FTC Consumer Blog

By BCP Staff You might have heard that, last week, Amazon agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle the FTC’s charges that it enrolled millions of people in Prime subscriptions without their consent – and then made it hard for those unwilling Prime subscribers to cancel. Since $1.5 billion of that amount goes back to consumers, you might be wondering: who gets it? How? And what do I need to do? Read more >

By BCP Staff Do you get a lot of calls trying to sell you products or services you never asked for? Sometimes telemarketing calls are random. Other times, companies trick you into sharing your information so they can sell it to the telemarketers that call you (without your permission). If you’re on the Do Not Call Registry, these calls are illegal. So, how can you cut down on the number of unwanted telemarketing calls you get? Read more >

By BCP Staff Every year, scammers get more active around Medicare Open Enrollment Period, trying to get your money, information, or both. As you consider your health coverage and prescription options during this period (October 15-December 7), learn to spot the scams. Read more >

By BCP Staff Summer is over and you could be thinking about selling your timeshare. Maybe you turn on the radio, check your feed, or get a call and find what sounds like an easy way to sell your timeshare. But is it? Or is it a scam? Read more >

By BCP Staff Would you donate to a cause if the fundraiser lied about how the money would be spent? Probably not. But that’s what the FTC says Kars-R-Us.com, Inc. (“Kars”) did when it collected vehicle donations on behalf of a supposed breast cancer charity. Read more >

By BCP Staff Every day, people you know are seeing phony business opportunities, work-at-home scams, shady employment agencies, and scammy multi-level marketing schemes. Job seekers don’t have the time or resources to waste on fake opportunities, but there are some ways to spot these scams. Watch this video as FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson explains. Read more >

By BCP Staff When disaster strikes, everyone in the community is impacted — including older adults. That’s why having a plan and knowing how to spot disaster-related scams can make a difference to anyone recovering. If you’re not sure where to begin, there are free tools to help you get started on a plan that includes fraud prevention.  Read more >

By BCP Staff Identity theft can happen to anyone, including kids in foster care. But minors typically don’t have credit reports, so they might not even realize they’ve experienced identity theft until they apply for a job, housing, or credit. Because foster youth often move more often and more people have access to their info, they’re at greater risk of identity theft. So if you’re a foster parent, a service provider, or know someone in foster care, read on for ways to help protect foster youth from identity theft. Read more >

By BCP Staff Scammers like to pretend to be someone official to try to get your money. And who could be more official than the FTC chairman and commissioners, some of the nation’s leading fraud fighters? But here’s something important to know: nobody who works at the FTC will ever, EVER tell you to move your money to protect it. We won’t insist that you cash out your 401(k) or savings account and give that money to someone else. Read more >

By BCP Staff Did someone steal your identity? Or are you looking for ways to help protect yourself from identity theft? A great place to start is freezing your credit. Here’s what to know. Read more >