Frosty the Con Man: avoiding family emergency scams

December 15, 2020

Carol Kando-Pineda, Attorney, FTC, Division of Consumer & Business Education

“ Hello? It’s me — Frosty. Look it’s a long story but without my top hat, I’m melting. Please, I need your help — send money now or I’ll be nothing but a puddle!” OK, so that’s a silly example and real imposters aren’t funny. But, on the 8 th day of Consumer Protection, it’s definitely worth...

Avoid a season of mis-giving

December 14, 2020

Jennifer Leach, Associate Director, Division of Consumer & Business Education, FTC

It’s the 6th day of Consumer Protection, and maybe you’re in a giving spirit. ‘Tis the season, right? If you like to donate to charities at the end of the year, ‘tis also time to make sure your donations get to the places you mean them to go. Because this year, lots of charities could really use...

Fa-la-la-la fake

December 14, 2020

Carol Kando-Pineda, Attorney, FTC, Division of Consumer & Business Education

On the 5 th day of Consumer Protection, you get an email or text message that’s supposedly from UPS or FedEx, complete with one of their logos — and it seems legit. It says your item is ready to ship but you need to update your shipping preferences. But here’s the lump of coal: the message is bogus...

Holiday "Grift" Exchange?

December 11, 2020

Carol Kando-Pineda, Attorney, FTC, Division of Consumer & Business Education

It’s the 4th day of Consumer Protection and ’tis the season of…gift cards. Even in Santa’s workshop, it’s one of the most popular ways to give to family and friends for the holidays. But gift cards also are a favorite way for scammers to steal people’s money. Anyone who demands that you pay them...

But the hire is not so delightful

December 08, 2020

Jim Kreidler, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC

On this 3 rd day of Consumer Protection, we’re talking about earning some extra cash. For lots of us, the holiday season is a good time to pick up some part-time work. It’s when retailers and delivery services need extra help. And, especially during the pandemic, many of us could use the cash. So...

Hawking in a winter wonderland

December 07, 2020

Jennifer Leach, Associate Director, Division of Consumer & Business Education, FTC

On this 2 nd day of Consumer Protection, it’s all about online shopping. Because that’s what we can do this year, right? (OK, it’s a lot of what we do any year.) If you’re spending some of your hard-earned money online, make sure you know where it’s going. Because it’s pretty easy for scammers to...

On the first day of consumer protection…

December 04, 2020

Jim Kreidler, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC

Welcome to the FTC’s 12 Days of Consumer Protection, a holiday series to help you save money and avoid scams. Each day, we’ll cover a new topic — from shopping online and bogus shipping notifications to temporary job scams and fake charities. We’ll give you practical information you can use every...

Giving wisely in the time of COVID

November 30, 2020

Rosario Mendez, Attorney, Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC

Thanks to COVID-19, many charitable organizations are faced with greater demand for their services, but less in donations as people have less to give. Now, more than ever, it’s important to make sure that your donation will be used wisely and well. Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, and as you consider...

Veterans and imposter scams

November 23, 2020

Carol Kando-Pineda, Attorney, FTC, Division of Consumer & Business Education

During the past four years, the FTC logged more than 378,000 reports from veterans — and nearly 161,000 were fraud-related. More than 24,000 of those reported a loss (with total losses of $205 million). Veterans had a median loss of $755, compared to active duty servicemembers who reported a median...

Help veterans avoid scams

November 09, 2020

Andrew Smith, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, FTC

On Veterans Day, we celebrate our veterans — more than 18 million strong. We thank you for your service and sacrifice. It’s also a good time to arm yourself with some tips to avoid fraud. We know that scammers follow the headlines, and their schemes evolve to take advantage of the things catching...

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