Scam Alerts

A couple of weeks ago, we told you about a sweepstakes scam using the FTC’s name to get people to send money. Now, there’s another sweepstakes-themed FTC imposter scam, and this one lays it on thick: It starts with a letter from a lawyer in California. He says the FTC appointed him to notify you about a claim [s poiler: we didn’t], and includes a letter from FTC Commissioner Joshua Wright enlisting his help [ spoiler: it’s fake]. The letter says...

Identity thieves may already have a lot of information about you – like your credit card number, the card’s expiration date, and your name, address, and phone number. With all that information in his hands, why would he call you? He’s after one vital piece of information – the security code on your credit card. Here’s how the scam works. The scammer says he’s calling from your credit card’s security or fraud department. They’ve flagged some...

Here’s a scam with an FTC angle. The letter has an official-looking FTC seal and is signed by “FTC Director” Jessica Rich. It says someone at the FTC will help you claim a cash prize you’ve won, and will help ensure delivery. That is, after you pay off the more than $5,000 “Legal Registration Bond.” The language might sound legal, and the letter might look legit. You might look up Jessica Rich and see she’s an actual FTC official. But the truth...

Do you work at a doctor’s office? A nonprofit? How about a church, retirement home, or small business? Then you might be interested to hear that the FTC has stopped some scammers targeting businesses and organizations like yours. Here’s how the schemes worked, according to the FTC: Businesses with names like “American Yellow Group,” “American Yellow Corporation,” or “Medical Yellow Directories” would send bills with the well-known “walking...

Respectfulness and politeness — they’re valued in many close-knit communities. But when you’re dealing with a scammer, those values can backfire, as we’ve heard during our ongoing effort to fight fraud in every community. Scammers try to take advantage of your politeness to get you to hand over money or personal information. Here are some situations when it would be just fine to interrupt, hang up, and not give a caller the time of day: They want...

With winter almost over, are you itching to get out of town? As you search for your perfect getaway, you might come across good-looking vacation rental deals that seem amazing. Unfortunately, some “steals” are posted by scammers trying to steal your money. They’ll leave you with a vacation to nowhere. Scammers have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. They create fake websites that look legitimate, using names and logos of real hotels. They post...

I don't know about you, but I’m about ready to say "uncle" to Old Man Winter. This year's record-breaking snowfalls, downed trees, roof collapses, mudslides, flooding and frozen pipes are leaving overwhelming clean-up and recovery in their wake. If you're thinking about hiring someone to help you dig out, keep these tips in mind: If someone promises immediate clean-up or demands payment up-front, be skeptical. It won't save time — or money — if...

The email says it’s a court notice from the Bureau of Defaulters Agency-FTC with your arrest warrant record attached. It says you’ve ignored their efforts to contact you, so now your Social Security number is on hold by the federal government, you’ll be prosecuted for fraud, and you’ll owe all kinds of money when you’re found guilty. You’ve got just 24 hours to respond. It’s not true. There is no Bureau of Defaulters, and the FTC doesn’t send...

Today, the FTC announced its top 10 consumer complaints for 2014. Of the more than 2.5 million consumer complaints received… Identity theft once again tops the list, with 13 percent of total complaints filed. Debt collection held steady as the second-most-reported complaint, with 11 percent. Imposter scams — where con artists impersonate government officials or others — moved into third place on the list of consumer complaints, entering the top...

For years, we’ve been hearing about lottery scams: the imposter who convinces you that you’ve won the lottery (you didn’t) – and all you have to do is pay some fees to collect your millions (you won’t). And for years, we’ve been hearing about lottery scams that originate in Jamaica, where telemarketing lottery scams became a cottage industry in some parts of the island. Here at the FTC, we’ve helped criminal law enforcers investigate these types...