Tag: All Scams

The FTC is getting reports about a new phishing scam that looks a lot like the CAPTCHA requests you might be used to seeing. Real CAPTCHAs give you image- or text-based tasks to prove you’re not a robot — something like typing letters and numbers exactly as they appear, or matching pictures of things like fire hydrants or traffic lights. Here’s how the fake CAPTCHA requests happen…and how you could wind up installing malware on your own device.

Medicare losses due to fraud, errors, and abuse cost taxpayers about $60 billion every year. Providers might double bill Medicare for a single treatment, charge for things like a back brace you didn’t get (or need); a company might offer you a fake Medicare drug plan; or a scammer might ask you to confirm your Medicare number ­— which they then use to commit hospice fraud.

Scams often start with a text, call, or an ad or message on social media. So, if you have a phone or you’re on social media, chances are you’ve heard from a scammer recently.

If you run a small business, you know how important it is to pay your bills. Scammers know this too and send fake invoices to businesses for products or services they never ordered in the hopes they’ll pay up.

You might have heard from the news or your school that online learning platform Canvas’ parent company Instructure was hacked, potentially putting students’ personal information at risk.

Looking for ways to celebrate Older Americans Month? There’s something people of all ages can do to participate and help each other avoid scams: Pass It On. The FTC has a different approach to educating older adults about fraud. Pass It On encourages people to lean into their invaluable life experience and use the free materials as a way to start a conversation with friends and family.

Every year, the FTC gets millions of fraud reports from consumers and shares information about the top scams. In what’s not a surprise for anyone who’s followed along in the past, imposter scams were the #1 scam for the ninth year in a row. So, what do we know about these imposter scams?

All week long, learn how the FTC can help you protect your small business from scams and online threats. Run a small business or want to support the small businesses in your community? Here’s how you can get involved.

There’s a new text scam the FTC is hearing about. It involves fake recruiters offering fake jobs, stealing real money. Here’s how these scams work — and how to avoid them.