Spot and Stop New Scams: Essential Tips from Consumer Protection Week Every year, National Consumer Protection Week serves as a crucial reminder to stay vigilant against fraud. This March, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted a webinar to shed light on the latest scam trends, providing a timely update on what tricks fraudsters are using now and how you can protect yourself. ...
Don’t Get Tricked: How to Spot Today’s Top Scams Every day, scams get a little more sophisticated. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently held a webinar highlighting the latest trends, and the message is clear: scammers are refining their tactics, but you can still defend yourself. By understanding how these schemes work now, you can protect your money and your identity more effectively. ...
Watch Out for That Parking Ticket: A New Scam Is Targeting Drivers You return to your car and see it: a parking violation notice tucked under your windshield wiper. Or perhaps a text message or email arrives, demanding immediate payment for a parking fine to avoid additional penalties. Your first instinct might be to pay it quickly and move on. But a new consumer alert warns that scammers are exploiting this very instinct, creating convincing fake violations to steal money and personal information. ...
What National Consumer Protection Week Means for Your Digital Safety For one week every March, a spotlight shines on the scams, frauds, and privacy pitfalls that can trip up consumers. That’s the purpose of National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), an annual campaign led by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). With NCPW 2026 on the horizon, the event serves as a timely reminder to review your defenses and understand the threats that are actively targeting wallets and identities. It’s not just about awareness; it’s about equipping yourself with practical steps that work year-round. ...
How to Protect Yourself From the Latest Wave of Consumer Scams Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a timely webinar as part of National Consumer Protection Week, shining a light on the scam tactics that are currently costing people the most money and causing the most stress. While scammers constantly update their playbooks, the FTC’s insights help cut through the noise and point to the specific threats you should be watching for right now. Understanding these trends is the first, most critical step in building an effective defense. ...
What the FTC Wants You to Know About Today’s Top Scams Keeping up with the tactics of scammers can feel like a full-time job. Just as you learn to spot one scheme, another evolves to take its place. Recently, as part of National Consumer Protection Week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted webinars to shed light on the most pressing fraud trends affecting consumers right now. The goal wasn’t just to warn but to equip people with practical knowledge. Here’s a breakdown of what they highlighted and the steps you can take to protect yourself. ...
That ‘Unpaid Parking Ticket’ Text Could Be a Scam If you’ve received a sudden, urgent message demanding payment for a parking violation you don’t remember, pause before you click. Authorities in North Carolina and beyond are warning drivers about a sophisticated new scam that uses the fear of an unexpected fine to steal money and personal information. ...
How to Recognize and Stop a “Pig Butchering” Scam Before You Lose Money You meet someone new online. The conversation starts casually, but they’re engaging, attentive, and seem genuinely interested in you. Over weeks or even months, a bond forms. Then, one day, they mention a fantastic investment opportunity—a way to build a future together. If this story sounds familiar, you might be facing one of the most insidious online frauds today: the “Pig Butchering” scam. ...
Don’t Get Hooked: A Simple Guide to Phishing Every day, millions of people open an email or a message that seems perfectly normal—only to find out later it was a trap. This digital deception has a name: phishing. It remains one of the most common and damaging online threats, not just for tech experts but for anyone with an email address or smartphone. ...
Don’t Get Hooked: The Latest Scam Tactics and How to Protect Yourself Every day, the tools and tactics scammers use get a little more sophisticated. During a recent National Consumer Protection Week webinar, officials from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) highlighted the evolving fraud landscape. While the specific details from that session are summarized in a members-only industry article, the underlying trends are clear and critical for every consumer to understand. ...