Fraud Alerts

As the federal government shutdown stretches into its second month and more social benefit programs are disrupted, scammers are seizing the opportunity to exploit customers’ uncertainty and fear. State attorneys general, banks and media outlets are already warning of an uptick in fraud targeting beneficiaries of federal programs.

Scammers never miss a crisis. Millions of Americans are facing delays or confusion about healthcare, food assistance and other federal programs. That anxiety makes people more vulnerable to high-pressure tactics from criminals looking to steal money or personal information.

Summer is over and you could be thinking about selling your timeshare. Maybe you turn on the radio, check your feed, or get a call and find what sounds like an easy way to sell your timeshare. But is it? Or is it a scam?

Every year, scammers get more active around Medicare Open Enrollment Period, trying to get your money, information, or both. As you consider your health coverage and prescription options during this period (October 15-December 7), learn to spot the scams.

You might have heard that, last week, Amazon agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle the FTC’s charges that it enrolled millions of people in Prime subscriptions without their consent – and then made it hard for those unwilling Prime subscribers to cancel. Since $1.5 billion of that amount goes back to consumers, you might be wondering: who gets it? How? And what do I need to do?

The BBB is warning about recent reports of “ghost tapping” scams. While this may sound like a Halloween prank, it’s anything but funny.

Would you donate to a cause if the fundraiser lied about how the money would be spent? Probably not. But that’s what the FTC says Kars-R-Us.com, Inc. (“Kars”) did when it collected vehicle donations on behalf of a supposed breast cancer charity.

Every day, people you know are seeing phony business opportunities, work-at-home scams, shady employment agencies, and scammy multi-level marketing schemes. Job seekers don’t have the time or resources to waste on fake opportunities, but there are some ways to spot these scams. Watch this video as FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson explains.

When disaster strikes, everyone in the community is impacted — including older adults. That’s why having a plan and knowing how to spot disaster-related scams can make a difference to anyone recovering. If you’re not sure where to begin, there are free tools to help you get started on a plan that includes fraud prevention.

Identity theft can happen to anyone, including kids in foster care. But minors typically don’t have credit reports, so they might not even realize they’ve experienced identity theft until they apply for a job, housing, or credit. Because foster youth often move more often and more people have access to their info, they’re at greater risk of identity theft. So if you’re a foster parent, a service provider, or know someone in foster care, read on for ways to help protect foster youth from identity theft.

Did someone steal your identity? Or are you looking for ways to help protect yourself from identity theft? A great place to start is freezing your credit. Here’s what to know.