Consumer Alerts

Welcome to National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) 2020. Today kicks off the 23rd year of one of the FTC’s biggest annual events. Whether you’re new to NCPW or a longtime participant, I hope you’ll

National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) is coming up next week, and we’d love for you to join us. NCPW is a time when the FTC joins with local, state and national partners to bring you information

The FTC is sending refund checks to more than 541,000 people who paid for repairs and technical services when they took their computers to Office Depot or Office Max stores for a free “PC Health Check

Looking for ways to protect your identity? Two to options to consider are fraud alerts and credit freezes. But what’s the difference? A fraud alert makes companies verify your identity before granting

It’s almost Valentine’s Day. Lots of us have profiles on online dating sites, apps or social media to find “the one.” But that interesting person who just messaged you could be a sweet-talking romance

Scammers are taking advantage of fears surrounding the Coronavirus. They’re setting up websites to sell bogus products, and using fake emails, texts, and social media posts as a ruse to take your

Using mobile payment apps like CashApp, Venmo, or Zelle can be a convenient way to get quick cash to your family and friends. But remember the first rule of sending money, whether you’re using an app

Ready for tax season? If you’re not ready for tax identity thieves and IRS imposters, you might not be. But breathe easy. Today is the start of Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week, and we’ve got lots of

‘Tis the season when the tidings come in envelopes stamped “Important Tax Return Document Enclosed.” Yes, it’s tax filing season, and the season’s Grinches are the tax identity thieves and government

Each year, the FTC takes a hard look at the number of reports people make to our Consumer Sentinel Network. In fact, during 2019 , we got more than 3.2 million reports to the FTC from you. We’ve read

March is right around the corner, and you know what that means….it’s almost time for National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW)! This year, NCPW is March 1-7, 2020. That’s just over a month away, so now

The recorded message made it sound easy — take a phone survey and get two free tickets to go on a cruise. But, you guessed it, it wasn’t that simple. The call was an illegal robocall. And those free

The Social Security Administration (SSA) scam is the number one scam reported to the FTC right now. As soon as a caller threatens you, or demands you pay them with a gift card or by wiring money, it’s

What’s on your holiday wish list? Perhaps a smart speaker for your kids’ bedroom, or a cuddly cool internet-connected smart toy to help them learn? Before you give one of these connected toys, read

Did you recently get an official FTC letter from “me”? That’s in quotes because it wasn’t actually from me. And the letter wasn’t official, or even from the FTC at all. In fact, scammers have been

Now that the holiday shopping season is in full swing, scammers are shopping too, looking for people to separate from their money. We already gave you some of the FTC’s tips for happy holiday shopping

At first, scammers tried to get you to wire them money. Then, they demanded payment with gift cards. Now, scammers are luring people into paying them with Bitcoin – a type of digital money or

Holidays often mean time with family and friends. If you’re looking for conversation starters that avoid tricky topics – like who should’ve won the World Series – why not chat about scams? Pass it On

When people report scams to the FTC, we learn a lot about how they experience fraud. These fraud reports are important for law enforcement and education efforts. And, as more and more people report

The Federal Trade Commission is partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau to help you guard against potential census scams. Knowing how the 2020 Census process works, what information you will — and won