Consumer Alerts

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

You think a franchise may be for you. You can’t wait to cut that ribbon and get your business up and running. But to avoid a false start, it makes sense to spend more time in the starting block. This

Starting September 25, you can order four free test kits per household through COVIDtests.gov. The tests will detect the currently circulating COVID-19 variants and are intended for use through the

Love at first sight may (or may not) be a real thing, but when it comes to investing your money, it’s unwise to fall for a franchise without first subjecting it to tough-minded scrutiny. The third in

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

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

No one would try to run a marathon with just a few days of preparation. It takes months of rigorous training before you can step up to the starting line with confidence. Of course, the process of

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

For many people, buying a franchise has proven to be a good choice, but like any other financial decision, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question “Is a franchise right for me?” Buying a

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

Did someone tell you to buy a gift card and give them the numbers? That’s a scam. Your money was gone the moment you gave someone those gift card numbers. But now, some gift card companies might be

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

Ever send money through an app like Venmo, CashApp, or Zelle? They make it easy to send money fast to friends or family. But what happens when it’s a scammer on the other end?

Wind-driven wildfires are causing devastation to the Hawaiian island of Maui. Nobody knows how long it will take to recover from the destruction, but we do know it won’t be long before scammers start

You’ve found it: A listing for the perfect off-campus apartment. The rental agent told you to send a security deposit by wiring money. Sound fishy? That’s because it is. But can you spot other rental

If someone asked you to mail them $200 in cash, would you do it? Probably not. Wiring money is just like sending cash in the mail. Once it’s gone, you probably won’t get it back — which explains why

You may have heard of the PACT Act, which expands VA benefits and health care for veterans and servicemembers exposed to toxic substances while serving. And while there’s no deadline to apply for