Banking & Credit Cards
How banks, credit cards, and payment systems work. Covers products, rates, fees, regulations, and what consumers need to know to navigate the banking system.
Latest in Banking & Credit Cards
Freezing a late parent’s credit stops thieves from opening accounts in a dead relative’s name, a fraud called ghosting
Criminals who steal the identities of the recently deceased can open credit cards, take out loans, and rack up debt before anyone notices. New York’s...
Older Americans reported a record $7.7 billion in scam losses last year across more than 201,000 complaints, up 37% in one year
Americans over age 60 lost more than $7.7 billion to scams last year, filing more than 201,000 complaints with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center....
Amazon will pay $309 million over claims it denied refunds and recharged some customers without permission
The Federal Trade Commission is requiring Amazon to pay $309 million to settle claims that the company denied refunds and recharged some customers without their...
Patients of Catholic Health caught in the Serviceaide data breach can claim up to $5,000, or a flat $50, by September 1
Patients of Catholic Health whose protected health information was exposed in the Serviceaide data breach now face a September 1 deadline to file claims worth...
Seniors filed more than 200,000 fraud complaints with the FBI last year, a record, and thousands lost over $100,000 each
More than 201,000 Americans age 60 and older filed fraud complaints with the FBI last year, a record that produced average individual losses exceeding $38,000....
A 77-year-old California retiree lost $177,000 of his savings to an investment scam that promised safe, steady returns
A 77-year-old retiree in California watched $177,000 of his savings disappear after responding to an investment pitch that promised safe, steady returns with no withdrawal...
ApolloMD patients whose data was exposed can claim up to $5,000 from a $4 million settlement before a September 30 deadline
Patients treated by ApolloMD who had personal and medical information exposed in a data breach can file claims for up to $5,000 each from a...
Naming a trusted contact on your bank and brokerage accounts lets the firm flag suspected fraud before your money is gone
Older Americans lose billions of dollars each year to financial exploitation, and in many cases the money is gone before anyone at the bank or...
Patients hit by the Lakeview Health data breach can claim up to $7,080, with an August 24 deadline to file
Patients affected by a data breach at Lakeview Health Systems, LLC face an August 24 deadline to file claims worth up to $7,080, according to...
Older Americans lost more than $262 million to gold-courier scams in one recent stretch, many after a single pop-up on their computer
A single fake security alert on a home computer is enough to set off a chain of events that ends with an older American handing...
An 86-year-old New York widow who lost $700,000 to scammers is suing Bank of America and Merrill Lynch for letting the transfers go through
An 86-year-old widow in New York has filed suit against Bank of America and Merrill Lynch, alleging the institutions allowed roughly $700,000 in fraudulent transfers...
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...
Nearly 7 million borrowers on the SAVE plan must switch to a new repayment option as older plans disappear
More than 7 million federal student loan borrowers enrolled in the now-defunct SAVE repayment plan face a forced transition starting this month, with loan servicers...
Zero interest for up to 21 months is what a balance-transfer card can buy you to pay down debt
Consumers carrying high-interest credit card balances now face a direct choice: keep paying elevated rates or use a balance-transfer card offering zero percent interest for...
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...