Fraud & Scams
Financial fraud, phishing, identity theft, scam alerts, data breaches, and how to protect yourself and your accounts.
Latest in Fraud & Scams
Opting out of pre-screened credit offers at OptOutPrescreen.com is free and cuts identity-theft risk
Every pre-screened credit card offer that lands in a household mailbox carries a quiet risk: if stolen from the mail, it can give a thief...
Flagstar Bank will pay breach victims about $60, or up to $25,000 with proof, if they file by August 11
Customers whose personal data was exposed in the Flagstar Bank breach can now file claims for roughly $60 each without documenting any losses, or pursue...
A surprise package with a QR code is the FTC’s newest scam — scanning it can hand over your bank logins
The Federal Trade Commission flagged a new breed of fraud that starts with a package nobody ordered. Inside sits a small item and a card...
No real government agency demands payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency
Every major federal law enforcement and tax agency in the United States has now issued the same blunt warning: no legitimate government office will ever...
Imposter scams stayed America’s No. 1 fraud for a ninth year, draining $3.5 billion as fake toll texts spread
American consumers lost $3.5 billion to imposter scams last year, keeping the category at the top of the Federal Trade Commission’s fraud rankings for a...
The FBI says Americans over 60 lost $352 million to AI-powered scams that clone voices to fake family emergencies
Older Americans lost $352 million to scams in which criminals used artificial intelligence to clone the voices of family members and stage fake emergencies, according...
Fidelity will pay data-breach victims $100, or up to $5,000 with proof of losses, if they file by July 27
Fidelity Investments is offering affected customers a flat $100 payment, or up to $5,000 for those who can document actual losses, following a data breach...
You can place a free one-year fraud alert on your credit file that forces lenders to verify your identity
A federal law that took effect in September 2018 replaced the old 90-day fraud alert with a free, one-year version, giving any consumer the ability...
Circle K is paying its data-breach settlement, a flat $50 or up to $2,000 with receipts, to customers who file by September 3
Customers affected by a Circle K data breach can file for a flat $50 payment or up to $2,000 with documented expenses before a September...
The FTC is refunding nearly $3 million to homeowners scammed by a mortgage-relief company
More than 1,800 homeowners who paid a mortgage-relief company for help that never came are now receiving refund checks from the Federal Trade Commission. The...
Scammers posing as the court are calling about “missed jury duty” and threatening arrest unless you pay — the FTC says hang up
Scammers are calling Americans, claiming to be court officials or U.S. Marshals, and demanding immediate payment for supposedly missed jury duty. The threat is always...
The FBI says scammers posing as banks and federal agents are increasingly sending couriers to pick up victims’ cash and gold
Scammers posing as bank officials and federal agents are dispatching couriers directly to victims’ homes to collect cash and gold bars, a tactic that has...
Turning on real-time transaction alerts in your bank’s app catches fraud in seconds, not on next month’s statement
Bank customers who wait for a monthly statement to spot unauthorized charges face a legal clock that can cost them hundreds or even thousands of...
Pawn America will send breach victims at least $30, with up to $5,000 for documented losses, on claims filed by July 6
More than three years after hackers compromised systems at Pawn America, the pawn-and-retail chain is paying up. Under a proposed class action settlement, customers whose...
Three men are charged with stealing $8 million from older Americans who were told to turn their savings into gold bars for fake government couriers
Five people now face federal charges for allegedly running a tech-support fraud operation that drained at least $8 million from elderly victims across at least...
Complete Payroll Solutions will pay up to $5,000 to workers caught in its 2024 data breach, with claims due June 18
Workers whose personal data was exposed in the 2024 Complete Payroll Solutions breach face a June 18 deadline to file claims worth up to $5,000....
Scammers are sending fake graduation and party invites that ask you to “log in,” then steal your email password
Scammers have timed a new credential-theft campaign to graduation season, sending fake digital invitations that ask recipients to enter their email address and password before...
Yahoo just began a second round of data-breach payouts to people who filed claims years ago
People who filed claims against Yahoo years ago for one of the largest data breaches in history are now receiving a second wave of settlement...
Your bank doesn’t have to refund a Zelle transfer you were tricked into sending
Consumers who send money through Zelle after being deceived by a scammer face a hard legal reality: their bank is not required to give the...
Labcorp will pay $35 million over a 2019 data breach, with patients able to claim $50 or up to $5,000 in losses by September 3
Patients whose personal and medical data were exposed in the 2019 breach at American Medical Collection Agency can now file claims for automatic payments of...