For three years, people have reported losing more money on romance scams than on any other fraud type identified in Sentinel, a fraud database. In 2020, reported losses to romance scams reached a record $304 million, up about 50 percent from 2019. Read more →
First, I received emails from my credit union that $1,500 then $2,300 were possible fraudulent charges. I called and sure enough, a scammer from Sweden was trying to charge those amount to my credit card. The credit union flagged the fraudulent charges, and the money was never charged to me. Read more →
This week, I wrote the 100th issue of my newsletter Helpful Money Tips for You. To celebrate, instead of offering my usual 10 tips, I offered 100. To sign up to get my free newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/gkZ6JH. You'll get it in your email. Read more →
American Medical Collection Agency or AMCA has agreed to resolve a multistate investigation into a 2019 data breach that exposed the personal information of more than 7 million people, and possibly exposing the personal information of up to 21 million throughout the United States. Read more →
National Consumer Protection Week is a time to understand your consumer rights and take a look at whether you’re making well-informed decisions about money. Here are some activities and resources offered by the Federal Trade Commission for National Consumer Protection Week or NCPW: Read more →
Winter can bring Arctic blasts, burst pipes, power outages, and icicles. When the weather turns cold, and especially when big storms occur, scammers aren’t far behind. Scammers know severe weather may shut off your electricity, heat, and water, and they might pose as your utility company. Read more →
The Home Depot will pay $17.5 million to resolve investigations into its 2014 data breach that exposed the payment card information of about 40 million Home Depot customers across the nation. Hackers gained access to the company's network and put malware on its self-checkout system. Read more →
With the pandemic, many local holiday markets and craft fairs have moved online. Scammers are creating phony copycat events that charge for admission and steal your credit card information. Read more →
The College Board appears to be in violation of its own policies on protecting the privacy of college students. It’s sending personally identifiable student information to major technology companies and ad platforms including Adobe, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Snapchat, and Yahoo. Read more →
If you’re a college students, you’re probably not on campus. However, scammers are still trying to find you. You may have received an email saying it’s from the Financial Department of your college with a link to get a message about your economic stimulus check. Read more →