Gema de las Heras, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
Scammers are impersonating attorneys and law firms, offering immigration services on social media. The posts on Facebook and other platforms might be in English or your preferred language. If you press like or leave a comment, they’ll contact you and guarantee you’ll get a work permit, green card, or citizenship — but it’s a scam. How do you spot and avoid the scammers?
Ari Lazarus, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
You’re probably getting emails, texts, and calls asking for end-of-year donations. It’s the season of giving, after all. Scammers know this is a popular time to donate, so they’re out there, too, trying to trick people into giving to them instead of a real charity.
Kira Krown, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
For many, December means spending lots of money on presents, food, travel, and other things to get you through the end of the year. And after we stretch our wallets, January’s often for taking stock and planning for the year to come. If that’s true for you, here are some things to hopefully save you time as you transition from holiday festivities to financial goals in the new year.
Andrew Rayo, Consumer Education Specialist
Doing some holiday shopping? Here’s a type of gift card scam to look out for: scammers can get the gift card number and PIN before you buy the card. So if gift cards are on your holiday shopping list, keep reading.
Andrew Rayo, Consumer Education Specialist
During the holidays, adding a dog, cat, or other adorable animal to the family is top of mind for many, and scammers know it. While there are lots of fur babies waiting for their forever home, scammers try to take advantage of the situation by posting fake ads for pets — all designed to take your money and leave you in the doghouse. Here’s what to know.
Jim Kreidler, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
Have you been getting unexpected messages about online work? The FTC’s new Data Spotlight highlights a big increase in the number of people reporting gamified job scams, or “task scams.” Read on to learn what they are and how to avoid them.
Ari Lazarus, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
Scammers love a good disguise. One day they show up texting you about a delivery you missed, the next they say you need to sort an issue with your Netflix account. Here’s how to avoid these phishing scams.
Andrew Rayo, Consumer Education Specialist
If you need a job, that text messaging offering a full- or part-time position you didn’t apply for might seem great. You might be thinking, why not check it out? Unfortunately, it’s likely a job scam.