FTC: Don’t Get Fooled by the Netflix Phishing Scam

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Scammers use your information to steal your money, your identity, or both. Scammers often use familiar company names or pretend to be someone you know. Here’s a real world example featuring Netflix. — This article originally was published on the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information blog. Colleen Tressler is a consumer education specialist with the FTC. Police in Ohio shared a screenshot of a phishing email designed to steal personal information.

Japanese i-SOBOT in action, November 2007 model.

Parents: FTC Says Watch Out for Toys Collecting Information on Your Kid — and You

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Before giving in to your kid’s plea for a new toy, you may want to collect some information about it. Why? Well, for one thing, that toy may want to collect information about your kid. I’m talking about Internet-connected smart toys with cameras, microphones, and sensors. The ones that know your kids’ voices (and yours).

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FTC: You’re Vulnerable to a Massive Data Breach If You Stayed at Any of These Hotels from 2014 to Last Sept

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Editor’s note: If you stayed at Marriott International’s Starwood brand hotels, including W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, and other hotel and timeshare properties, the personal information you gave to the hotel is vulnerable to the recent massive data breach involving as many as 500 million customers. That’s what the Federal Trade Commission recently said about the data breach. Here’s the kind of information that might have been stolen: “According to Marriott, the hackers accessed people’s names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, passport numbers, dates of birth, gender, Starwood loyalty program account information, and reservation information. For some, they also stole payment card numbers and expiration dates.”

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Some Holiday Shopping Tips from the Federal Trade Commission, Better Business Bureau

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The gift-giving season is just around the corner, and the gift-buying season starts, oh, any minute now. The Federal Trade Commission have some earlys gift for you — tips to help you shop wisely and protect your personal information. — This article (above the line near the middle) comes from a recent post on the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information blog. Colleen Tressler, the author, is a consumer education specialist at the FTC. The rest of the article (below the line) is from the Better Business Bureau.

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Two Identity Theft Tricks You Should Know: Spear Phishing and Caller I.D. Spoofing

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“I’m calling from [pick any bank]. Someone’s been using your debit card ending in 2345 at [pick any retailer]. I’ll need to verify your Social Security number — which ends in 8190, right? — and full debit card information so we can stop this unauthorized activity…”

So the caller ID shows the name of your bank. And the caller knows some of your personal details.

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If ‘The College Board’ Wants Your Credit Card Number by Phone or Email — Hang Up/Don’t Reply

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Recently, the Federal Trade Commission staff heard about scams targeting parents of high school students preparing for college. The scammers claim to be from The College Board — the organization responsible for the PSAT and SAT tests. — Ari Lazarus is a consumer education specialist at the Federal Trade Commission. This article is from a blog post at the FTC’s Consumer Education blog. They call or email you, asking for credit card numbers so they can send PSAT prep materials that the student has supposedly requested.

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Selling a Car? Get Vehicle History Reports From Vetted Websites. Here’s How:

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The Federal Trade Commission has been hearing about a new scam targeting people who are selling their cars online. They’re getting calls or texts from people who claim to be interested in buying the car — but first want to see a car history report. — This article is from a post on the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information blog. Colleen Tressler is a consumer information specialist at the FTC. They ask the seller to get the report from a specific website, where the seller needs to enter some information and pay about $20 by credit card for the report.

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A Red Flag That You May Be Getting Scammed: They Want Payment Through a Gift Card

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Gift cards are a great way to give a gift. But did you know they are also a scammer’s favorite way to steal money? According to the FTC’s new Data Spotlight, more scammers are demanding payment with a gift card than ever before — a whopping 270 percent increase since 2015. — This article is from the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information blog. The author, Cristina Miranda, works in the FTC Division of Consumer and Business Education.

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Don’t Fall For the Telephone Scam About ‘Suspending’ Your Social Security Number

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A caller says that he’s from the government and your Social Security Number (SSN) has been suspended. He sounds very professional. So you should do exactly what he says to fix things … right? Wrong. The FTC has gotten reports about scammers trying to trick people out of their personal information by telling them that they need to “reactivate” their supposedly “suspended” SSNs.

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Get Your Kids Involved in Back-to-School Shopping: Some Teachable-Moment Tips

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As summer winds down, it’s time for back-to-school shopping. Here are some tips to not only help you save time and money but to do with your kids to help teach them about money, budgeting and organizing. — This article is from the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information blog. Colleen Tressler is a consumer education specialist with the FTC. Get the teacher-approved list. Many teachers have lists of items they want their students to have.

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How to Donate Wisely After a Natural Disaster

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Natural disasters and weather emergencies are in the news. Whether it’s the devastating wildfires along the West Coast, the relentless rains and flooding along the East Coast, or tornado strikes in the Midwest, it’s heartbreaking to see people lose their homes and businesses. But it’s despicable when scammers exploit such tragedies to appeal to your sense of generosity. — This article originally was published on the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information blog. Colleen Tressler is a consumer education specialist with the FTC.

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How to Avoid Vacation Rental Scams

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With July 4th right around the corner, plenty of us are still running around trying to book a last-minute vacation rental. If that’s you, here’s what you need to know: Scammers are ready with fake vacation rental ads. Rental scammers try to get your rental booking and take your money. But when you show up for the vacation, you have no place to stay and your money is gone! Here are some of the ways they pull off the scam:

Some scammers start with real rental listings.

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FTC: It’s Good to Want to Help Natural Disaster Victims, But Avoid Scammers

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Natural disasters and weather emergencies are in the news. Whether it’s the volcanic eruptions in Hawaii and Guatemala or the wildfires in Colorado, it’s heartbreaking to see people lose their homes and businesses to the ongoing devastation. But it’s despicable when scammers exploit such tragedies to appeal to your sense of generosity. If you’re looking for a way to help, the Federal Trade Commission urges you to be cautious of potential charity scams.

— This article is from the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information blog. Colleen Tressler is a consumer education specialist with the FTC.

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How the ‘You’ve Won Our Sweepstakes!’ Scam Works

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You get a card, call, or email telling you that you won! Maybe it’s a lottery, sweepstakes, or some other prize. The person calling is excited and can’t wait for you to get your winnings. But here’s what happens next: they tell you there’s a fee, some taxes, or customs duties to pay. They ask for your bank account information, or ask you to send money via a wire transfer or to purchase gift cards and provide the card numbers.

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Don’t Get Fooled by the ‘Secret Shopper’ Scam

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Scammers need a good story to get to your wallet. Once they find one that works, they use it again and again. One of their old favorites brings together fake checks and secret shopping, and we’ve been hearing a lot about it lately. Here’s how it starts. You get a check in the mail with a job offer as a secret shopper.