Alvaro Puig, Consumer Education Specialist
One way to spot a scam is to understand its mechanics. A new and complicated scam starts with a call or text message about a suspicious charge on your Amazon account. But it’s not really Amazon. It’s a scammer with an elaborate story about fraud using your identity that ends with you draining your bank or retirement accounts.
Jennifer Leach, Division of Consumer and Business Education
Scammers say and do things that can tell us they’re lying — and they’re not who they pretend to be. Of course, to hear or see those clues, we have to get past the panic scammers make us feel, thanks to the so-called emergencies they try to create. And since scammers are convincing, that can be hard to do. But recent scams are costing people their life savings, so here are some sure ways to spot the scammer.
Karen Hobbs, Division of Consumer and Business Education
We expect banks and brokers to keep our money safe. We think they’ll stop or warn us about suspicious transfers out of our accounts. But do they? Scammers are exploiting that trust and getting people to transfer their money and drain their retirement accounts to “protect” or “safeguard” or “legalize” it. The truth? The money gets stolen, and banks and brokers won’t get it back from the scammer.
Alvaro Puig, Consumer Education Specialist
When you log into your bank or credit card account, you might get a text message or email with a verification code. You then enter it at the login screen to confirm it’s really you. That’s a form of two-factor authentication that adds a layer of security to your account — and keeps would-be scammers and hackers out. Your account password and a verification code work together, like the lock on your doorknob and a deadbolt lock. If you unlock the...
Jennifer Leach, Division of Consumer and Business Education
People are losing big money to scammers running complicated scams. The scams usually involve someone supposedly spotting fraud or criminal activity on one of your accounts, offering to help “protect” your money, sometimes asking you to share verification codes, and always telling you to move money from your bank, investment, or retirement account. And every bit of it is a scam. To help protect people you care about, and their life savings, share...
Samuel Levine, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, FTC
That call or text might not seem like a scam. It might look like it’s Apple or Microsoft, saying there’s a problem with your computer. (It’s not.) It might seem like it’s Amazon, saying there’s a problem with an order. (Also no.) It might even sound like your grandchild, calling with (supposedly) an emergency. (Still no.) All of these are scammers. This is National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) and we’re inviting you to join us in talking about...
Colleen Tressler, Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC
Did you visit a LasikPlus or Joffe MediCenter in response to ads that you could get LASIK for less than $300 only to learn that you didn’t qualify for that price? You might be eligible for a settlement payment. Last year, the FTC ordered Ohio-based LCA-Vision , doing business as LasikPlus and Joffe MediCenter, to pay $1.25 million to compensate people who were tricked into believing they could have LASIK for less than $300. In truth, very few...
Bridget Small, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
When you have a new romance there’s so much to talk about. But if your new sweetheart only wants to talk about your money and how you should invest it, stop talking. They might be a romance scammer, like those who stole more than $1 billion from people last year. How do the scams start, and what can you do to avoid one? Romance scammers use lots of tricks to meet people. They might find you on a dating site, send you a surprise friend request on...
Larissa Bungo, Senior Attorney
Every day people report to the FTC the scams they spot. Every year, the FTC shares the information we collect in a data book which tells a story about the top scams people tell us about – so we can all spot and avoid them. The Data Book tells us that people lost $10 billion to scams in 2023. That’s $1 billion more than 2022 and the highest ever in reported losses to the FTC – even though the number of reports (2.6 million) was about the same as...
Terri Miller, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
February is Black History Month — a great time to help raise awareness in Black communities, and among your family and friends, by staying on top of the latest scams that might affect them. We know that talking about a scam helps you avoid it — and it helps people you care about avoid them, too. Connect with the FTC and share what you learn with others.