Consumer Alerts

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. ...

When High-Profile Accounts Get Hacked: What It Means for Your Email Security Last week, news broke that the personal Gmail account of former FBI Director Kash Patel had been breached by a group known as the “Handala” hackers, linked to Iran. Sensitive documents and photos were reportedly published online. While the FBI confirmed no official systems were compromised, the incident serves as a stark, public reminder: if a figure with a deep background in national security can have a personal account compromised, so can anyone. ...

When Even the FBI Isn’t Safe: What a High-Profile Email Hack Means for You Last week, news broke that the personal Gmail account of Kash Patel, a former high-ranking FBI official, had been compromised. According to reports from Reuters, WIRED, and NBC News, a group known as “Handala,” linked to Iran, breached the account, stealing and subsequently publishing personal emails, photos, and documents. ...

When High-Profile Hacks Hit Home: Protecting Your Personal Email News recently broke that a group known as Handala, linked to Iran, breached the personal Gmail account of Kash Patel, a former official. While the technical details are still emerging, the core takeaway for the rest of us is starkly simple: if a figure with presumed high security awareness can have a personal account compromised, so can anyone. This incident isn’t about elite spycraft; it’s a potent reminder of the everyday vulnerabilities in our digital lives. Let’s break down what this means and, more importantly, what you can do about it. ...