Recognize an FTC Impersonator

You get an unexpected call with some bad news: your name is linked to serious crimes, and your money is at risk, says the voice on the line. The next thing you know, he connects you with an “agent” who can supposedly help you resolve the issue. Your heart and mind are racing. But your gut is telling you to talk to someone you trust — or to get off the phone and search the internet for advice. So why would a helpful “agent” warn you not to talk to anyone or tell you to stay off the internet until he can fix the problem? Probably because that “agent” is really a scammer.

Scammers tell lots of different stories to try to get your money or personal information. They want you to hurry and do what they say before you have time to think, check out their story, or reach out to someone who might intervene. That’s where the FTC’s new tool, How I’ll Avoid a Scam: My Action Plan, can help.

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?