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Consumer Alert

Scams telling you to pay with Bitcoin on the rise

Cristina Miranda
At first, scammers tried to get you to wire them money . Then, they demanded payment with gift cards . Now, scammers are luring people into paying them with Bitcoin – a type of digital money or
Consumer Alert

“Pass it On” at the holidays

Lisa Weintraub Schifferle
Holidays often mean time with family and friends. If you’re looking for conversation starters that avoid tricky topics – like who should’ve won the World Series – why not chat about scams? Pass it On
Consumer Alert

Veterans, servicemembers, and fraud: by the numbers

Carol Kando-Pineda
When people report scams to the FTC, we learn a lot about how they experience fraud. These fraud reports are important for law enforcement and education efforts. And, as more and more people report
Consumer Alert

2020 Census: Fact v Fiction

Colleen Tressler
The Federal Trade Commission is partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau to help you guard against potential census scams. Knowing how the 2020 Census process works, what information you will — and won
Consumer Alert

Veterans: We honor and thank you

Carol Kando-Pineda
November 11 is Veterans Day. More than 18 million people are U.S. military veterans. It’s a fitting time to thank military veterans for their sacrifice and service in protecting the United States. It
Consumer Alert

Free electronic credit monitoring coming soon to the military

Amanda Koulousias
Starting October 31, many members of the military will have access to a free tool to help spot identity theft. The nationwide credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – have
Consumer Alert

Back brace scams target people on Medicare

Lisa Lake
Scammers have been targeting Medicare recipients with a scheme to get “free or low-cost” back and knee braces. They’re calling, running television ads, and mailing letters to get people to give their
Consumer Alert

Scams and older consumers: Looking at the data

Lesley Fair
The FTC just sent a report to Congress called Protecting Older Consumers 2018-2019 . The report suggests steps to take to help protect older consumers from fraud. But the evidence also shows a thing
Consumer Alert

Stalking apps: Retina-X settles charges

Lisa Weintraub Schifferle
Did you know people can monitor you through your phone? The FTC’s settlement with Retina-X Studios, LLC marks the agency’s first case against “stalking apps” or “stalkerware” – spyware that secretly
Consumer Alert

Fake followers: A social media hoax

Ari Lazarus
Influencers, celebrities and other people with strong online followings can be, well, influential. When considering whether you want to buy something or use a service – especially when you’re buying
Consumer Alert

Cosmetic company wrote fake reviews

Cristina Miranda
Do you rely on product reviews to decide if something is good enough to try or buy? Real product reviews are great at helping us make better informed decisions. But you might wonder if some of these
Consumer Alert

What Do Not Call complaints are telling us

Amy Hebert
Have you gotten a call from an imposter, maybe someone pretending to be with the Social Security Administration, IRS, or a tech support company, this year? If so, you’re not alone. Calls from
Consumer Alert

Video games, loot boxes, and your money

Amy Hebert
Play video games, or have kids who do? For most of us, that’s a yes, according to a recent industry survey. It also means you might have heard of loot boxes. Loot boxes are the containers you come
Consumer Alert

Using Match.com? Read this

Rosario Méndez
Online dating sites are a common way people seek romance. But what if, instead of a potential match, you find a scammer? Today, t he FTC announced a lawsuit against Match.com, challenging several of
Consumer Alert

Helping Hispanics avoid fraud

Andrew Smith
Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 - Oct 15) is a time to celebrate the rich culture, heritage, and contributions of Hispanics. It is also a time to reflect on the FTC’s commitment to help Hispanic
Consumer Alert

Where is your online search leading you?

Lisa Lake
Dishonest companies set up websites that look like legitimate places to get information on finding a job, joining the military, or getting government benefits. But they might not help you with any of
Consumer Alert

Back to school: Online safety

Ari Lazarus
Now that summertime is quickly coming to an end, it’s back-to-school season. While you’re running around getting pencils, calculators and binders, remember something else on your back-to-school list
Consumer Alert

Is the American Community Survey legit?

Colleen Tressler
Here at the FTC, we always tell people to use caution when someone they don’t know asks them for personal information. So it’s not surprising that people are asking questions about mailings and phone
Consumer Alert

Summer Film Series: Unwanted calls to your mobile phone

Megan Gordon
Ring, ring! The film series is back, this time with help to stop unwanted calls to your mobile phone. Unwanted calls are annoying. They interrupt your day, and many are meant to scam you. But what can
Consumer Alert

Equifax data breach: Pick free credit monitoring

Robert Schoshinski
Just last week, the FTC and others reached a settlement with Equifax about its September 2017 data breach that exposed personal information of 147 million people. We’ve told you to go to ftc.gov