Consumer Alert
As prices rise, keep an eye out for scammers
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With the cost of groceries, housing, and many other things rising, you might be looking for ways to cut costs. You aren’t alone. Across the country, people are worried about high prices impacting their budgets. And scammers are taking notice.
Scammers may zero in on your anxiety over money in several ways. They might say they’re from the government and giving away grant money for home repairs or unpaid bills. Or they have an investment that’s guaranteed to deliver quick and high returns. Or they know of a high-paying job that’s yours as soon as you pay a fee or give them your personal information.
To spot and avoid these types of scams, here are some things to remember:
- The government won’t get in touch out of the blue about grants. It won’t call, text, reach out through social media, or email you. In fact, real government grants require an application, are completely free to apply for, and are always for a specific purpose.
- All investments have risks. No one can guarantee a specific amount of return on an investment, or that an investment will be successful.
- Honest employers won’t ask you to pay to get a job. If someone claims you can make a lot of money in a short time with little effort — you just need to pay for starter kits, “training,” or certifications — that’s a scam.
If you come across any of these, or other scams, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Find resources to help you manage your money at Consumer.gov.
I'm glad that you are keeping us inform. We r retired and is awful for us to fall in to these scammers. There should be some kind of protection for us. How about sweepstakes that are send to to people homes
This is not related to this e-mail: A note related to SSA benefits for retirees.
Make retires aware about Plan B for SSA, you have to pay a very high fee every month plus pay for the Federal Medical program to. It can add up to a lot of money to pay every month.
Make people aware phone call related right now to school and soliciting on the phone for school programs.
Scammers should not be given any gift cards. the credit card which is used to buy those gift cards should go after the scammers who have used those cards not after who has bought those cards.
This was a good topic.
All this information is good to know. Thanks!
I have a text from edd Bank of America how can I find out if this is real?
A good resource
Thank you for the information
Thank You for allowing us to get these email alerts. I appreciate the hard work and education we need to make sure hard-earned money will not be stolen.
People need to understand that no one gets a grant unless they have a project they want to fund.
Thankyou very much for the information.
Reading the above, ''Honest employers won’t ask you to pay to get a job'', does this mean that MLM is a scam?
Few days ago, I was shopping at a National known store, one product was priced differently in two locations, few feet apart. After I came home, I checked the receipt. I was over charged than the listed price. I called the store, the customer service phone was useless. I called the national head quarters and complained. After one day the local store manager called saying " if you want a price adjustment come to the store". I explained to him that I am a senior citizen I have to drive ten miles to get the store refund. That is more than the money charged, can do the online adjustment or send me the check. The manager was so firm that I should come to the store only and dropped the call.
Like me may be hundred customers may exploited by these stores like this. State or county authorities should do surprise spot check and take an action to make them adhere fair trade practice. The store is gaining unaccounted profit from customer like me.