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Unwanted Calls | Consumer Advice
If you’ve followed this Anatomy of a Scam series, you know there’s more to it than that.

Consumer Alert

Did you get a call or text about a suspicious purchase on Amazon? It’s a scam

Alvaro Puig

March 7, 2024

One way to spot a scam is to understand its mechanics. A new and complicated scam starts with a call or text message about a suspicious charge on your Amazon account. But it’s not really Amazon. It’s a scammer with an elaborate story about fraud using your identity that ends with you draining your bank or retirement accounts.

Consumer Alert

Sure ways to spot a scammer

Jennifer Leach

March 7, 2024

Scammers say and do things that can tell us they’re lying — and they’re not who they pretend to be. Of course, to hear or see those clues, we have to get past the panic scammers make us feel, thanks to the so-called emergencies they try to create. And since scammers are convincing, that can be hard to do. But recent scams are costing people their life savings, so here are some sure ways to spot the scammer.

Consumer Alert

Will your bank or investment fund stop a transfer to a scammer? Probably not

Karen Hobbs

March 7, 2024

We expect banks and brokers to keep our money safe. We think they’ll stop or warn us about suspicious transfers out of our accounts. But do they? Scammers are exploiting that trust and getting people to transfer their money and drain their retirement accounts to “protect” or “safeguard” or “legalize” it. The truth? The money gets stolen, and banks and brokers won’t get it back from the scammer.

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Let’s talk about spam texts and emails | Consumer Advice
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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

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We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.

Lew
May 06, 2024

Nice article. Good information and makes people aware of the growing problem. Keep up the great work FTC!

Reply

Ann Mitchell
May 06, 2024

I don't even answer a phone call that I don't recognize. It's usually a telemarketer and I'm intelligent enough to find what I want or need.

Reply

Alyson
May 06, 2024

A large number of spam emails 900 in 5 minutes is a warning sign.
Let’s talk about spam texts and emails | Consumer Advice
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Skip the scams as you look for options to avoid foreclosure 

April 23, 2024

Gema de las Heras 

 Are you having a hard time paying your mortgage? Even if you’ve missed payments or you’re already facing foreclosure, you still might have options. You really do, but that’s the same thing scammers will tell you. Fortunately, there are ways to spot mortgage relief scams while you focus on saving your home.

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Mystery shopping, (fake) checks, and gift cards 

April 18, 2024

Andrew Rayo

 If you’re looking for a new job, getting paid to shop might sound like a dream. Companies hire mystery shoppers to try products or services and share experiences about things like buying or returning something, or their overall customer experience. But while some mystery shopping jobs are legitimate, many aren’t. So how do you spot the scams?

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Fake shipping notification emails and text messages: What you need to know this holiday season

December 14, 2023
Let’s talk about spam texts and emails | Consumer Advice
In reply to While I greatly appreciate… by Jane D.

@Jane,
The FTC sends email to people who sign up and agree to get our advice. If you no longer want to get these emails, you can unsubscribe. To unsubscribe, click on the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of an FTC email, or go to www.ftc.gov/ConsumerAlerts.

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Sheldon J.Levinson
May 07, 2024

I filed with your agency (FTC) along with the Police,My Bank, Credit Card Company (Master Card) My Cell Phone Carrier and Gift Card Companies)

Reply

Deborah Sumlin
May 08, 2024

Recently someone one has been sending me emails from People Magazine. Although I never subscribed, I am not able to unsubscribe. When I try to, I get a message “that my unsubscribe failed. But the only thing I can do is delete them. But they continue to come. I know that the messages have fake addresses. Awhile ago I tried to send all these fake emails to a spam address and even to a government agency—well, they came right back to me

Reply

DISGRUNTLED
May 07, 2024

WE HAVE TRIED FOR YEARS TO TELL YAHOO MAIL ABOUT THE SPAM / FRAUD BANK EMAILS ETC,,,. BUT NEVER GET THROUGH

Reply

Marge
May 07, 2024

In your article there is plenty of ways for the service SUBSCRIBER to avoid scams. Why aren't the service PROVIDERS doing anything? With today's level of technology, it ought to be pretty easy to notice a number or email address sending THOUSANDS of messages per day/hour. But, as usual, our protection is on US. Why?

Reply

James Green
May 08, 2024

I am 82 yrs. old and my phone has been ringing every 15 min. and my phone shows up Scam. For me running to the home phone every time it rings is terrible!
Unwanted Calls | Consumer Advice
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Skip the scams as you look for options to avoid foreclosure 

April 23, 2024

Gema de las Heras 

 Are you having a hard time paying your mortgage? Even if you’ve missed payments or you’re already facing foreclosure, you still might have options. You really do, but that’s the same thing scammers will tell you. Fortunately, there are ways to spot mortgage relief scams while you focus on saving your home.

View all Consumer Alerts
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Consumer Alerts

Mystery shopping, (fake) checks, and gift cards 

April 18, 2024

Andrew Rayo

 If you’re looking for a new job, getting paid to shop might sound like a dream. Companies hire mystery shoppers to try products or services and share experiences about things like buying or returning something, or their overall customer experience. But while some mystery shopping jobs are legitimate, many aren’t. So how do you spot the scams?

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What to do about unwanted calls, emails, and text messages that can be annoying, might be illegal, and are probably scams.
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Fake shipping notification emails and text messages: What you need to know this holiday season

December 14, 2023

Alvaro Puig
Scam Alerts | Food and Nutrition Service
Here is some helpful information about text message spam:Report concerns to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). They are the federal authority which handles text message spam.AARP also advises on how to handle text message spam. Sometimes the scam is to get you to respond, confirming your number is live. Once confirmed, the scammer submits unauthorized charges to your cell bill. Therefore, do not “opt out” or “unsubscribe.” Ignore.In Minnesota, the attorney general's office is responsible for this type of fraud. It accepts reports of text spam concerns.2015SNAP Toll-Free Hotline Number Spoofed By External Entity, 8/21/2015There have been reports of the general public receiving unsolicited calls from what appears to be the SNAP toll-free information hotline number: 1-800-221-5689. The unsolicited callers are requesting personal information, offering to assist filling out a SNAP application, or calling about other non-SNAP related services, such as home security systems. Never provide personal information or your credit card number over the phone to unsolicited callers. Whoever is impersonating the SNAP toll-free information hotline number is not affiliated with the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) or SNAP. If you suspect you are receiving illegitimate calls from 1-800-221-5689, please file a complaint with the FCC. If you have already fallen victim to this scam or a similar one, please visit: https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams for more information on identity theft.Scammers Offering Assistance to SNAP Retail Stores for a Fee, 8/21/2015There have been reports of retailers receiving calls that offer them help obtaining SNAP authorization. In most instances, the retailer has recently submitted their SNAP Retailer Application and the scammer is offering to quicken the SNAP authorization process for a fee. Never provide personal information or your credit card number to unsolicited callers. SNAP does not charge a fee for processing your retailer application. No one outside of SNAP has the ability to quicken the application process.
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Unwanted Calls, Emails, and Texts
What to do about unwanted calls, emails, and text messages that can be annoying, might be illegal, and are probably scams.
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Fake shipping notification emails and text messages: What you need to know this holiday season

December 14, 2023

Alvaro Puig

 When you order something online, you might get several emails or text messages about your order: Confirming your order. Telling you it shipped. Saying it's out for delivery. Notifying you about delivery. Did you know that scammers send fake package shipment and delivery notifications to try to steal people's personal information — not just at the holidays, but all year long? Here's what you need to know to protect yourself from these scams.

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Fake shipping notification emails and text messages: What you need to know this holiday season

December 14, 2023

Alvaro Puig

 When you order something online, you might get several emails or text messages about your order: Confirming your order. Telling you it shipped. Saying it's out for delivery. Notifying you about delivery. Did you know that scammers send fake package shipment and delivery notifications to try to steal people's personal information — not just at the holidays, but all year long? Here's what you need to know to protect yourself from these scams.

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Let’s talk about spam texts and emails | Consumer Advice
Did you know that scammers send fake package shipment and delivery notifications to try to steal people's personal information — not just at the holidays, but all year long? Here's what you need to know to protect yourself from these scams.

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Let’s talk about spam texts and emails 

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Andrew Rayo

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May 6, 2024
Report phishing | Internal Revenue Service
Organizations and vendors should provide the appropriate (e.g., telephone number and email address) contact information for the group conducting the phishing exercise on exercise landing pages or similar. 
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Scam Alerts | Food and Nutrition Service
Do not click on any links or give any of your information. To apply for SNAP benefits, please contact your local office.Instant Cash EBT Card Scam (06/26/23)There may be a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card scam asking people to signup for instant cash. This is not real. Any social media platform asking you to sign up to receive instant cash is fake. Do not click any links or give your information to anyone. If you are not sure, contact your local SNAP office.SNAP Phony Text Message Alert (3/9/2023)USDA is aware of several reports of criminals using phony text messages that say a recipient’s SNAP EBT card has been locked. The text message provides a phone number to call for help. This is known as a phishing scam and is a type of fraud. If you do not know if a request for information about SNAP is real, contact your local SNAP office.Prior Alerts2022SNAP EBT Card Skimming Scam Alert 10/19/2022USDA recently received several reports of SNAP fraud in which thieves use “card skimming” to steal SNAP benefits. Thieves place a device on a retailer’s card-swiping machine to copy EBT card information. Card skimming can happen to anyone that uses a credit, debit or EBT card, including SNAP participants.USDA encourages SNAP participants to take actions that may help prevent card skimming. For example:Keep your PIN secret. Do not share your PIN with anyone outside your household. Cover the keypad when you enter your PIN on a machine.Check your EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges. If you notice any, change your PIN immediately to stop the thief from making any new purchases.Check card reading machines to make sure there’s nothing suspicious overlayed or attached to the card swiper or keypad.
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How To Avoid a Government Impersonation Scam

Scammers pretend to be from government agencies like the FTC, Social Security Administration, and  IRS — or say they're calling about your Medicare benefits. Learn the signs and avoid the scam.

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Here's what to know about blocking robocalls and other unwanted calls.

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Consumer Alert

Did someone send you to a Bitcoin ATM? It’s a scam 

Jennifer Leach

March 7, 2024

Is there a legit reason for someone to send you to a Bitcoin ATM? The short answer is NO. Will someone from the government send you to a Bitcoin ATM? NEVER. If you’ve followed this Anatomy of a Scam series, you know there’s more to it than that.

Consumer Alert

Did you get a call or text about a suspicious purchase on Amazon? It’s a scam

Alvaro Puig

March 7, 2024

One way to spot a scam is to understand its mechanics. A new and complicated scam starts with a call or text message about a suspicious charge on your Amazon account. But it’s not really Amazon.