Consumer Alerts

Scammers and dishonest businesses can target people in unique ways, so it’s important to understand how communities are affected — and at times, differently affected — by consumer protection issues. A

Did you get a message from a friend on social media about a US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant opportunity? Or from someone saying they were an HHS employee? Well…they weren’t who

Crypto investment talk is everywhere — even in your local community groups in real life or online. But scammers join these groups, too. Their mission? Gain the group’s trust…and then exploit

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

It’s National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) 2023 and it couldn’t come at a better time. The FTC’s recently released top frauds of 2022 have impersonation scams at #1 again. So, this NCPW, let’s talk

Essential oils and supplements to prevent, treat, or cure COVID-19? If it smells fishy to you, the FTC agrees. According to the FTC, three high-level distributors for Utah-based multi-level marketing

When local stores ran out of the supplies we needed to manage COVID-19, many of us turned to online sources. According to a new Data Spotlight, scammers ran online sites and took orders for scarce

Unwanted calls are annoying. They can feel like a constant interruption — and many are from scammers. Unfortunately, technology makes it easy for scammers to make millions of calls a day. So this week

Say you’re looking for a job. You’ve found some you’re qualified for on a well-known employment website and you apply to a bunch of them. If you get a message saying “You’re hired! We just want some

Nobody likes getting debt collection calls. But have you ever gotten one for a debt you already paid — or you know isn’t yours? Or have you been threatened and harassed by a debt collector until you

According to U.S. Census data, more than one third of U.S. households rent their home — that’s more renters than at any point in the last 50 years. Every year, millions of people go through the

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

When big things in your home break — like your dishwasher or air conditioning system — they can cost lots of money to fix. Some people buy “home warranties” (which are really service contracts) to

What are scammers up to these days? Every day, people just like you tell the FTC what they’ve spotted, and maybe even lost money to. Then, every year, the FTC rolls up all those millions of reports

National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) 2023 is coming up in two weeks, and we hope you’ll attend some of the virtual and in-person events. NCPW is a time when the FTC partners with organizations and

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

People make up lots of stories about why you need to send them money. They might say you’ve won a prize , your family member is in an emergency , or that they love you . And in all these examples

Before you spend money on that “Shark-approved” miracle invention, weight loss product, or keto diet pill, are you sure it’s really been through the Tank? Really sure? Scammers are using fake Shark

Tired of getting endless robocalls? We are too. Robocalls aren’t just a pain to get, they’re often pushing scams for things like fake auto warranties and debt relief. But scammy robocallers can’t do

Scammers trying to rip you off will often impersonate organizations or government agencies you know. Some even pretend to be from the Federal Trade Commission. But how can you know if it’s the FTC or