Fraud Alerts

Every year, the FTC gets millions of fraud reports from consumers and shares information about the top scams. In what’s not a surprise for anyone who’s followed along in the past, imposter scams were the #1 scam for the ninth year in a row. So, what do we know about these imposter scams?

There’s a new text scam the FTC is hearing about. It involves fake recruiters offering fake jobs, stealing real money. Here’s how these scams work — and how to avoid them.

The (fake) recruiters claim to be with legit companies you might know and say they’re hiring for jobs you can do from home like “online assessor” or just simply a “remote position.” They’ll often mention pay (sometimes daily or weekly rates) without any details on the actual job.

If you’re on social media, you know posts from friends and family might not be the only ones on your newsfeed — scammers are there too. FTC data shows that losses to scams on social media have been increasing dramatically since 2020 — people reported losing $2.1 billion to these scams in 2025 alone. The FTC’s new data spotlight brings to light some of the insights about what scams people experience on social media. Keep reading to learn how to scroll past the scams.

If a company calls you unexpectedly and offers to help lower your credit card interest rate, say “no, thanks.” It’s probably a scammer hoping you’ll pay them for shortcuts that don’t really exist. Here’s how to spot and avoid scams that promise to help lower your credit card interest rate.

Did you get a text with a picture of what looks like an official notice of a traffic hearing? You’re not alone. The FTC has seen a spike in reports about this text scam in the last month. It’s just the latest story of how scammers are trying to separate people from their money. Here’s how this scam works — and how to avoid it.

You might be interested in making money through investments. Who isn’t? So offers that promise big returns might draw your attention…and scammers know this. They use those promises and clever schemes to lure you in and, unfortunately, people are losing big money on investment scams. In fact, FTC data shows reports of more than $7.9 billion in losses to investment scams, with a median individual loss of more than $10,000 in 2025. Do you know how to spot and avoid investment scams?

If you’re signed up for a rewards program, you may have gotten texts warning that your points are expiring soon. A message like that may catch your attention, but people are reporting to the FTC that some of those messages aren’t real — and come from scammers. So how can you tell which messages are real and which are phishing scams?

Life happens and sometimes you end up with trouble paying your mortgage. Maybe you were affected by a natural disaster, lost your job, or got stuck with a bunch of medical bills after an illness. Then, suddenly, you get an unexpected call offering you mortgage relief. But could it be a scam?

The IRS has released its annual list of top scams to keep an eye out for ahead of Tax Day. Called the Dirty Dozen, the agency highlighted trends ranging from impersonation fraud to inflated tax returns.

Did you get a call or text saying you’re eligible for thousands of dollars in unclaimed property? Don’t get excited yet. It might be a scammer looking to steal your money or personal information. Here’s how to avoid that scam — and find out if a government agency has money, stocks, or another asset that belongs to you.