Fraud & Scams
Financial fraud, phishing, identity theft, scam alerts, data breaches, and how to protect yourself and your accounts.
Latest in Fraud & Scams
Social media has become the top starting point for scams that drain older adults, with reported losses up nearly ninefold since 2020
Reported losses from scams that began on social media climbed nearly ninefold among Americans age 60 and older between 2020 and 2024, the sharpest increase...
Several no-proof data-breach settlements are paying eligible people $50 to $100, with deadlines landing in September and October
A cluster of court-approved data-breach settlements is offering a flat cash payment to eligible consumers who file before deadlines that fall in September and October...
Scammers posing as Social Security demand instant payment over a fake suspension
A recorded voice or a live caller claims to be from Social Security with alarming news: the recipient’s Social Security number has been suspended over...
A jury-duty scam threatens arrest unless a victim pays a “fine” on a gift card or payment app
The call opens with a badge and a threat: a supposed U.S. marshal or local officer says a jury summons was missed, a warrant has...
A grandparent scam uses a panicked fake call from a “grandchild” to push seniors into wiring bail money
The call arrives sounding like a genuine emergency: a grandchild, voice shaking, says an accident or an arrest has landed them in jail and they...
Federal Regulation E gives customers a short window to report an unauthorized electronic charge and force a refund
An unauthorized charge on a checking account is not the account holder’s loss to absorb alone — federal law caps how much a customer can...
A parent can freeze a child’s credit for free, stopping identity thieves from using a clean Social Security number
A newborn’s Social Security number carries no borrowing history, no missed payments, and no warning flags, and that blank slate is precisely what makes it...
A tech-support pop-up scam talks seniors into paying for repairs they don’t need
A tech-support scam usually opens with a fright. A full-screen pop-up warns of a virus, freezes the computer, and displays a phone number to call...
An overpayment scam sends a fake check, then demands you wire back the “extra”
The overpayment scam runs on a single piece of banking timing that most people misread. A buyer, employer, or prize official sends a check for...
A fake toll or delivery text can steal card numbers worth thousands
The text looks urgent and ordinary at the same moment: an unpaid highway toll, a package held for a small fee, a delivery that cannot...
A QR-code “quishing” scam can drain a bank account after one scan of a fake code
A QR code is simply a link in disguise, and that is exactly why scammers have adopted it. A fraudulent code pasted over a real...
A “money mule” scam can leave a senior owing the bank for cash they were tricked into moving
A money-mule scam recruits an ordinary person to receive someone else’s money and pass it along, usually for a small cut or the promise of...
Account alerts and a “positive pay” setting can stop a fraudulent withdrawal before it clears
Most fraud losses on a bank account are not caught by the bank noticing something wrong; they are caught by the account holder noticing first....
Crimson Wine shoppers can claim about $100 with no proof over a data breach before September 1
A $637,500 fund set aside to resolve claims over a 2024 Crimson Wine Group data breach is running up against a hard cutoff, and the...
Setting up a “my Social Security” account early blocks a thief from claiming your benefits first
One of the cheapest defenses against Social Security fraud costs nothing and takes a few minutes: claiming a personal online account before a criminal claims...
Freezing a deceased relative’s credit stops thieves from opening accounts in their name
In the weeks after a death, a grieving family is rarely thinking about a credit report, and identity thieves count on exactly that. A scheme...
A romance scam can drain a lifetime of savings, and the money is almost never recovered
Among the frauds the Federal Trade Commission tracks, romance scams sit near the top for total dollars lost, and they carry a second cruelty that...
A “pig butchering” crypto-investment scam has drained retirees of six-figure savings, the FBI warns
Federal investigators have a blunt name for one of the costliest frauds now aimed at older Americans: “pig butchering,” a scheme in which a stranger...
Scammers now pose as your own bank’s fraud department to talk you into moving money
The Federal Trade Commission warns that a fast-growing con now opens with a phone call or a text from what looks like a bank’s own...
Freezing your credit is free and does not lower your credit score
The single most effective defense against having a loan or credit card opened in someone else’s name is also one of the least used, and...