Consumer Alerts

An Official Alert on Gift Card Scams: How to Protect Yourself If you receive a call, text, or email insisting you must pay a debt, fix a problem, or help a loved one by sending gift card codes, it’s a scam. Full stop. That’s the clear and urgent warning recently issued by District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, echoing alerts from consumer protection agencies nationwide. Scammers are increasingly demanding payment through gift cards because they are nearly impossible to trace or reverse once the codes are handed over. This warning serves as a critical reminder for all consumers, no matter where you live, to understand how these scams work and how to defend against them. ...

Your Guide to National Consumer Protection Week 2026: How to Shield Yourself from Scams Next week marks an important event for anyone who buys goods, uses services, or simply goes online: National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW). Led by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), this annual campaign is designed to arm people with the knowledge they need to avoid fraud and protect their hard-earned money. For NCPW 2026, a central focus is on one of the most pervasive and damaging threats: impersonation scams. ...

Don’t Fall for the Fake Utility Inspector: How to Spot a Common Scam Imagine this: your phone rings. The caller ID shows a local or official-looking number. The person on the other end claims to be from your state’s Public Utility Commission (PUC) or a similar regulatory body. They say you have an outstanding bill and that your power will be shut off within the hour unless you make an immediate payment. ...

Getting Smart with Your Money and Your Data: Practical Takeaways from Consumer Protection Week 2026 Every March, the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of partners spotlight the critical importance of savvy consumerism during National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW). It’s more than just an awareness campaign; it’s a yearly reset button for your personal security habits. With the theme for 2026 focusing on evolving digital threats, the FTC is doubling down on practical advice to help you recognize, resist, and report the most pervasive scams. ...

Don’t Be Pressured Into a Gift Card Scam: How to Protect Your Money A recent consumer alert from the District of Columbia Attorney General’s office serves as a critical reminder: gift card scams remain a pervasive and costly threat. Scammers favor gift cards because they are like handing over untraceable cash. Once the PIN number is shared, the money is almost always gone for good. This guide breaks down how these scams work and provides concrete steps you can take to protect yourself. ...

FTC Spots New Scam Tactics: Here’s What to Watch For In early March, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a public webinar as part of National Consumer Protection Week. The session served as a clear-eyed briefing on the fraud landscape, detailing the specific tricks that are currently working on people and, more importantly, how to shut them down. For anyone who uses email, shops online, or answers their phone, the insights were a critical reminder that scammers are constantly refining their scripts and schemes. ...

Don’t Wait for a Designated Week to Protect Yourself from Scams National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), led by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is a useful annual reminder to review our defenses against fraud. However, the most effective protection happens long before and after any awareness week. Scammers operate every day, and the principles of staying safe don’t change with the calendar. ...

That Text About an Amazon Recall Is Probably a Scam. Here’s What to Do. You get a text message. It claims to be from Amazon, urgently warning you about a dangerous recall on an item you recently purchased. It might ask you to click a link to confirm your details for a refund or to avoid a hazard. Your heart skips a beat—should you act quickly? ...

D.C. Attorney General Warns of Rising Gift Card Scams: How to Protect Yourself In December 2025, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb issued a direct alert to residents, warning of a persistent and growing threat: gift card scams. This official warning underscores a national problem where fraudsters exploit the perceived convenience and anonymity of gift cards to steal millions from consumers each year. While the alert was specific to D.C., the tactics described are universal, making this a timely reminder for everyone to review how they handle gift card requests. ...

When a Top G-Man’s Email Gets Hacked: Your Action Plan for Account Security A recent cybersecurity incident serves as a stark reminder that digital threats don’t discriminate. In late March, a group of Iranian hackers known as “Handala” successfully breached the personal Gmail account of FBI Director Kash Patel. According to reports from Reuters and WIRED, the hackers published stolen private emails, photos, and documents online. ...