MilConsumer Blog Feed

People are reporting a new twist on a banking imposter scam targeting the military. In this latest con, imposters call servicemembers and pretend to be from or working with DFAS (for us civilians, that’s the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, a Department of Defense agency that handles getting pay to servicemembers). Here’s how the scam plays out. The caller says the servicemember was (supposedly) underpaid. They demand the servicemember’s...

People make up lots of stories about why you need to send them money. They might say you’ve won a prize, your family member is in an emergency, or that they love you. And in all these examples, they now need you to send them money. But how do you know what’s a scam and what’s legit, especially when you think it’s someone you know and care about asking? Read on to learn one of the surest ways to spot a scam. Scammers want your money, in a hurry...

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you or your friends might be thinking about love. But not everyone is — some are just looking to get into your pockets. Read on so you can spot and report scammers before they trick someone you care about out of money. Romance scammers might contact you on social media or dating apps saying they want to get to know you. It’s true love, they say, but they live too far away to meet. Maybe because of work...

El fraude afecta a todas las comunidades, y no es inusual que los estafadores perpetren sus estafas en el idioma que tú hablas en tu casa. Ahora, la FTC tiene información en una docena de idiomas para ayudarte a detectar y evitar esas estafas: ftc.gov/languages. Allí encontrarás información en amárico, árabe, chino (simplificado y tradicional), francés, hmong, coreano, ruso, somalí, tagalo, vietnamita y ucraniano. ¿Y qué es lo que encontrarás...

It’s almost Valentine’s Day. Maybe you’ve already sent a card to your grandmother, grandfather, or the older adult in your life. But if you haven’t told them lately that you love them, pick up the phone and call, too. While you’re catching up, remind them that you’ll never pressure them to wire you money or buy you gift cards — but a scammer might.

Fraud affects every community, and it’s not unusual for scammers to run their scam in the language you speak at home. Now, the FTC has information in a dozen languages to help you spot and avoid those scams: ftc.gov/languages. You’ll find info in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, Hmong, Korean, Russian, Somali, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Ukrainian. So, what will you find there? At ftc.gov/languages, you’ll get all the...

La FTC honra las contribuciones y el legado de los afroamericanos a lo largo de la historia de los Estados Unidos. Uno de los principales problemas de asuntos de consumidor que hemos escuchado de personas que viven en comunidades mayoritariamente negras está relacionado con las agencias crediticias (credit bureaus, en inglés). Tu historial crediticio le dice a las empresas y posibles empleadores cómo usas el dinero. ¿Qué dice tu historial crediticio sobre ti? ¿Es correcta esa información?

The FTC honors the contributions and legacy of Black Americans across U.S. history. One of the top consumer issues we’ve heard from people living in majority Black communities is related to credit bureaus. Your credit history tells businesses and potential employers a story about how you use money. What is your credit history saying about you — and is it accurate? Businesses might run your credit report to decide if they want to lend you money...

Hoy en día, por todas partes hay aplicaciones y sitios web relacionados con la salud que te permiten hacer un seguimiento de cosas tales como tu actividad física, tu estado de salud, tu ingesta de calorías, tus recetas de prescripción médica e incluso tu ciclo de ovulación. Estas aplicaciones te piden datos sobre tu persona y tu salud, pero ¿y si utilizan y comparten tu información de forma indebida?

Nowadays, there are health-related apps and websites everywhere that let you track things like your physical activity, health conditions, caloric intake, prescriptions, and even ovulation. They ask you for details about yourself and your health, but what if they use and share your information in ways they’re not supposed to?