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The Latest in Consumer Advice

Articles

Identity Theft and Online Security

Article

Kids and Video Games

January 16, 2025

Chances are the kids in your life play, or want to play, video games, including games in immersive spaces like virtual or augmented reality. Game ratings and reviews, parental controls, and other tools are available to help you learn more and talk about video games with the kids in your life.

Credit, Loans, and Debt

Article

Comparing Credit, Charge, Secured Credit, Debit, or Prepaid Cards

January 2, 2025

Different types of payment cards work in different ways. When you’re deciding which kind of card is right for you, consider how each card works, what fees you might have to pay, and what legal protections each type of card offers.

Credit, Loans, and Debt

Article

Understanding Your Credit

November 22, 2024

We hear a lot about credit — credit reports, credit scores, credit freezes, credit monitoring. What does it all mean for you?

Consumer Alerts

Consumer Alert

Online search results: The good, the bad, and the scammy

BCP Staff

April 3, 2025

Online search results can offer significant benefits to consumers, helping people find what they’re looking for.

Consumer Alert

Don’t pay to get your Employer Identification Number (EIN)

BCP staff

April 1, 2025

Have you ever paid for something and later found out you could have gotten it for free? It might make you wish someone had told you it was free — before you paid. That’s what a lot of people have reported to the FTC about companies charging them hundreds of dollars to get their Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. But there’s no reason to pay anyone for your EIN. The IRS issues EINs for free.

Buying and Owning a Car

Consumer Alert

Protect yourself (and your money) from scammers this Financial Literacy Month

BCP Staff

April 1, 2025

All year long, scammers are looking for ways to steal your hard-earned money. FTC data shows people reported losing $12.5 billion to scams in 2024, which is up $2.5 billion from 2023. April is Financial Literacy Month: a great time to check out the free resources at consumer.gov to help manage your money while protecting it from scammers.