Consumer Alerts

With the holiday season approaching, you might be looking for extra funds to cover things like gifts and trips. But if you’re planning to borrow the money, make sure a payday loan isn’t your first —

Have you seen offers to “unlock” the equity in your home by selling it and then renting it back from the buyer? The ads make these agreements — called sale-leasebacks — sound like a simple and risk

The federal government is once again offering free COVID test kits. When it opens in September, you can order up to four kits per household at COVIDTests.gov. All for free.

If you have Medicare, Open Enrollment — which runs from October 15 through December 7 — is when you can make changes to your health and prescription drug plans.

Nobody knows how long it’ll take to recover from the devastating flooding and destruction of Hurricane Helene. But we do know it won’t be long before scammers try to cash in on the storm. As you’re

Congratulations! You found a new place to live. Now you have to coordinate a move. Whether you’re moving across town or cross-country, you might need more than friends to haul your belongings. Here

We get it. You hoped the day would never come when you learned someone used your personal information to open new credit accounts in your name. But it did. So now what? Act fast. It can help reduce

Did a salesperson knock on your door and promise free rooftop solar panels at no cost to you? Or say you’ll never have to pay another electricity bill because government programs, grants, or rebates

People are reporting getting calls (and calls) (and more calls) about their supposed “loan application.” Only they hadn’t applied for a loan. So what’s going on?

You get an email from someone in your place of worship asking you to buy gift cards for a worthy cause. It might look legit, but hold on. Some scammers pretend to be pastors, rabbis, imams, or bishops

Missing jury duty can come with real consequences. You could face a fine, go to court, or even get arrested. Scammers take advantage of that to get your money or sensitive information. But their story

Imagine carrying a written copy of all your conversations with you everywhere you went. Or copies of your account numbers, usernames, and passwords. Or all the photos and videos you’ve ever taken. I

Whether you’re kicking off the fall semester with a new internship or looking for an on-campus gig, there’s a scam you should know about.

Have you ever gotten a text or email warning you that something is wrong with an account online? Maybe it says your streaming account is about to be suspended unless you respond quickly. It might even

Most of us use ATMs pretty often to withdraw cash. But Bitcoin ATMs (or BTMs) are a different beast. Increasingly located in convenience or grocery stores, gas stations, and other places, they’re a

For college students and parents, paying tuition is often at the top of the to-do list each semester. Imagine getting a call from someone who supposedly works at your school, saying you haven’t paid

We’re living in the data age. The things we do on our phones and computers, on our internet-enabled smart devices, and on websites leave a trail of our activities and our personal information. That

If you have federal student loans, you probably got an email last month from Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. (The email address it showed was noreply@studentaid.gov.) It has important

It’s back-to-school season, which means parents and students are probably looking to save on college essentials online. And while the latest deals may save you some time and money, scammers may be

You get a text message with a job offer that pays hundreds of dollars a day for doing remote work. It might sound tempting, but here’s the catch: they ask you to text them your Social Security number