Fraud & Scams
Financial fraud, phishing, identity theft, scam alerts, data breaches, and how to protect yourself and your accounts.
Latest in Fraud & Scams
A California widow was about to wire $1 million to a crypto scammer until ChatGPT warned her it was fraud
A California widow came within hours of wiring nearly $1 million to criminals running a cryptocurrency investment scheme before a conversation with ChatGPT flagged the...
Anyone asking you to pay a fee to release your Amazon refund is running a scam, the FTC warns
The Federal Trade Commission is telling consumers that no legitimate party will ever charge a fee to release money owed from the $2.5 billion Amazon...
No court or federal agency will ever tell you to pay a bill through a Bitcoin ATM
Federal courts across at least three states and two national agencies have issued direct warnings to the public: no legitimate court, law enforcement office, or...
An Illinois woman lost nearly $1 million to a romance-investment scam and had to sell her home and belongings
An Illinois woman was forced to sell her home and personal belongings after losing nearly $1 million to a romance-investment scam that lured her into...
A Connecticut woman lost $900,000 in retirement savings to a scammer who prayed with her before draining her accounts
Jacqueline Crenshaw of East Haven, Connecticut, lost nearly $1 million after a scammer built an online romantic relationship with her, prayed with her over the...
Oak View Group is paying up to $5,000 to people hit by a data breach, with a flat $50 and an August 15 deadline
People whose personal information was exposed in a late-2023 data breach at Oak View Group can claim up to $5,000 in compensation, along with a...
A text or call claiming you missed jury duty and owe a fine by gift card or Bitcoin is always a scam
Federal courts and law-enforcement agencies across the country are issuing fresh warnings about phone calls and text messages that claim recipients missed jury duty and...
A family code word can stop the AI voice-cloning scams that fake a grandchild’s emergency call
Criminals armed with cheap AI voice-cloning tools are calling grandparents, mimicking a loved one’s voice, and demanding emergency cash transfers. Two federal agencies, the FBI’s...
Flagstar Bank customers hit by a data breach can claim up to $25,000, with an August 11 deadline to file
More than 1.5 million people whose personal data was exposed in a Flagstar Bank network breach can now file claims worth up to $25,000 each,...
FMC customers can claim about $75, or up to $5,000 for losses, from a data breach by August 31
People affected by the FMC Services, LLC data breach that occurred on July 26, 2022, face a closing window to file claims for roughly $75...
A 70-year-old lost $84,000 to a fake McAfee security agent before police arrested the suspect mid-pickup
A 70-year-old Camarillo, California, resident lost $84,000 after someone posing as a McAfee security agent convinced the victim that hackers had compromised their bank accounts....
Scammers posing as Amazon and federal agents drained over $1 million from East Coast seniors, and three men are now under arrest
Three men are now in federal custody after allegedly draining more than $1 million from seniors in Virginia and Maryland through a scheme that paired...
A 76-year-old retired lawyer lost $740,000 in three months after scammers talked him into moving his savings to a “safe” account
A 76-year-old retired lawyer watched $740,000 drain from his accounts over three months after scammers convinced him to transfer his retirement savings into what they...
A 66-year-old wired $200,000 of his family’s savings to scammers who dangled a fake $7 million payout
A 66-year-old man sent $200,000 in family savings to scammers after they convinced him a $7 million prize was waiting for him. The scheme follows...
A phone-scam ring drained more than $5 million from 400 older Americans before agents shut it down
Thirteen people have been charged for running a phone-based “grandparent scam” that stole more than $5 million from over 400 older Americans, most of them...
A Florida woman lost $200,000 to scammers before police staged a sting to catch the courier at her door
A Florida woman handed over $200,000 in cash to scammers who contacted her through fraudulent calls and electronic messages before local police set up a...
Government impersonation scams drained nearly $798 million last year, and no real agency demands gift cards
Americans lost $789 million to government impersonation scams in 2024, part of a record $12.5 billion in total reported fraud losses that year. The Federal...
A free credit freeze at all three bureaus blocks new-account fraud
Any consumer in the United States can place a credit freeze at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion at no cost, blocking lenders from viewing the frozen...
The FTC is mailing $2.8 million in refunds to homeowners charged by a phony mortgage-relief operation
Nearly 1,821 homeowners who paid upfront fees to a fraudulent mortgage-relief operation are receiving refund checks from the Federal Trade Commission, with payments totaling more...
Comcast and Xfinity customers can claim cash and free identity protection from a $117.5 million breach settlement by September 14
Roughly 35 million current and former Xfinity customers whose personal data was exposed in a 2023 breach now have two months left to file claims...