DEAR SUN SPOTS: Is there a list of dog-friendly beaches, parks and hiking trails for central Maine? It would be great to have this information on hand. — No name, no town

ANSWER: I don’t know of an actual list but dogs are welcome on all Maine state park beaches, provided they are leashed,  from Oct. 1 through March 31. Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal is another good spot as is Mount Apatite in Auburn featuring lots of dog-friendly hiking trails with a few spots for your dog to swim. Auburn Riverwalk at Bonney Park has a short trail for a quick walk with your pup.

Calling all dog-lovers! Send me your tips for great dog-walking spots!

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I just read the column regarding the funeral scam (Feb. 21 Sun Spots). I have always warned people about falling for scams, but I have to confess I fell for one a month ago on the internet. There was an ad from “pallets elimination” stating you could receive a pallet of returned products from Amazon for just $1. All you had to do was complete the order by clicking on the link and entering your name, address, and credit card information. I clicked “send” and within one minute I got an email from “pallets elimination” stating they had charged my credit card $16.95.

Soon after I received an email from my credit card company alerting me that this was a scam and they had deleted the transaction because it was on their hit list. Let the buyer beware. — No name, no town

ANSWER: Yikes. I’m so glad your financial organization had your back and that you knew about this transaction immediately. I’ve seen similar things on social media where people can purchase “pallets of returned goods” from Amazon but the retail giant only works with certain liquidation companies, such as DirectLiquidation.com, Liquidation.com and bulq.com, or the items are sold through their own warehouse to liquidation brick and mortar stores.

For some purchases, you have to prove that you own a resale business to purchase pallets of merchandise.

Also, Amazon Outlet sells overstock and clearance items, while Amazon Warehouse sells open-box items, refurbished items and returned items.

The cost of a pallet of goods, depending on what types of return merchandise are bundled on it, goes for anywhere between $100 and $5,000 and up.

I want to add that there are so many scams out there in the internet world and we all need to be really, really careful. I constantly get email and texts, supposedly from Amazon, Netflix, Xfinity, Geek Squad, Microsoft, etc. saying that my “account needs updating and to click on ‘the link’ to verify my personal information”. No way, Jose. Do not do it. If you are anxious about it and have any questions, contact the company using the information on its website and speak with a customer service person. Do not go through the emails you get.

AARP always has good information about current scams and the $16 per year to be a member is so well worth it.

SeniorsPlus also has fantastic information on its website and I give them a plug every chance I get. Go to this site for updated scam alerts. There are many: https://www.seniorsplus.org/scam-alerts

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