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“I was headed home on leave but I lost my wallet and military ID. I’m stranded — please wire money.” “Your grandson is being held in jail. He needs bail money right away.” Scammers try to trick you into thinking a loved one is in trouble. They call, text, email, or send messages on social media about a supposed emergency with a family member or friend. They ask you to send money immediately. T o make their story seem real, they may claim to be an...

The Fourth of July is an important day for all Americans, and can have even more significance to those who have served in the armed services. Perhaps you’re getting together with family and friends, picking up miniature American flags for the backyard, and deciding on your favorite barbecue treats. As military families prepare to celebrate Independence Day, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wants to remind everyone to celebrate...

J uly is Military Consumer Month. This year, we’re focusing on fighting imposter scams – where a con artist pretends to be someone you trust, to convince you to send money or personal information. The scam can take many forms: imposters may say they’re calling from the government or from a business with technical support expertise. Other scammers lure unsuspecting victims by posing as legitimate users of online dating sites, or say that there’s...

Looking for stronger ways to protect your credit? Thanks to a new federal law, soon you can get free credit freezes and year-long fraud alerts. Here’s what to look forward to when the law takes effect on September 21st: Free credit freezes What is it? A credit freeze restricts access to your credit file, making it harder for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. Usually you get a PIN to use each time you want to freeze and unfreeze...

Last year we heard from nearly 2.7 million people about scams and other consumer problems they encountered. We’ve tallied the numbers and last week the FTC announced the 2017 Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book. We got more than 113,000 reports from military consumers. Although not all of them gave details about their military status, more than 28,000 are servicemembers, their family members, or inactive Reserve and National Guard, and more than...

This is Military Saves Week! It’s an annual opportunity for servicemembers and their families to learn about successful savings practices and to assess progress towards their savings goals. The Week’s theme is: Set a goal. Make a plan. Save automatically. It may sound easy enough, but doing these three things can be a powerful tool to help you make savings part of your financial life. What we’re really getting at is the importance of creating...

Did you lose money to a scammer who had you pay using Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017? If so, you can now ask for your money back – and you have until February 12, 2018 to file your claim. Earlier this year, we told you about the FTC’s settlement with Western Union , which agreed to return $586 million to people to settle the FTC’s charges that Western Union hadn’t adequately protected people from fraud, and didn’t...

November 11 is Veterans Day. The origins of this annual commemoration reach back nearly 100 years to “Armistice Day,” which marked the end of World War I. Now we call it Veterans Day to honor all who have served. It’s a time to thank veterans for their contributions to our nation. There are roughly 20 million military veterans in the United States. Whether they’ve been out of the service for decades or they’re currently transitioning to civilian...

Scammers are using fake caller ID information to trick you into thinking they’re someone who can be trusted. The practice is called caller ID spoofing, and scammers can fake anyone’s phone number. Today, we got reports that scammers are spoofing the FTC’s Consumer Response Center’s phone number (877-382-4357). But don’t let that stop you from reporting scammers — it’s still safe to call the Consumer Response Center, and it’s also safe to report...

If you’ve got student loan debt, you’ve probably seen ads or been contacted by companies promising they can help. Some are scams – and the FTC is going after them. Today the FTC announced Operation Game of Loans, a joint FTC and state law enforcement sweep against student loan debt relief scammers. The operation includes seven actions filed by the FTC, with five new cases announced today. In the FTC cases, the companies claimed to be affiliated...