Consumer Alerts

Some mistakes are harmless, but mistakes on a tenant background check? Those are serious and can result in a denied application and the loss of housing opportunities. That’s why the FTC and the

You're online and see a chance to try a new skin cream for free. You might think: why not? Well, for starters, that free trial might not be free at all.

Scammers are using social media to go after your money and personal information. And it’s working: since 2021, people have reported losing $2.7 billion to scams that started on social media — way more

What’s worse than a bogus charity? A bogus charity with a dishonest fundraiser. The FTC has sued and stopped dishonest charity fundraisers that called people to get them to donate to fake charities

Starting your own small business is a big deal, so you might hire a business coach to help you. But sometimes, these business coaches are only looking to help themselves — at your (literal) expense

Did you get a bill for a Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan or COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) you never applied for? If the answer is yes, an identity

Finding and keeping health insurance for your family can be stressful and expensive. During the pandemic, your state’s Medicaid Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) might have helped — but with

The Department of Education (ED) just announced that it will approve full federal student loan forgiveness for some University of Phoenix students. Want to know if you’re eligible to get your federal

Extreme weather and natural disasters can occur with little warning. Communities spared in the past have suffered devastating losses this year, and many are still recovering. National Preparedness

Were you or your kids one of the many millions of people charged in Fortnite for unwanted V-Bucks or in-game items (like gear, llamas, or battle passes)? Here’s how to know if you might be eligible to

Atlantic storm Lee brought near-hurricane strength winds and torrential rains to many New England residents — many already affected by wildfires and severe flooding this summer. When you’re doing your

Scammers target everyone. But scams and reported bad business practices can play out differently in different communities. Sometimes, scammers set out to target a particular community. Sometimes, they

Have kids or teens? If they’re online or using apps or game consoles, they’re also dealing with ads. Sometimes they’ll know it. But what happens when the line between ads and games and other content

You’ve probably heard the news — federal student loan repayments are starting again in October. But scammers might try and tell you they can help you avoid repayment, lower your payments, or get your

I don’t know about you, but if I bought something online and never got it, and then didn’t get my money back, I’d be like, “Dude, that’s not right.” The FTC says that’s not right, either.

We’ve all heard the adage “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” It’s been attributed to everyone from Vince Lombardi to Secretary of State James Baker. As we’ve discussed in the first four

Figuring out the full extent of Hurricane Idalia’s damage could take weeks or even months. But we already know that scammers will follow the path of the storm and try to take advantage of people doing

Scammers are at it again, this time pretending to be “Sheriff’s deputies” and threatening to arrest doctors, physician assistants, and nurses for missing a court date. So how do you spot this scam?

What’s one of the best ways to spot a scam? Know how scammers tell you to pay. Scammers want you to pay them in ways that are hard to trace and hard to get your money back: like through a gift card

No company should misuse a person’s personal information — especially when it’s to open accounts for someone else. But that’s exactly what the FTC charged Vivint Smart Home, Inc. with doing. And that