Fraud Prevention

How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams Targeting Veterans Online shopping is convenient, but it also attracts scammers who know that veterans and military families are often targeted for benefit fraud and identity theft. The Department of Veterans Affairs has published several alerts over the past year warning about fake websites, phishing emails, and counterfeit goods that impersonate the VA or promise discounts to veterans. The risk is highest around holidays and benefit payment dates, but the same tactics are used year-round. ...

Never Share These 5 Personal Details With an AI Chatbot — Or Your Money Could Be at Risk AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude have become everyday tools for quick answers, drafting emails, and even managing personal tasks. But as adoption grows, so do warnings from security experts about a simple mistake: treating these platforms like private, confidential assistants. ...

Social Media Scams Are Surging: How to Spot and Stop Fraud Before You Lose Money If you spend any time on social media, you’ve probably seen an ad for a deal that looks too good to be true, a message from a friend asking you to “verify your account,” or a post promising huge returns on a cryptocurrency investment. These aren’t just annoyances—they’re part of a wave of fraud that is now costing Americans billions of dollars each year. ...

Don’t Get Tricked: How to Spot Online Shopping Scams Before You Pay Online shopping is convenient, but it also attracts scammers looking to steal your money or personal information. According to recent alerts from VA News (.gov), fraudulent websites, phishing emails, and fake social media ads remain persistent threats. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that online shopping scams consistently rank among the top consumer complaints, with losses reaching hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The good news is that most scams share common warning signs. Learning to spot them can keep your purchases safe. ...

1 in 3 Americans Hit by Online Shopping Scams: How to Protect Yourself This Year If you buy things online—and most of us do—the odds that you or someone you know has been caught by a shopping scam are now uncomfortably high. A new report from the Pew Research Center, based on a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults, found that roughly one in three Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That figure, published in November 2025, gives a stark picture of how widespread these schemes have become. ...

5 things you should never tell your AI chatbot (to protect your money and identity) AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot have become fixtures of daily life. They help us write emails, plan vacations, and even draft grocery lists. But as these tools handle more of our personal tasks, a quiet risk grows: we’re telling them things we should keep private. ...

Keep Your Money Safe: 5 Things You Should Never Tell an AI Chatbot AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google’s Gemini have become everyday tools for drafting emails, summarizing documents, and even brainstorming financial decisions. The convenience is real. But the risks are often overlooked. ...

Keep Your Money Safe: Five Things Never to Tell Your AI Chatbot If you use ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or any other AI chatbot for daily tasks, you’re not alone. These tools are incredibly convenient for drafting emails, summarizing documents, or brainstorming ideas. But that convenience comes with a privacy catch: anything you type into a chatbot can be stored, analyzed, and in some cases, exposed to third parties. As more people turn to AI for help with budgeting, shopping, or even tax prep, the risk of oversharing sensitive financial information has grown sharply. ...

Gift Card Scams Are on the Rise: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Money Earlier this month, Attorney General Brian Schwalb issued an alert warning District of Columbia residents about a surge in gift card scams. The advisory, published by the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, outlines how scammers trick people into buying gift cards and handing over the codes—often draining the funds within minutes. While the alert is aimed at D.C. residents, the tactics described are used nationwide, and the advice applies wherever you live. ...

Pig Butchering Scams: What the New York Attorney General’s Warning Means for You If you’ve ever received an unprompted message from a stranger who seems too charming, too interested in your life, and too eager to discuss investment opportunities, you might be in the early stages of a “pig butchering” scam. The name is deliberately dehumanizing—the fraudster “fattening up” a victim with trust and affection before extracting as much money as possible. ...