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Account Takeover Attacks Are on the Rise: How to Protect Your Online Accounts If you’ve noticed unusual login attempts on your email, banking, or social media accounts recently, you’re not alone. The New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection issued an alert on August 14, 2025, warning that account takeover incidents are becoming more frequent and more sophisticated. In an account takeover, a criminal gains unauthorized access to one of your online accounts—often through phishing, credential stuffing (using leaked passwords from other sites), or SIM swapping—and then uses it to steal money, open new lines of credit, or impersonate you to target your contacts. ...

Gift Card Scams: New Alert Highlights Warning Signs Everyone Should Know Earlier this month, Attorney General Brian Schwalb of Washington, D.C. issued an alert warning residents about a surge in gift card scams. While the alert was directed at D.C. consumers, the tactics described are used everywhere. Gift card fraud is one of the most common and costly scams in the United States today, and it shows no signs of slowing down. ...

Account Takeover Attacks Are Surging: How to Protect Your Online Accounts Now On August 14, 2025, the New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection issued a consumer fraud alert warning of a sharp rise in account takeover incidents. These attacks, where a criminal gains access to one of your online accounts and locks you out, can lead to direct financial loss and long-term identity theft. The alert covers common attack methods and practical ways to prevent them. ...

New Scam Trends to Watch: Key Takeaways from the FTC’s Consumer Protection Webinar Every year during National Consumer Protection Week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shares an updated look at the scams currently costing Americans the most money. This year’s webinar, hosted in cooperation with ACA International, covered several emerging tactics that consumers should know about. While the trends themselves change, the goal is the same: separate people from their money or personal information. ...

Parking Violation Scam Alert: North Carolina Drivers Warned About Fake Tickets If you receive a text, email, or even a printed notice on your windshield saying you owe money for a parking violation—and it demands immediate payment—pause before you pay. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson recently issued a consumer alert about a wave of parking violation scams targeting drivers across the state. Fraudsters are impersonating parking authorities, city governments, and even the DMV to trick people into sending money for tickets that don’t exist. ...

How to Report a Scam: A Step-by-Step Guide (From AARP’s Fraud Experts) If a scammer calls, emails, or shows up at your door, your first instinct may be to just hang up and move on. That’s understandable. But reporting the scam is one of the most effective things you can do—not just for yourself, but for your neighbors and for law enforcement trying to stop these crimes. ...

How Extended Fraud Alerts Can Protect Your Finances—and Even Boost Your Credit If you’ve been a victim of identity theft, one of the first things you’re told is to place a fraud alert on your credit file. It’s a sensible step: it warns lenders to verify your identity before opening new accounts in your name. What’s less obvious is that this simple precaution may also have an unexpected side effect—improving your credit score. ...

Warning: New Parking Violation Scam Uses Fake Texts and QR Codes – How to Avoid It If you receive a text message claiming you have an unpaid parking fine and urging you to scan a QR code or click a link to pay immediately, do not respond. The North Carolina Department of Justice issued an alert in March 2025 warning drivers about a surge in this type of scam. While the alert specifically covers North Carolina, similar schemes have been reported in other states, and the pattern is likely to spread. ...

Phony Parking Tickets: How to Spot the New NC Scam If you get a text or email saying you owe money for a parking violation in North Carolina, think twice before clicking any link. The state’s Attorney General has issued a warning about a scam that’s circulating right now, and it’s designed to look like an official notice from local parking authorities. ...

What Are ‘Pig Butchering’ Scams? How to Spot and Avoid This Investment Fraud New York Attorney General Letitia James recently issued a consumer alert warning New Yorkers about a sophisticated type of fraud known as “pig butchering.” The term may sound strange, but the damage is very real: victims have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars—sometimes their entire savings—to these scams. If you use dating apps, social media, or even LinkedIn, it’s worth understanding how this scheme works and how to protect yourself. ...