. Molly, thank goodness your credit card company was there for you. But the message you brought is so important because it's just like the stuff I've talked about. You never look for a company's customer no service number on a Google search because virtually everyone you'll see is phony. I saw a news story recently in USA Today about a customer who lost it was $2200 on they searched on Google for United customer service called the number that was there. It was a scamster who stole a couple of thousand dollars from them and they did not get it back from their credit card company. So know that this is a big criminal enterprise, not Google's fault. They've not been able to improve the algorithms enough to eliminate all these responses of scamsters who have learned to manipulate it to show up in the Google search. And that's probably you didn't say so, but I'm guessing that's how you ended up at the phony ETA site. So you've got to make sure with any of these countries for the ETAs that you'[e-mail] for that the government official site. And the worst bad, as you said Molly, is if the criminals trade in your personal information now in addition to having stolen money from you and I'm so glad you got your money back. Hopefully nothing bad will ever happen with your personal information. And this is like a plague with these phony responses for numbers and websites. Hotel chains have been a. It's been a huge problem. Let's say, you know, you like to stay at blah blah blah hotel Chicago and you do a search for blah blah blah hotel Chicago. Probably at least the first six results will be phony. Could be more than six. So you got to know how careful you have to be that you are at the actual real website you're trying to get to. Gosh, I hate having to say that. That is such a negative way to do.

[Lane Howard]

It's frustrating, I know.

[Clark Howard]

Well, Lane, thank you so much for being with us.

[Lane Howard]

Thank you for having me and you get Krista back.

[Clark Howard]

Next time Krista will be with us for Clark Stinks on Friday.

[Lane Howard]

That was my favorite part.

[Clark Howard]

You enjoyed doing Clark Stinks?

[Lane Howard]

Yeah, the Clark Stinks was fun.

[Clark Howard]

Do you have some repressed anger towards me? You need to get out? No, no, it was because you can have fun right now. Know if you want.

[Lane Howard]

I'm good. Thank you.

[Clark Howard]

You're good? Yeah. But thank you for filling in.

[Lane Howard]

Sure. Anytime.

[Clark Howard]

And appreciate it. And jealous that Krista got to go play for the last 10 days.

[Lane Howard]

You never get to go anywhere.

[Clark Howard]

I know.

[Lane Howard]

I'm sorry.

[Clark Howard]

I know it's terrible. Anyway, do I love travel. It's been great being with you today. And know that everything we're about is you and your empowerment with knowledge so you can save more, spend less. And just as we were talking about with the ETA scam, don't ever get ripped off. See you Friday.