Consumer Alerts

You’ve probably heard about identity theft, but have you heard about Identity Theft Awareness week? That’s when the FTC and its partners host free podcasts, webinars, Facebook Live interviews, and

If you’ll be seeing college-age relatives over the holidays, warn them about a variation on the “job interview” scam that students looking for summer or permanent employment have reported to us.

A personalized holiday gift used to mean a shirt with a monogram. But the popularity of at-home DNA test kits suggests that personalized presents have gotten a lot more personal. If genetic test kits

Ever think about clicking on ads for big markdowns or close-out sales in your feed? Social media seems to know what’s on your shopping list, whether it’s the season’s hot toys, electronics, or other

QR codes seem to be everywhere. You may have scanned one to see the menu at a restaurant or pay for public parking. And you may have used one on your phone to get into a concert or sporting event, or

Ever send money through an app like Venmo, CashApp, or Zelle? They make it easy to send money fast to friends or family. But what happens when it’s a scammer on the other end?

Scammers know how valuable your personal and financial information is — and they’ll do or say almost anything to get it. What can you do to keep it safe? The best way to protect your info from

Getting a call, letter, or a visit about the American Community Survey (ACS) — when so many scammers are trying to trick you into sharing personal information — might make you think twice. And it’s

As unique as we each are, we all look the same to identity thieves: like good targets. To them, it’s all about our Social Security numbers, birth dates, account login credentials, and other personal

What do the model of your first car, your favorite hobby, and the high school you attended have in common? If you said they’re questions commonly used for online account security and online quizzes

An easy step can help protect your online accounts from hackers. Whenever you can, make sure your accounts ask for two credentials to verify your identity when you log in. It’s called multifactor, or

Scammers are at it again, impersonating well-known businesses and trying to rip people off. This time they’re pretending to be from Geek Squad, Best Buy’s tech support service. Here’s what we’re

Your online accounts, computer, and phone hold a lot of your personal, financial, and health information. Information that’s valuable to you — and to scammers who try to steal it. Here are five things

When you’re online, some companies try to trick you into buying things you don’t want. Or into giving them permission to use your personal information. The use of these deceptive designs, known as

Many of us have grown used to the idea that companies constantly collect information about us as we go about our daily lives. It may be information we give up willingly, like a credit card number for

The FTC has been getting reports of people getting letters in the mail from a law firm. They are, they say, looking for the heir of a multi-million-dollar inheritance. And they think it might be you.

It’s summer, peak moving season for military servicemembers and their families. You’ve got enough on your plate without having to worry about identity theft. But the reality is scammers are getting

July is Disability Pride Month — a time to celebrate the proud identities, contributions, and culture of 40.8 million people with disabilities in the U.S. It’s when we recognize how the Americans with

With technology, it’s easier than ever to connect with others and people are just a click or call away. Nobody knows that better than scammers — who might try to contact you about a supposed virus or