Archives for February, 2017

Tune in to NCPW on Facebook Live, Twitter and a Podcast

New for National Consumer Protection Week 2017, the FTC will take part in a Facebook Live chat with USA.gov on Tuesday, March 7th at 2:30pm Eastern. Source: FTC Scam Alert Feed Tune in to NCPW on Facebook Live, Twitter and a Podcast

By FTC | Scam Alert
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FTC to Explore Charitable Solicitations

Americans are among the most generous people in the world, contributing more than $373 billion to charity in 2015, according to The Giving Institute. We’re all familiar with phone calls, mailers, and TV and radio spots seeking donations, but the times are changing. Evolving marketing practices and new technologies have introduced new ways to solicit […]

By FTC | Scam Alert
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Prize Scams: Don’t Pay to Play

You get a phone call from an excited caller saying you’ve won a trip, a car, or a lot of money. Next, they ask you to send money before you get the prize. That is a sure sign of a scam. Recently, we’ve heard about a spike in prize scam calls. Although there are some […]

By FTC | Scam Alert
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Scammers are spoofing news sites to promote health products

Scammers will do just about anything to rip you off. They will create fake websites, use fake endorsements from public figures, lie about the effectiveness of their products, and much more. We did some investigating and found that a number of shady companies selling “brain booster” pills are using these exact tactics to promote their […]

By FTC | Scam Alert
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Feb
22

Risk free trials were bait for rip offs

Did you ever sign up for a free trial of a product you heard about on the radio? Some sellers will send you — and charge you — a lot more than you agreed to. The FTC says one group of dietary supplement marketers sold products through deceptive “risk free” offers and charged people repeatedly […]

By FTC | Scam Alert
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Product reviews: you’re free to speak your mind

Here’s some good news for everyone who likes to write — and read — product reviews. A new federal law says businesses can’t use contracts that prevent you from writing a truthful comment, or penalize you if you do. Source: FTC Scam Alert Feed Product reviews: you’re free to speak your mind

By FTC | Scam Alert
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Military Saves Week Twitter chat

Military Saves Week is February 27 through March 4.  Join @MilConsumer for a Twitter chat today with @Military Saves as we talk about how servicemembers and military families can boost their savings. Source: FTC Scam Alert Feed Military Saves Week Twitter chat

By FTC | Scam Alert
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Global Connect technical support scam, part 2

Last fall, the FTC shut down an operation called Global Connect, which sent deceptive pop-up messages to people’s computers. The pop-ups claimed the computers had problems when they really didn’t, and the operators scared thousands of people into paying hundreds of dollars each for tech support services they didn’t need.We recently learned that some of […]

By FTC | Scam Alert
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FTC works to get you funeral price information

When the FTC wants to know whether funeral homes are following the Funeral Rule and giving people the required price information about funeral products and services, it sends undercover investigators into funeral homes. The investigators pretend to be someone who needs to make funeral arrangements. Source: FTC Scam Alert Feed FTC works to get you […]

By FTC | Scam Alert
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Scam money runners

When you hear about people getting scammed into wiring money, do you ever wonder who’s picking the money up on the other end? In the case of people scammed by certain call centers in India, the answer was employees of PHLG Enterprises.   Source: FTC Scam Alert Feed Scam money runners

By FTC | Scam Alert
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