Consumer Alerts

Giving Tuesday is a terrific time to support your favorite cause or charity. Here’s how to avoid charity scams and make your donations count.

You may have heard us say when you’re shopping online, check things out before checkout. The same advice applies to giveaways on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. Here’s why: One in four

Following the Israel-Gaza crisis in the news and want to help by donating to a charity? Scammers follow the news, too, and are at the ready. Just like in the wake of a natural disaster, scammers set

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

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.

Throw a dart at a map of the U.S. and chances are you’ll land on a community that suffered severe weather this year. Whether it’s landslides on the West Coast, extreme ice storms in the South, spring

You’ve found it: A listing for the perfect off-campus apartment. The rental agent told you to send a security deposit by wiring money. Sound fishy? That’s because it is. But can you spot other rental

If someone asked you to mail them $200 in cash, would you do it? Probably not. Wiring money is just like sending cash in the mail. Once it’s gone, you probably won’t get it back — which explains why

We’re hearing about a new scheme that involves imposters preying on people who are grieving the loss of a loved one. The imposters pretend to be from the funeral home and say that, unless the family

Have you ever bought something through an online marketplace where third parties sell their products? You’re not alone. Millions of people have. But have you ever wondered who the seller was? Or where

April is Financial Literacy Month, and a great time to take advantage of free advice at ftc.gov/Money Matters. Federal Trade Commission data show people reported losing $8.8 billion to scams in 2022

You may think buying an auto service contract can help ease the burden of costly repairs. While a service contract might sound like a good idea, it could duplicate coverage you have through your

If you have arthritis, diabetes, kidney conditions, cancer, macular degeneration, or some chronic skin and bowel diseases, you may be using a biologic medication. Biologics are medications generally

The FTC recently sent 24 cease and desist letters to eye doctors after getting reports they may have violated the Contact Lens Rule by ignoring important rights of patients. That includes the

LASIK is corrective surgery to a very delicate part of the eye. Millions of people have had LASIK surgery to correct their vision, many with great success. Advertising is one way LASIK providers

If you took up baking during the pandemic, you may have ordered Pyrex bakeware promoted as “American as apple pie.” It turns out, says the FTC, some Pyrex glassware advertised as “proudly made in the

As 2022 winds down, many of us are still feeling the financial effects of the pandemic: from finding work to buying or renting a home; from getting loans to simply making ends meet. And as we work to

We’ve all been there. During the holidays you order something online and anxiously await its arrival. But then your package doesn’t come when the seller said it would. And worse, you hear nothing

In the FTC’s latest case targeting fake COVID-19 claims, the agency took action against Margrett Priest Lewis and the company she founded and manages, Precision Patient Outcomes, Inc. (PPO). Lewis and

Timeshare exit companies advertise a lot. Many "guarantee" they can get you out of your timeshare contract, but sometimes these companies are simply a scam. In a case announced today, the FTC said a