Consumer Alerts

Despite the best of intentions and careful planning, you may find yourself facing a financial challenge when you least expect it. A furlough, layoff, illness, or emergency can crop up suddenly. Life

Every November, people put out social media posts to honor family and friends who’ve served in the military. But did you know that servicemembers and veterans reported losing more than $350 million to

Looking to get or switch your Marketplace health insurance during open enrollment (November 1, 2024 – January 15, 2025)? Don’t click on ads that say they offer free things like phones or cash cards

Mortgage interest rates may be on the way down, but scammers’ false promises are likely on the way up. If you’re looking to lower your mortgage payment — by refinancing your home or VA loan — learn

Hackers target your email and social media accounts to steal your personal information. Like your username and password, bank or credit card account numbers, or Social Security number. If they get it

We recently shared advice to help you safeguard the personal information in your accounts, on your computer, and on your phone to protect it from identity theft. But scammers aren’t just after your

No one likes waiting in airport security lines. To speed things up, some people opt to get TSA PreCheck. Scammers know this and send emails that look like they're from TSA PreCheck — but they’re not

If you’re one of the resourceful, dedicated librarians who uses FTC materials to help your patrons spot, avoid, and report scams, thank you! We’ve heard your feedback and we’re hoping to make it even

Every year, the FTC reports to Congress on the agency’s recent efforts to protect older adults. Check out this year’s report for new scam and fraud trends, FTC cases and rulemakings that impacted

If you’ve been grocery shopping lately, you might have noticed that the box, can, or bag you usually buy might feel a little lighter. Sure, sometimes brands repackage and freshen their designs — but

Many communities are experiencing devastating losses from recent hurricanes, and no one knows how long it will take to recover. Maybe you’re considering donating to help people in those communities

Marriott settled charges related to a data breach that exposed the information of millions of guests. The company will take steps to better protect customers’ personal information. And it will give

With the holiday season approaching, you might be looking for extra funds to cover things like gifts and trips. But if you’re planning to borrow the money, make sure a payday loan isn’t your first —

Did someone tell you to buy a gift card to pay a fine or bill? Stop. It’s a scam. No real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them. Here’s how to spot and avoid

Have you seen offers to “unlock” the equity in your home by selling it and then renting it back from the buyer? The ads make these agreements — called sale-leasebacks — sound like a simple and risk

The federal government is once again offering free COVID test kits. When it opens in September, you can order up to four kits per household at COVIDTests.gov. All for free.

Nobody knows how long it’ll take to recover from the devastating flooding and destruction of Hurricane Helene. But we do know it won’t be long before scammers try to cash in on the storm. As you’re

If you have Medicare, Open Enrollment — which runs from October 15 through December 7 — is when you can make changes to your health and prescription drug plans. Leading up to and during this time, you

Congratulations! You found a new place to live. Now you have to coordinate a move. Whether you’re moving across town or cross-country, you might need more than friends to haul your belongings. Here

We get it. You hoped the day would never come when you learned someone used your personal information to open new credit accounts in your name. But it did. So now what? Act fast. It can help reduce