Scam Alerts

If you serve – or have served – in the military, chances are you feel a pretty tight bond with your brothers- and sisters-in-arms. If you share a common experience with someone, it only makes sense that you trust them, want to associate with them, or even do business with them. But here’s something to bear in mind: scammers count on your trust in fellow servicemembers – and use it against you. A con artist might have actual service experience or...

Your social media feed is abuzz with stories of people making serious money selling an energy drink. Not one to miss out an opportunity, you do a quick search and come across a viral video. The guy making the pitch insists you can make thousands of dollars a month. “Forget working 9 to 5. Join the Young People Revolution!” he says. You think to yourself, “I’m young people! And I can totally get on board with a revolution.” Slow your roll, my...

Online scammers are recruiting. They’re looking for people to help them transfer money and stolen goods. Of course, they don’t come right out and say that’s what they want. Instead, they claim to offer work at home jobs or pretend to be your romantic partner and ask you for a ‘favor.’ The scammers’ goal: to use your bank account, personal information and address to help them steal money. The scammers may send you an email offering a job as a...

Have you heard this message? “Hi, this is Rachel from Card Services calling about your credit card account. It appears that you are now eligible for a significantly lower interest rate on your account. However, this offer is about to expire, so please press 1 now to be transferred to a live representative who can assist you in securing your lower interest rate.” Rachel and her cohorts — Anne, Tiffany, Michael, Heather and others — from “Card...

Want to work from home? How about a job helping small businesses get loans or cash advances? For people recruited by Money Now Funding (aka Nationwide Lending, among other names), it seemed like a great opportunity. In reality, it was a con. People were left loaded with debt — sometimes tens of thousands of dollars of debt — and no income. Today the FTC announced that the companies behind the scheme have been shut down. Here’s what happened...

Nowadays, you can encounter a scam artist just about anywhere — online, over the phone and even at your door. Here are a few ruses that might come a’ knocking, and tips to avoid getting taken: Home repair scams Someone offers to do yardwork or make repairs in or around your home. You want to save money and really need the work done so you give it a shot. He or she takes a cash payment from you upfront… and never returns. Cable reconnect scams...

Unwanted phone calls or random text messages seem to come at all hours. They bug you at work, interrupt your dinner, or wake you up when you’re sound asleep. I think we can all agree they’re a real nuisance. Did you know they could also be a scam? If your phone number is one of the more than 217 million numbers on the Do Not Call Registry, you’ve taken action to stop most unwanted sales calls. The law allows political calls, calls from charitable...

If the friend of a friend is my friend, and the enemy of a friend is my enemy, then is the seller of data to a scammer also a scammer? In a case announced today, the FTC said it might well be. Here’s the backstory: In 2013, we told you about a case we brought against Ideal Financial Solutions, Inc., a Nevada corporation. That company, says the FTC, bought information that let it raid consumers’ bank and credit card accounts for millions — without...

Got a question about a product or an account from a big-name online retailer that makes you want to speak directly to their customer service representative? What do you do first? Go to their website, of course. Can’t find a phone number there? Then you may do what seems like the next best thing and just type the company name into a search engine. But the FTC warns consumers that it’s a mistake to assume that all toll-free numbers that pop up in a...

The scam is called card cracking and it may start off innocently enough. You see a post on a social media site announcing a contest. Or maybe a webpage that claims to have a celebrity affiliation is offering a gift card giveaway. The variations are endless, but here’s the tip-off that fraud is afoot. At some point, you’re asked for your bank account information, PIN number, or online banking credential. That’s when you can bank on the fact that...