MilConsumer Blog Feed

Scammers lie and pretend to be someone they’re not to trick you into giving them money, access to your accounts, or your personal information. They pretend to be from a business you know or from a government agency — or both. In the latest twist on these constantly evolving schemes, scammers are claiming to be FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson.

New year, new chance to think about ways to protect yourself from identity theft. What’s one way? Freeze your credit.

March is coming right up — which means National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) isn’t far behind. This year, NCPW is March 2-8, 2025. Now’s the time to start planning.

During IDTAW, the FTC and its partners work together to share information on what identity thieves want to steal and why, understand how identity theft happens, and learn how to avoid it. Identity theft can happen to anyone, but there are things you can do to reduce the chance that someone will steal your identity.

If it’s not scammers spamming your phone with texts or filling up your inbox with emails, it’s your mailbox crammed with ads and other mail you didn’t ask for. The junk messages and mail might seem endless, but there are some ways to help scale it back.

An unexpected package from an unknown sender arrives in your name. You open it and find a note that says it’s a gift, but it doesn't say who sent it. The note also says to scan a QR code to find out who sent it — or to get instructions on how to return it. Did someone really send you a gift? Or is it an attempt to steal your personal information?

Whether you’ve driven through a toll recently or not, you might’ve gotten a text saying you owe money for unpaid tolls. It’s probably a scam. Scammers are pretending to be tolling agencies from coast to coast and sending texts demanding money. Learn how the scam works so you can avoid it.

Are you interested in learning more about how to protect yourself from identity theft? Check out Identity Theft Awareness Week. During the week, the FTC and its partners will host free webinars and other events to talk about how to spot, avoid, report, and recover from identity theft. Mark your calendars. Identity Theft Awareness Week starts Monday, January 27!

What could be better than opening the mailbox or the front door and finding an unexpected package? Free gifts might seem like fun — but when an unexpected package lands on your doorstep, it may come with a higher cost than you expected.

It’s that time of year when ads enticing you to upgrade your mobile phone seem to be everywhere you turn. If you’re thinking about upgrading your phone, here are four easy steps to remove your personal information from your phone before you trade it in.