Blog

Veterans Day is a time to thank veterans for their contributions to our nation, and welcome to the civilian workforce the roughly 200,000 servicemembers who leave the service every year. Transitioning personnel face many decisions: figuring out changes to their benefits, revamping their budget, and planning for a civilian job. If you’re like the majority of veterans, you might want a career different than what you did in the service. Here are...

While American servicemembers stand ready to defend the nation, smalltime scammers and large corporations alike have them in their sights. They follow the money — and they know that military personnel get a steady paycheck and valuable benefits from Uncle Sam. And the eventual transition back to civilian life gives the scammers even more opportunities to target the troops. For instance, the FTC uncovered that the University of Phoenix (UOP), a...

Were you an Amazon Flex driver from late 2016 to August 2019? If so, you may be able to get the tips you earned that Amazon previously withheld. Several months ago, we told you the FTC filed a case against Amazon for keeping $61.7 million in tips drivers made while delivering for the Amazon Flex program. Today, the FTC announced a final settlement order in which Amazon will pay the full amount – $61.7 million – back to drivers. In addition...

Pride Month is about connecting with and showing support for people in the LGBTQ+ community. It’s also about standing up and protecting those we care for, so today we’re talking about cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is bullying that happens online. It can happen in a text message, an online game, or on social media. It might involve trolling, rumors, or images posted on social media or passed around for other people to see. Bullying often makes the...

June is Pride Month, an important time of year when we get to celebrate and show our support for LGBTQ+ people everywhere. Here at the FTC, “pride” is more than a month-long celebration. We’re proud of the work we’re doing throughout the year to help protect the LGBTQ+ community from fraud — especially our work to help the community learn how to spot, avoid, and report scams and bad business practices. This week, we want to talk with you about...

As part of the American Rescue Plan Act, eligible families will get monthly payments from the government from July 15 through December 2021. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will send these monthly payments directly to people through direct deposit, paper checks, or debit cards. Unlike economic impact payments, these payments are an advance on families’ child tax credit. People who are eligible will get up to half of their child tax credit in...

Government imposters may have hit a new low with a scheme that targets the grieving survivors of people who died of COVID-19 by offering them help paying for their loved one’s funeral expenses. A real government relief program will pay up to $9,000 for funeral expenses that people have paid since January 20, 2020 for loved ones who died of COVID-19. Survivors can apply for benefits by contacting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at...

After more than a year of pandemic-related devastating losses — including job losses – you may be one of millions looking to get back on your feet with a new job. This Financial Literacy Month, as always, the FTC wants to help keep you on track with ways to avoid job scams. Scammers post ads online or in print for a variety of jobs, including work-at-home jobs. They sometimes even pretend to represent well-known companies or the government. But...

If you’re a college student, faculty, or staff member, you’re going to want to pay attention to this one. IRS imposters are sending phishing emails to people with “.edu” email addresses, saying they have information about your “tax refund payment.” What do they really want? Your personal information. Scammers are sending emails with subject lines like, “Tax Refund Payment” or “Recalculation of your tax refund payment.” The email asks you to click...

This April is Financial Literacy Month, so this week we’re talking about financial resiliency. The Coronavirus has been devastating for many people’s financial lives. Through no fault of their own, millions have lost jobs, businesses, and savings due to the financial impact of the pandemic. Many folks are simply trying to decide how to put food on the table and keep their housing. Some, who were able to keep their jobs, are hanging in there. And...