Consumer Alerts

Did you get an offer to be a secret shopper for a well-known company? It might come as text, email, or letter inviting you to work on a ‘research project starting soon in your area.’ Several people

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

You may be skeptical when someone you don’t know sends you a text message you didn’t expect and it tells you to click on a link. Maybe that little voice in your head starts talking to you. I know mine

Many of us don’t have experience planning a funeral. When it’s time to make arrangements, we might ask friends and neighbors for information about local providers. Or ask family members to help shop

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

If you’ve ever fantasized about never having to worry about money again, you’re not alone. There are companies peddling investment strategies to, they say, make your dreams come true. But before you

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

Lots of small businesses need to advertise locally. So, if someone told your business that it could advertise through well-known local firms or organizations, that might interest you. But

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

If someone you don’t know sends you a check and asks for money back, that’s a scam. Fake checks drive many types of scams — like those involving phony job and income opportunities, online classified

Videos from the Federal Trade Commission offer practical, useful, and memorable messages that can save you money, time, and aggravation. And they’re free. We have videos that tell you how to protect

If you remember nothing else from this blog post, remember this: sellers that peddle cures must have scientific proof to back up their claims. The FTC takes action when they don’t. Case in point: The

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

Online comparison sites can be great ways to check out products you want to try or buy. But are those reviews and rankings objective, accurate, and unbiased? It’s a question to always ask, and here’s

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

So far, this year has seen devastating wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes and flooding, crippling snow and ice storms. These kinds of severe weather and natural disasters can occur anywhere — sometimes