Consumer Alerts

‘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

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

Earn UNLIMITED income! Quit your job! Change your life! Do we have your attention? Good! Are you rolling your eyes? Even better. That means you’ve heard warnings about illegal pyramid schemes that

If you’ve been reading our new year, new credit series, then you have your credit report and learned how to read it. But what if you see mistakes? Maybe it’s an account that you didn’t open, an error

We saw it with the 2010 Census: scammers lying to people about the availability of jobs as census takers, and charging fees to help people get those jobs. If history is any indication, the scammers

You’re getting your financial life in order in 2020. Yesterday, we explained how to get your credit report. Now that you have it, you want to know what it means. Here’s where to start. What’s a credit

Now that you know why credit matters, it’s time to get your credit in order. Sometimes the hardest part is getting started. The first step is to pull your credit report. How do you get your credit

You’ll make a lot of money. I’m going to show you how to do it — and using my program, I guarantee you’ll be successful. If you see that in an ad, there’s likely a scammer behind it. Just last week

With the start of a new year, many of us want to get our finances in order. We often think about budgeting, but what about credit? To help you get a handle on credit, we’ve put together a four-part

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

Opening a business requires planning, elbow grease, and probably some paperwork to register your new company with your state or local government. And that’s where some not-so-honest outfits may try to

If you picked the money, you’re not alone. As we start 2020, many of us are making financial resolutions. Of course, saving more or paying down debt sounds great, but getting started can feel

Starting a work-at-home business can give you the flexibility to set your own hours and be your own boss. But when you search online or get ads by email, you’ll often find scammers instead of a real

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

If you have a car, you know how expensive the upkeep can be. Gas, maintenance, parking – the whole lot. So what if a company offered to pay you to drive around – which you were already doing – with

Gift cards are one quick way to get through your last-minute holiday shopping list. But before you give (and get) gift cards, here are a few things you need to know. Inspect gift cards before you buy

Most people go to college to earn a degree and get a good job. In a competitive job market, it helps to have connections. So when a college or university claims it has relationships with well-known

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