Scam Alerts

The FTC’s second Spanish-language fotonovela is about scams that promise you can make money selling high-end products or brand-name merchandise. If the pitch sounds familiar, that’s because the story is based on facts from a recent FTC lawsuit against a company that targeted Spanish speakers nationwide. Income Scams tells the story of Fatima, a consumer who is looking for a way to earn some extra money. She gets a phone call: “I have a great...

Imagine getting a phone message like this: This is the Civil Investigations Unit. We are contacting you in regards to a complaint being filed against you, pursuant to claim and affidavit number D00D-2932, where you have been named a respondent in a court action and must appear… Please forward this information to your attorney in that the order to show cause contains a restraining order. You or your attorney will have 24 to 48 hours to oppose this...

The Federal Trade Commission works closely with legal services providers and consumer advocates to root out frauds affecting communities across the nation. Several of our partners have told us about an income scam that’s targeting Latino organizations -- even churches. Here’s how it works: You get a call. The scammer says he’s with a well-known airline and wants to hire people who speak Spanish to collect boarding passes, work at the ticket...

Looking for a way to get your high school diploma or a college degree online? You’ll want to read this. Today, the FTC announced a case against several companies that sold fake high school diplomas online. The companies claimed you could become a high school graduate and earn an “official” diploma by paying $200 to $300 in fees and taking their online multiple-choice test. They also promised you could use these online diplomas the same way you...

At the Federal Trade Commission, when we say we protect the nation’s consumers, we mean that the agency protects every community in the nation from fraud and scams. This includes African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, immigrants, older consumers, lower-income communities, and veterans and service members. As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, it’s a good time to look back on how the FTC has worked to protect the Latino...

Have you ever been contacted by a lender who says you owe them money, but you’re pretty darn sure you don’t? You’re not the only one. According to the FTC, some payday lenders bought consumer financial information from third parties. Using that financial information, they created fake loan agreements, deposited money into people’s accounts, and made unauthorized withdrawals, all in violation of federal law. What’s more, the lenders lied about the...

Before you sign up and pay any money for health insurance or discount plans, check out all the available options — and any claims they make about coverage. Some people who call you up promoting a way for you to save could be pitching a scam. Today the FTC announced charges against Partners In Health Care and one of its marketers for tricking people — especially Spanish speakers — who were looking for affordable health insurance into buying...

You got a robocall from someone working with the FTC with a message that promised to help you get a refund from the agency. If you ever lost money to a scam, it might have been a tough call to ignore. Turns out ignoring the call would have been the right call because — you guessed it: it was a scam. At the FTC’s request, a federal court has permanently shut down a robocall operation run by The Cuban Exchange — aka CrediSure America and MyiPad.us...

When severe weather strikes, utility outages often are par for the course. Unfortunately, utility scams are becoming part of the drill, too. Here’s how the scam works: Someone claiming to be with your local utility company comes around during an outage and offers to reconnect your service for a cash payment. Sure, you think it’s a bit odd that they’re asking for cash, but maybe the company’s power is out, too, and they can’t operate the computers...

Your caller ID says “FTC” or “IRS,” and the phone number has the “202” Washington, DC area code. You might even look the number up and see that it’s a real government phone number. But the person calling isn’t really from the FTC, IRS, or any other agency. It’s a government imposter whose goal is to convince you to send money before you figure out it’s a scam. The big giveaway? The caller wants you to send money. What imposters might tell you A...