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Consumer Alert

How to spot and avoid post-disaster scams in the Northeast

Colleen Tressler
As recovery efforts continue in areas of the Northeast hit hard by devastating flooding, scammers aren’t far behind. Your tragedy is an opportunity for them, and they'll try to take advantage. If one of the recent storms damaged your home, you might get offers to do things like help you clean up debris or get financial help. The offer might even seem to come from a government official. But how do you know what’s real?
Consumer Alert

Joining forces to help stop scam calls

Rosario Mendez
Nobody likes getting bombarded with robocalls. Not only are they annoying, but they’re often pushing scams for things like fake auto warranties and credit card debt relief programs. The FTC and law enforcement agencies from all 50 states are taking action to stop them. And you can help, too.
Consumer Alert

Cryptocurrency deposits with no returns

Cristina Miranda
How much do you know about cryptocurrency? If your answer is “not much,” that’s exactly what crypto scammers want to hear. And that’s exactly who one cryptocurrency company targeted with its false and misleading claims, according to a lawsuit filed by the FTC.
Consumer Alert

Veterans: You don’t have to pay for help filing for your benefits

Gema de las Heras
Scammers often pretend to help, but they’re just following the money. And now that veterans and servicemembers exposed to toxic substances get expanded benefits and health care through the PACT Act, dishonest businesses and scammers are trying to get a cut.
Consumer Alert

The FTC won’t demand money, threaten you, or promise you a prize

Alvaro Puig
Scammers want to gain your trust. That’s why they keep pretending to work for government agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission. They might use the names of real FTC employees, but the stories they tell are a bunch of lies.
Consumer Alert

Did you hear the SCOTUS decision on student loan debt relief? So did scammers.

Ari Lazarus
If you have federal student loans, you’ve probably heard about the Supreme Court decision and know that repayments are restarting in October. But you might also be hearing from scammers who take advantage of confusion around big news like this. So how will you know what’s real and what’s a scam?
Consumer Alert

Publishers Clearing House deceived consumers about their sweepstakes contests, FTC says

Alvaro Puig
It’s illegal for a company to tell someone to pay to enter a sweepstakes contest, or that buying something increases their odds of winning. You might not be surprised if a fly-by-night contest promoter deceived people by saying these things. But would you expect a well-known company that’s been running sweepstakes for decades to deceive people?
Article

Fake and Abusive Debt Collectors

Have you ever gotten a call about a debt you don’t recognize? Or had a collector harass, threaten, or lie to you?

Consumer Alert

Preparing for hurricane season 2023: How to organize your finances

Gema de las Heras
When it comes to preparing for hurricanes, financial readiness is as important as a flashlight with fully charged batteries. Leaving your home can be stressful, but knowing that your personal and financial documents are up to date, in one place, and portable can make a big difference at a tense time. Read on to learn how to identify and organize important papers before a disaster strikes.
Consumer Alert

Scammers are hijacking job ads. Here’s how to spot the fakes

Gema de las Heras
Scammers are taking outdated ads from real employers, changing them, and posting them on employment websites and career-oriented platforms like Indeed or LinkedIn. The modified ads seem to be real job offers with legitimate companies. They’re not. In fact, their goal is to trick you into sharing personal information. So how do you know if you’re dealing with a scammer?
Consumer Alert

Investment scam targeting WeChat groups

Tiffany Smedley
A so-called investment opportunity reportedly took the social media platform WeChat by storm — and stole millions from the Chinese community in the U.S. A flurry of social media posts urged people to “invest” in various household goods and electronics, promising returns of 20-40% in 1-3 months. But it was really a scam. Want to know how to spot it?