Fake kidnappers cause genuine loss
Phone scammers spend their days making trouble. They waste our time, tie up our phone lines and harass us with ugly language. Some do much, much worse. The FTC has heard from people who got calls from scammers saying, “I’ve kidnapped your relative,” and naming a brother, sister, child or parent. “Send ransom immediately by […]
FTC & NCUA offer cyber security tips
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, so the FTC and the National Credit Union Administration are teaming up on a live Twitter chat to talk about tips to protect your information. During the chat, the FTC will share tips and tools from Consumer.FTC.gov and OnGuardOnline.gov. NCUA will share resources from MyCreditUnion.gov on how consumers […]
Scam du jour: Chip card scams
Recently, I told you about the new credit and debit chip cards designed to reduce fraud, including counterfeiting. Now, I’m reporting on scammers who are trying to take advantage of the millions of consumers who haven’t yet received a chip card. Source: FTC Scam Alert Feed Scam du jour: Chip card scams
Your online life after death
OK, so I know you don’t really want to talk about this – but here goes: we’re all going to die someday. Maybe you’ve already started thinking ahead: planning for your funeral, the care of loved ones and disposal of your property. But what about your online life? All the digital files, photos, posts and […]
When post-disaster scams strike
It’s been a year of weather woes, with South Carolina being the latest victim – floods have swept across much of the state. You can be sure it’s only a matter of time before scammers come calling to wreak a different type of devastation. Here are some ways to arm yourself against scammers who use […]
Protecting your child’s information after a data breach
If you’ve ever had your information exposed in a data breach, you know it can be stressful. Depending on what information is exposed, you might have to cancel credit or debit cards, change online passwords, or even put a freeze on your credit. But what happens if your child’s personal information is exposed, too? Source: […]
Reporting international scams
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve heard us say repeatedly to report scams to the FTC. If you report scams to us, we can bring the kinds of cases that shut down the scammers. But there’s another place to report international scams, too: econsumer.gov. Source: FTC Scam Alert Feed Reporting international scams
Buying a do-it-yourself medical device? Think again.
If you’re like me, you’ve done your share of DIY projects. But there are definitely some things — like using medical devices for weight-loss — that aren’t really meant for DIY. Source: FTC Scam Alert Feed Buying a do-it-yourself medical device? Think again.
What to know about the new credit and debit chip cards
Coming to a wallet near you: new credit and debit chip cards. They’re part of a nationwide shift by major card issuers to offer added security against fraud. The new cards look like your old cards with one exception: they have a small square metallic chip on the front. The chip holds your payment data […]
Scammers’ insults and injury
Scammers are big on hiding behind fake names and titles. We’ve heard from hundreds of people who got calls from fake ‘court officials’ about jury duty. The fraudsters claimed to be court officers, accused people of skipping jury duty and said they had to pay a fine immediately or face arrest. If you get a […]