Digital Safety

How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams: A Guide for Consumers Winter and holiday shopping season brings a surge in online deals — and unfortunately, a surge in scams. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently issued a warning urging veterans and all consumers to stay alert while shopping online. Whether you’re buying gifts, household essentials, or taking advantage of seasonal sales, knowing how to recognize fraudulent offers can save you money and protect your personal information. ...

Scam ads are getting harder to spot—here’s what to watch for You’ve probably seen them: a social media ad for a designer handbag at 80% off, or a celebrity “endorsing” a supplement they never mentioned. These aren’t just annoying—they’re part of a growing wave of scam ads that cost consumers money and erode trust in legitimate brands. ...

How to spot scam ads online and protect your trust (and money) If you’ve scrolled through social media or searched for a deal lately, you’ve almost certainly seen an ad that looked legitimate—until you clicked. A familiar logo, a too-good-to-be-true price, and a sense of urgency. These are the hallmarks of scam ads, and they’re not just an annoyance. They cost consumers real money and do lasting damage to the brands they impersonate. ...

How to Spot Scam Ads: Protect Your Money and Identity Scam ads have become a pervasive problem across social media, search engines, and even reputable websites. They impersonate well-known brands—banks, retailers, airlines, tech companies—to trick consumers into handing over money, personal data, or login credentials. A recent article in Marketing Week described the phenomenon bluntly: “It erodes trust.” And the damage is not just reputational for brands; for consumers, the consequences can be financial ruin and identity theft. ...

Scam Alerts to Watch Right Now and How to Avoid Them If you’ve scrolled through social media or a news site lately, you’ve likely seen an ad that seems a little off. Maybe it promises a “free” iPhone if you answer three questions. Or it looks exactly like a well-known retailer’s ad but leads to a page asking for your credit card number. These are scam ads, and they are proliferating faster than ever. ...

How to Spot Scam Ads and Avoid Getting Tricked Online Scam ads have become nearly impossible to ignore. They appear in your social media feed, at the top of search results, and even on otherwise reputable websites. They mimic familiar brands, use official logos, and often promise deals that seem too good to pass up. But clicking them can lead to stolen credit card numbers, compromised accounts, or malware on your device. ...

How to Spot Scam Ads and Protect Yourself: A Growing Problem for Brands and Shoppers If you’ve seen an ad on social media promising a designer handbag for $29, or a video of a celebrity endorsing a cryptocurrency you’ve never heard of, there’s a good chance it’s a scam. These ads are becoming harder to tell apart from legitimate ones, and they’re not just a nuisance for consumers — they’re a serious problem for the brands whose names are being misused. ...

How to Spot Scam Ads Online and Protect Your Privacy If you spend any time on social media, search engines, or news sites, you’ve seen them: ads promising a free iPhone, a government grant you didn’t apply for, or a “limited-time” deal that seems too good to ignore. These ads aren’t just annoying—they’re a growing vector for fraud. ...

How to Spot and Avoid Scam Ads Online Scam ads are becoming harder to ignore. Whether it’s an unbelievable discount on a popular gadget, a “limited-time” offer from a brand you thought you trusted, or a celebrity endorsement that looks slightly off, these advertisements are appearing on social media, search engines, and even reputable news sites. The problem is not new, but it is growing—and consumers are paying the price. ...

Meta tracks your typing to train AI: What you need to know and how to stop it If you use Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp, Meta has been collecting something you probably didn’t think twice about: the way you type. A recent report from TechTarget (and confirmed by other outlets) reveals that Meta is using keystroke data from its platforms to train its artificial intelligence models. This includes not just what you type, but how you type—the rhythm, corrections, pauses, and patterns. ...