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FTC Now Offers More Cybersecurity Advice for Small Businesses

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If you own a small business, you know it’s critical to protect your business from cyber threats. On Thursday, the Federal Trade Commission launched new cybersecurity resources for small businesses – you’ll find them at FTC.gov/SmallBusiness. — This article is from the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information blog. Rosario Méndez is an attorney in the FTC Division of Consumer and Business Education. What better time to check out these new resources than now — it’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and this week’s theme is cybersecurity at work. This new national cybersecurity education campaign grew out of discussions we had last year with small business owners across the country about cybersecurity challenges.

Consumer and Finances
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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.

Consumer and Finances
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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.

Public Safety
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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.

Public Safety
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Here’s One Easy-to-Remember Red Flag That You Might Be Getting Scammed

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Has someone asked you to go get a gift card to pay for something? Lots of people have told the Federal Trade Commission they’ve been asked to pay with gift cards — by a caller claiming to be with the IRS, or tech support, or a so-called family member in need. If you’ve gotten a call like this, you know that the caller will then demand the gift card numbers and PIN. And, poof, your money is gone. Scammers are good at convincing people there really is an emergency, so lots of people have made the trip to the Walmart or Target or CVS to buy gift cards to send these callers.