Sometimes consumers do the right thing when confronted by a potential scam. Sometimes they even call The News Tribune.

Take Jeanette McKenna, who happens to be an archeologist living in Southern California.

She’s got a timeshare unit up for sale, listed with a California broker. And she recently received a cold-call from a Tacoma broker who wanted to help.

He wanted the listing and he wanted McKenna to open a PayPal account and send him $2,500 as a retainer. He wanted her credit card numbers.

“We kind of played along with him for a bit, just to see what he was doing. It almost sounded like a game,” she said earlier today. The salesman was persistent. “Pushy” is the word McKenna used.

“The PayPal account was a trigger,” she said. “His e-mail was a Gmail account. I could have been dealing with a teenager.” She sent the Tacoma firm an e-mail message saying she was uncomfortable. She told the broker that “I needed him to answer a few more questions – why I had to pay a deposit up front.”

When McKenna started sounding like she knew the salesman was scamming her, the salesman stopped contacting her.

According to Susan Schutz at the regional headquarters of the Better Business Bureau in Dupont, McKenna did the right thing.

“We always say - trust your gut. check our Web site, see if there’s a complaint. get their contact information and call back to make sure they’re giving the correct information,” she said. “If you send money by a wire transfer, the funds are gone as soon as you send them. Cash - you’re not going to see that again. You’ve really got to watch who you’re giving your information to - or your money.”

McKenna did her due diligence – she checked the Internet, she did call the BBB and she listened to her instincts – and she didn’t lose a dime.

Which doesn’t mean that the timeshare broker would have scammed her. Either way, the state Attorney General has no record of complaints. The BBB gives the firm a rating of "F."

If the broker calls back, I'll let you know.

“If they turn out to be a legit firm, fine,” McKenna said.

What would make her happy is the sale of her $24,000 timeshare, located near Disneyland – that, and she'd like her experience to help someone else avoid a high pressure salesman who might not have the best of intentions.

Sea-Tac Airport Thursday launches its third European air cargo service with the arrival of the first Lufthansa Air Cargo freighter.

Lufthansa's Boeing MD-11 Freighter will call on Sea-Tac twice weekly with service to Frankfurt, Germany.

Two other carriers, Martinair and CargoLux, provide non-stop cargo service from Sea-Tac to Europe. Martinair flies to Amsterdam. CargoLux flies to Luxembourg.

Inbound from Europe, Lufthansa Cargo's jet will continue on to Los Angeles.

Amtrak debuted a second daily train to Vancouver, B.C. today after months of negotiation with Canadian authorities over the cost of customs services.

The train is an extension of Amtrak service that halted nightly at Bellingham, just south of the Canadian border.

Canadian officials had demanded that Amtrak pay $1,500 a day to staff customs and immigration kiosks at the Vancouver station to handle incoming passengers.

Amtrak and Washington State, which pays part of the cost of the service, balked at the charge noting that Canada doesn't charge airlines or auto drivers for late night customs service.

Canada agreed to waive the fee at least through the end of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler, B.C.

The train will leave from Portland northbound, travel through Washington and arrive nightly in Vancouver at 10:45 p.m. Northbound passengers will leave Tacoma at 5:33 p.m. The southbound train will depart Vancouver daily at 6:40 a.m. and arrive in Tacoma at noon, in Olympia/Lacey at 12:45 p.m. and in Portland at 2:45 p.m.

Russian Airlines is seeking bids from Boeing, Airbus and other aircraft manufacturers for a fleet of 65 narrow-bodied aircraft, the carrier said today.

Russian Airlines is the product of a merger of several financially-failing Russian airline companies. The airline is owned 51 percent by Russian Technologies and 49 percent by the Moscow city government.

The new airlines will compete with Russia's dominant airline, Aeroflot, among others.

SeaTac's Alaska Airlines is among a group of air carrier that have signed a contract to use diesel fuel produced from "green" waste products at Los Angeles International Airport.

The contract for 1.5 million gallons of the renewable fuel was announced today by Rentech Inc. of Los Angeles. The fuel will be produced from "green" wastes such as lawn trimmings beginning in 2012.

Besides Alaska, American, United, Continental, Southwest, UPS, Delta and US Airways will use the renewable fuel to power such equipment at tugs, baggage cart tractors and buses.

If you’ve ever wanted to ride in a forklift rodeo, do a high-angle rescue or somehow participate in climbing a very tall pole, you’ll get your chance come Sept. 7 and 8 at the 58th annual Governor’s Industrial Safety and Health Conference, slated for the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center.

The annual event draws several thousand workers, managers and vendors for “two days of training and education, providing the latest tools, technologies and strategies for workplace safety and health,” according to the co-sponsoring agency, the state Department of Labor & Industries.

Among the offerings this year are dozens of events, demonstrations and seminars including “Compressed Gas Safety,” “Fall Protection,” “Make Investigating Accidents Easy,” “Silica Exposure,” and “Tunneling Hazards.” The conference includes an extensive trade show, and will also feature the Governor’s Lifesaving Awards.

The cost is $140, with discounts for students and groups. For more information visit www.wagovconf.org.