Consumer Advice

How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams The convenience of buying anything from a phone or laptop has made online shopping second nature for most of us. But as more transactions move to the web, scammers are getting better at pretending to be legitimate sellers, shippers, and payment services. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report found that consumers lost hundreds of millions of dollars to online shopping fraud last year alone, and the numbers keep climbing. The good news is that many of these scams are avoidable if you know what to look for. This guide walks through the most common tricks, how to spot them, and what to do if you get caught. ...

Why Judges Are Cracking Down on AI in Court — Privacy Lessons for Your Own AI Tools Recent court orders barring the use of artificial intelligence tools during legal discovery have raised alarm in the legal world. But the privacy risks that prompted these rulings are not limited to courtroom proceedings. If you use AI assistants, notetaking apps, or chatbots for personal or professional tasks, the same vulnerabilities apply to your everyday data. ...

How to protect your privacy while using AI tools: Tips from Proton’s CEO AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot are becoming part of daily life for many people. They can help draft emails, summarize documents, or generate ideas. But as these services collect more user data to improve their models, the question of privacy grows more urgent. Is it still possible to use AI without giving away everything about yourself? Proton’s CEO, Andy Yen, says yes — but he also points to one risk that keeps him up at night. ...

How to Avoid Malware Disguised as a Free Productivity App A new malware campaign, tracked under the name TamperedChef, is spreading through what look like legitimate productivity applications—PDF editors, note-taking tools, and office suites. What makes this campaign especially dangerous is that the malicious apps are digitally signed, meaning they appear to come from a trusted publisher. For everyday users, this is a reminder that even a signed app can be unsafe if downloaded from the wrong place. ...

Holiday Shopping Scams: 5 Ways to Spot and Avoid Them This Year If you are shopping online this holiday season, you are also shopping for fraudsters. The Federal Trade Commission reported that consumers lost $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, a significant jump from the $10 billion reported in 2023. Online shopping scams consistently rank among the top complaint categories, and during the holiday rush—when people are busy, distracted, and looking for deals—scammers increase their efforts. ...

Don’t Tell AI Everything: The Real Privacy Risks of Chatbots and How to Stay Safe It’s easy to treat an AI chatbot like a private confidant. You ask it to draft a sensitive email, summarize a medical record, or even vent about a personal problem. The interface feels one-on-one, and the responses seem harmless. But that feeling of privacy is largely an illusion. ...

Why Privacy Can’t Keep Up with AI — and What You Can Do About It The latest annual privacy survey from TrustArc, a privacy management firm, confirms what many users have suspected: AI adoption is racing ahead of the safeguards meant to protect personal data. According to the survey, 78 percent of organizations report that their privacy capabilities are struggling to keep pace with how quickly they’re deploying AI tools. Meanwhile, 65 percent of consumers say they are worried about how AI companies use their data. ...

Avoid Online Shopping Scams This Holiday Season: What You Need to Know The holiday season is prime time for online shopping—and, unfortunately, for scammers looking to take advantage of rushed buyers. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), reported fraud losses in the United States hit $12.5 billion in 2024, a significant jump from previous years. Impersonation scams, where fraudsters pose as well-known retailers, delivery services, or even friends, were among the top categories. ...

Five Things You Should Never Tell an AI Chatbot to Keep Your Money Safe AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Copilot have become go‑to tools for quick answers, help with writing, and even personal finance advice. They can simplify tasks, from drafting emails to summarizing investment options. But that convenience comes with a real privacy trade‑off. The conversations you have with these bots are often stored, sometimes reviewed by human trainers, and could be exposed in a data breach. Knowing what not to share is the first step to protecting your money and identity. ...

National Consumer Protection Week 2026: Practical Advice to Avoid Scams and Fraud Every year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a coalition of government agencies, advocacy groups, and businesses run National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW). The 2026 edition took place March 2–6, and its goal was straightforward: give people the tools to recognize, avoid, and report fraud, identity theft, and other consumer scams. Even though the week itself has passed, the guidance remains timely. Here’s a look at what was covered and how you can apply the advice year-round. ...