Consumer and Finances
Scam Image from the FTC website Scam

If Someone You Care About Got Caught in a Scam, Here’s How to Help

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Sharing a scam experience with someone you know takes courage. If someone trusts you enough to share their scam story, especially if the scammer is still in touch with them, here’s some advice to help guide you. — — This article by Jennifer Leach of the FTC Division of Consumer and Business Education, appeareed in the FTC website on April 29. Lead with empathy. Respond with kindness and concern instead of criticizing or expressing disappointment. Scams can happen to anyone.

Catfishing
Romance Scams Catfishing Scams

Survey of Romance-Scam Victims: Most are Women, College Educated; 1 in 10 Lose $100K or More

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A new poll of 3,047 romance scam victims – the largest ever conducted — found that 75% are college educated and 13% have graduate degrees showing scammers have grown increasingly savvy. — an announcement from Social Catfish
Connecticut is the No. 22 most-scammed state with 4,524  victims losing an unprecedented $75,739,646 last year. When someone is ‘Catfished’ people tend to think, “Well, that person must not be smart,” but many highly educated people are being left heartbroken and penniless. Social Catfish — a company that verifies online identities with reverse search — released the results as part of its study on the State of Internet Scams 2022 using data from the FBI IC3 and the Federal Trade Commission.

Consumer and Finances
Family Emergency Scams

FTC: Here’s One Kind of Fraud to Warn Your Relatives About This Thanksgiving

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Whether it’s a spare can of cranberry sauce or an extra turkey platter, thoughtful Thanksgiving hosts make contingency plans for the holiday. This year, if the dinner discussion veers into controversial territory — like the pumpkin pie vs. pecan pie debate — here’s a suggested topic of conversation you can have at the ready. — This article is from a post by Lesley Fair on the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information blog. Fair is an attorney in the FTC Division of Consumer and Business Education.