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How To Recognize Scams To Lower Your Credit Card Interest Rate
Some scammy debt relief companies promise to get you a lower credit card interest rate, claiming they can save you thousands of dollars.
Consumer Alert
Planning to drive in another country? Here’s how to avoid International Driver’s Permit scams
Wondering if you need an international license to drive in a country you’re visiting? Every country has its own rules for visitors who want to drive. In some, like Canada, your U.S. driver’s license is all you need. Other countries require you to get an International Driver’s Permit (IDP). Scammers try to confuse you with fake IDPs and websites that not only take your money and give you nothing but can also cause you trouble abroad.
Consumer Alert
Recognize business and government imposters who want your money
Scammers pretending to be from the government tell convincing stories to steal your money or personal information. But now they’re taking a new, layered approach — and here are some clues to spot it.
Consumer Alert
No one is using your Social Security number to commit crimes. It’s a scam.
The phone rings. Your caller ID says it’s the Social Security Administration. You hesitate. You’re not expecting a call from them, and you’ve heard about impersonation scams. But something inside you makes you pick up. And everything you’re about to hear is designed to scare you into doing whatever the caller says.
Consumer Alert
Pay your bills, not impersonators
If you’re paying a medical, utility, or other bill online, you probably expect to wind up on the company’s website. What might you not expect? An impersonator tricking you into paying them instead. But that’s what the FTC says a company called Doxo did. Here’s what you need to know.
Consumer Alert
Looking for a postal job? Also look out for job scams
Thinking about applying for a job with the United States Postal Service (USPS)? Make sure you’re dealing with the real thing. Scammers advertise jobs that don’t actually exist to try to steal your money and personal information — and one way they do that is by pretending to be USPS. So how do you know if that postal ad or offer you get is a scam?
Consumer Alert
Fighting back against harmful voice cloning
If a call sounds like your boss (asking for bank account numbers) or your family member (begging for help in an emergency), you’re more likely to act. That’s why scammers use voice cloning to make their requests for money or information more believable. And the FTC is fighting back.
Consumer Alert
How to avoid getting wrapped up in a car wrap scam
You’re looking to make some extra money and you get a text or email, or see an ad on social media: get paid to wrap your car and drive around. And the offers can sound good: $600-700 a week to drive around with an ad for some well-known company (usually an energy drink). Many times, these offers are scams — here’s how to spot them.
Consumer Alert
Influencers: Spot a job scam
Maybe you — or even your pet — are an influencer. But did you know that scammers might target you with phony job opportunities? You might get a message on social media, supposedly from a recruiter or “brand ambassador manager” of a national company. They say they’ll send you free products and pay you big bucks to promote and tag their stuff on social media. All you need to do, they say, is give them your banking information so they can pay you. But this isn’t a job opportunity. It’s a scam, and here’s how to avoid it.
Consumer Alert
FTC Data Spotlight: New insights about imposter scams
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that every year we report on the top scams people tell us about. And that we take a deeper dive into the data through our Data Spotlight reports. A new Data Spotlight about business and government imposters shines a light on the top imposter scams.