Consumer Alert
FTC Commissioners aren’t calling you — really
Scammers have been calling, pretending to be people from the FTC. While the names they use might be real, they’re actually scammers — some of them hoping to trick you into thinking they’re an FTC Commissioner. But they’re not. Whether the caller promises you a prize or threatens you with arrest — and even if they give a (fake) badge number — that’s a scammer. So that call from someone who wants your money or info, and says they’re Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya from the FTC — or Commissioner Noah Phillips, Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Commissioner Christine Wilson, or FTC Chair Khan? That’s a scam.
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Scammers like these might demand access to your bank account. They might tell you to pay them by loading money on gift cards, buying cryptocurrency, or using a money transfer service like MoneyGram or Western Union. They could say it’s a way to avoid jail, pay a fine, settle an unpaid Amazon balance, or even collect a prize. But it’s a scam.
Here are three things to know about this scam:
- The FTC won’t call, email, text, or message you on social media to ask for money. Anyone who does is a scammer.
- The FTC will never call, email, text, or message you on social media to threaten you with arrest. In fact, no government agency will do that. But scammers will.
- Never pay anybody who contacts you out of the blue and tells you to pay. Don’t give them access to your bank account, don’t buy cryptocurrency or gift cards, don’t wire money, don’t send cash. Just don’t pay them. It’s a scam.
Don’t respond to anyone who says they’re an FTC Commissioner or the FTC Chair — they’ll never call you to demand money, threaten you with arrest, or promise you a prize. Instead, report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Wish I had known all this before I got scammed!!
Thank for all the info, will not, hopefully have this happen again.
In reply to Wish I had known all this… by Phyllis Noble
did you guys also get a postcard in the mail saying by August 31st that you guys have to follow a claim to get your money from the Federal trade commission vs on point global
In reply to did you guys also get a… by Susan Cortez
If you paid OnPoint Global for services between January 2017 and December 2019, and you didn’t already get your money back, you are eligible for a refund. To claim your money, go to onpointclaimform.com and click "File A Claim." Follow the prompts to get your personalized claim link. If you need help completing the claim form, please call 1-866-223-6288.
Thank you for this important information, very helpful.
Thank you
What can you do to protect me as a consumer that has been scammed and my identity has been stolen and ruined my credit history including Banks like Wells Fargo when my information was use without my authorization and use to open accounts which is why my credit history has been damage and I am still waiting for a settlement which I have not received as of today
I have a land line phone and the phone notifies me if the current incoming call is a Scam Risk. I get these all month long. The caller never leaves a message, so, I decided to write the numbers down. I am giving you the list for the month of July 2022. Hopefully you can investigate these and possibly shut them down.
Date Scam Risk Phone #
6-Jul 805.348.5050
6-Jul 805.429.7442
11-Jul 949.204.1533
11-Jul 805.360.3722
12-Jul 805.274.3065
14-Jul 805.253.7441
14-Jul 818.436.6567
17-Jul 805.322.0879
19-Jul 818.436.6567
20-Jul 818.657.8076
24-Jul 386.340.3110
24-Jul 805.859.5973
26-Jul 805.357.4516
26-Jul 805.859.6186
27-Jul 805.859.8611
27-Jul 475.280.3957
30-Jul 805.879.5727
In reply to I have a land line phone and… by Mary Diane Garber
To file a detailed report about a scam, go to www.ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The information you report to www.ReportFraud.ftc.gov goes into the secure database the FTC and other law enforcement agencies use for investigations.
Your blog Comments doesn't go into the secure law enforcement database.
Thank you ever so much
In reply to Thank you ever so much by Rosalind Stennis
by chance did anyone else get a postcard is this really real I've been through a lot of scams and I'm not trying to go through this again
What frustrates me is that neither the FCC or the FTC is doing anything to stop either scammer or telemarketing robocalls. I report calls to the FCC's and FTC's websites, but nothing happens and I continue to receive the calls. I send detailed information (including the identity) about some brazen telemarketing scams to the FCC and the FTC, and they do nothing. Both the FCC and FTC give lip service warning the public to "hang up on scammers", but the scammers continue to call. If the FCC and FTC are going to do nothing, then we Taxpayers are wasting our money by funding those useless agencies. A high percentage of the illegal calls are coming from outside the USA, but nothing is being done to curtail this telephone terrorism.
did you guys also get a postcard in the mail saying by August 31st that you guys have to follow a claim to get your money from the Federal trade commission vs on point global
My mother, age 73, with early stage Alzheimer's, was just a mark on this scam. It's very scary for a senior because they make promises that they aren't asking for account numbers, give badge information and really do sound official. They also low-key threaten that if their "investigation" into the "money laundering" scheme of these "foreign scammers" isn't conclusive, that the victim (my mom, in this case) will be criminally and financially liable for their behavior. They reported that the "scammers" had run up balances on at least eight accounts including, Amazon, Wells Fargo, Chase and other common companies. She only does financial business with her local Credit Union, which is when I decided to grab the phone and take over. I asked for a method to verify their activities and to speak to a supervisor. Our conversation got heated and the person on the phone said he was the top supervisor and then when I called that out (being a Fed. myself and knowing how organization structures work in the Federal Government), he hung up on me and never called back. People will do truly awful things to make a few dollars. I am grateful my mom is visiting me and I happened to overhear enough of that conversation to intervene. She is very upset.
I received a call from Amazon whom then transferred me over to FTC I was not asked for money, bank account information but I was told my identity had been stolen
In reply to I received a call from… by Darlene wells
This happened to me today too. I didn’t give them any info, but I’m still paranoid about it.
In reply to This happened to me today… by Erica
This happened to me today also. Received a call from "JP Morgan Chase" saying they suspected fraudulent activity on Amazon account. When I refused to give specific information, they transferred me to another representative. I asked for a phone number so I can call back because I was in my car. They said a supervisor would call me. I then received a call saying they were from the FTC and he was told I wasn't cooperating with the bank and I needed to complete a report because they are showing my phone number was compromised and authorizing purchases. I hung up. I had given them general information, so now I am paranoid as well. I've checked all of my credit card purchases and everything looks fine.