Consumer Alerts

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

If you’re looking for a remote job, you might be interested in companies that support a cause. But scammers know that and use your interest to draw you in. If, for example, you’re an LGBTQ+ person or

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

If you made payments to Ameritech for what you thought was your student loan, you may be getting a refund soon. Today, the FTC and DOJ are sending more than $9 million in refunds to people who lost

The FTC charged that a business opportunity and coaching scheme bilked consumers out of tens of millions of dollars. The scheme grew on the back of baseless claims about how much money customers could

In the wake of Tropical Storm Hilary’s wind damage and catastrophic flooding — to say nothing of the California “hurriquake” — scammers are likely to follow. As people in affected areas try to rebuild