Many scam victims report their experiences to the Federal Trade Commission and other agencies. In turn the agencies publish the information on their websites for viewing by anyone at no charge. The Federal Trade Commission has been described as a “Consumer’s Watchdog”. It has authority to shut down scam operators. It can at times cause a return of money to an owner who has been scammed. Its web address is www.Ftc.gov.
A Free Public Service
May 21, 2025
SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California, USA.
Did you recently get an email about your federal student loans? Not sure about the status of your federal student loans? Start by logging in to StudentAid.gov. You’ll see information about your loan servicer and how to reach them. If you have questions or need help with your loans, contact your servicer directly, or contact http://www.ftc.gov/student loan.
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A Free Public Service
May 1, 2025
SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California, USA.
If you bought antivirus software from Avast between August 2014 and January 2020, you could be eligible for a payment from a recent settlement in the FTC’s lawsuit. Start by checking your inbox for an email about how to submit your claim by June 5, 2025.
Emails to eligible users went out between February 24, 2025, and March 7, 2025. Check your inbox for a message from “Avast Settlement” with the subject line, “Avast Settlement: Get Your Payment”.
Follow the steps in the email and submit your claim by June 5, 2025. It’ll only take a few minutes, and you don’t need to find your receipts or proof of purchase.
That’s it. You’re done. Refunds will go out after all claims are processed — sometime in 2026. If you need help with your claim, contact the refund administrator at 1-866-290-0165 or info@AvastSettlement.com.
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A Free Public Service
April 24, 2025
USPS MESSAGE SCAM
Attribution: US.FTC.GOV
SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California, USA.
Have you ever gotten a text message about a package coming via the United States Postal Service? Maybe it confirmed your order, said a package is out for delivery, or said there’s a problem like unpaid postage, a missed delivery, or you need to update your shipping preferences. That text message will say to click a link to learn more or fix the problem. But there’s a good chance that text message that says it’s from USPS (or FedEx…or DHL…) is really from a scammer.
Scammers want you to click the link in their message. What happens next is the scam: the click takes you to a look-alike of a real website where they’ll tell you to enter personal or financial information. If you pay, that money — along with your credit card number, name, address, and anything else you entered — will go straight to the scammer.
To avoid this scam:
Verify delivery information independently. If you think a text is about a real delivery, don’t give information or click on any links in the message. Instead, go to the online retail site or account you ordered your item from to look up the shipping and tracking information for your package.
Use filters. See what options your mobile phone has to filter and block texts from unknown senders.
Report unwanted text messages and scams on the messaging app you use. See if your phone has an option to report junk or spam. If not, forward the message to 7726.
Check out these resources to help you weed out spam text messages, phishing emails, and unwanted calls. Spotted a scam? Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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A Free Public Service
April 21, 2025
SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo, California, USA.
Did you know that people almost always open text messages? In a new Data Spotlight about the big jump in reported fraud losses involving text scams, the FTC notes a study finding open rates can be as high as 98%. Those are really good odds for a scammer. And when scammers get you to respond to their messages, they’re cashing in. Here’s how you can increase your chances of keeping your money safe.
Some text scams start as fake fraud alerts. You get a message from someone claiming to be from the fraud department with Amazon or your bank, offering to help with a suspicious charge. But that’s the hook they use to get you to respond by messaging back or calling a number. Instead of help, they’ll spin elaborate lies and drain your bank account.
Or maybe you get a text about a problem with a delivery or a message about unpaid tolls. In both cases, they tell you to click a link to fix the issue. When you land on what seems to be the USPS or highway toll program website (they’re not), they tell you to pay “re-delivery fees” or “unpaid tolls.” That’s when you might end up giving your credit card or even your Social Security number to a scammer.
Scammers also use phony job opportunities and “wrong number” texts to convince you to respond. No matter what story you get, here are ways to avoid text scams:
Delete and report scam texts using your phone’s “report junk” option or forward unwanted texts to 7726 (SPAM). Learn more at ftc.gov/textscams.
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A Free Public Servvice
April 7, 2025
SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California, USA.
MILLION DOLLAR PRIZE
Attribution: US ftc.gov
Scammers sometimes make you think you’ve hit a stroke of good luck. But if your million-dollar cash prize letter comes with instructions to pay a small fee — maybe for taxes, reporting, or handling — it’s not luck. It’s a scam. If you pay, you’ll lose your money and find out there’s no prize. Can you spot a prize scam?
Scammers use the promise of a prize to steal your money or your personal information. They might say they’re from a well-known company like Publishers Clearing House and call, text, email, or message you on social media to say you’re eligible for prize money. But they’ll say you have to send them money first — maybe to pay a fee to release unclaimed money, for example. No real company will make you pay to claim a prize. Only a scammer will. Before responding, slow down and ask yourself these questions:
What do others say? Search online and see what you find about the contest or company. Type the name with terms like “review,” “complaint,” or “scam.”
Did anyone else get this message? While you’re checking online, see if others report getting the same message. If you got the offer by mail, look at the postmark on the envelope or postcard. A bulk rate means other people got the same offer.
Did they ask me to pay or give sensitive personal information? If so, it’s a scam. There’s no reason to give your bank account or Social Security number to claim a prize. And only a scammer will insist you pay by wiring money through a company like Western Union or MoneyGram, using a payment app like Apple Pay, CashApp, PayPal, or Zelle, sending cash, or paying with gift cards or cryptocurrency to get your prize.
Share this alert with family and friends to help them avoid prize scams too. If you spot one, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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A Free Public Service
March 24, 2025
SIGNS OF A SCAM
Attribution: US FTC.gov
Scammers tell all kinds of stories to try to get your money or information. They might call, pretend to be from a government agency, and say you owe a fine. Or they may pose as a friend or love interest online who supposedly needs money for an emergency. A scammer might offer you a (fake) job, but say you need to pay a fee before you get hired. Or they might tell a different lie.
Though the details might change, scams usually have some things in common. Knowing what they are can help you recognize — and then avoid — scams that come your way.
Scammers contact you unexpectedly.
Don’t respond to unexpected calls, emails, texts, or social media messages that ask for money or personal information. If you’re not sure if a call or message is real, reach out to the business, organization, or person — even if they’re claiming to be a friend or relative — using contact information you looked up yourself and know to be true.
Scammers tell you to hurry.
They don’t want you to have time to think or to check out their story. Instead, slow down. Talk to someone you trust.
Scammers tell you to pay — and HOW to pay.
Don’t pay anyone who contacts you out of the blue and insists you can only pay with cash, a gift card, a wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or a payment app.
Scammers want you to pay these ways because once you do, it’s hard to track and hard to get your money back.
If you’ve lost money to a scam.
Reach out to the company you used to send the money right away and see if there’s a way to get it back. Then report the scammer at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Find more information about protecting your money and personal information from scammers at consumer.gov.
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A Free Public Service
March 13, 2025
SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California, USA.
SIGNS OF A SCAM
Attribution: US FTC.gov
Scammers tell all kinds of stories to try to get your money or information. They might call, pretend to be from a government agency, and say you owe a fine. Or they may pose as a friend or love interest online who supposedly needs money for an emergency. A scammer might offer you a (fake) job, but say you need to pay a fee before you get hired. Or they might tell a different lie.
Though the details might change, scams usually have some things in common. And knowing what they are can help you recognize — and then avoid — scams that come your way.
Scammers contact you unexpectedly. Don’t respond to unexpected calls, emails, texts, or social media messages that ask for money or personal information. If you’re not sure if a call or message is real, reach out to the business, organization, or person — even if they’re claiming to be a friend or relative — using contact information you looked up yourself and know to be true.
Scammers tell you to hurry. They don’t want you to have time to think or to check out their story. Instead, slow down. Talk to someone you trust.
Scammers tell you to pay — and HOW to pay. Don’t pay anyone who contacts you out of the blue and insists you can only pay with cash, a gift card, a wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or a payment app. Scammers want you to pay these ways because once you do, it’s hard to track and hard to get your money back.
If you’ve lost money to a scam, reach out to the company you used to send the money right away and see if there’s a way to get it back. Then report the scammer at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Find more information about protecting your money and personal information from scammers at consumer.gov.
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A Free Public Service
February 23, 2025
SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inavtive attorney in San Mateo County, California, USA.
TAX FILING SCAM
Attribution: US FTC.gov
If you’re filing your taxes online this year, watch for signs of tax identity theft, like someone using your Social Security number (SSN) to file and claim a tax refund.
One way you’ll know is if the IRS rejects your tax return once you file. Learn to protect yourself while filing online and what to do if someone steals your tax refund.
If you use tax preparation software like TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct, or TaxSlayer, protect your accounts by using two-factor authentication. Requiring two or more credentials to log in makes it harder for scammers to get into your account, even if they get your username and password. And always file early, if you can — before anyone else files using your personal information.
But even if you’re careful, someone might still use your SSN to steal your refund. Now, if the IRS rejects the tax return you submitted online or through a tax preparer, it could just mean missing or incorrect information. But if the IRS says there’s more than one tax return filed in your name or they see income from an employer you know you don’t work for, that’s identity theft. Don’t panic — but do act quickly to communicate with the IRS. Here’s how:
Report it to IdentityTheft.gov using as many details as possible. The site will create an FTC Identity Theft Report, an IRS Identity Theft Affidavit, and a personal recovery plan.
Submit your IRS Identity Theft Affidavit through IdentityTheft.gov. This tells the IRS to begin investigating your case. Or get the Identity Theft Affidavit (IRS Form 14039) and submit it by mail.
Follow the steps in your personal recovery plan — like freezing your credit and checking your credit reports — to limit the damage identity theft causes.
Share IdentityTheft.gov/Steps with friends and loved ones to help them protect their personal information and stay ahead of identity thieves.
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Attribution: scambusters.org
A Free Public Service
February 18, 2025
SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California, USA.
It sounds hard to believe but an estimated 100,000 people have willingly given away their usernames and passwords in an Instagram scam.
Instagram is one of the big players in the latest craze for image-sharing social networking sites.
It’s believed owned by Facebook and has more than 150 million members, many of whom use it to legitimately share family, fun and friendship photos.
It’s also used legitimately by many celebrities and businesses to visually promote themselves.
Often, Instagram photos are cross-shared via other networks, like Facebook and Twitter.
And, just like most social networking sites, it relies on “likes” and other actions to spread connections, which makes it another ready-made target for scammers.
Internet security company Symantec reported two big Instagram scams towards the end of 2013.
In the first, an app that was available on most smartphones and other mobile devices promised to get users lots more followers.
In return, they had to provide their Instagram sign-on details, which, when you think about it, then gave the app maker the ability to log on to victims’ accounts and use them to fulfill its offer of following others — and do whatever else they wanted!
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A Free Public Service
February 15, 2025
SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California, USA.
LOVE SCAMS
Attribution: US FTC.gov
Thinking of trying your luck with an online dating app, or getting to know someone you’ve met on social media? Before you do, make sure you know how to spot a romance scammer.
Here’s a typical romance scam: You meet someone on a site or app, and they want to move the conversation off the platform. You might talk or chat several times a day. But they can’t meet up. They might say they live far away, maybe for work or because they’re in the military. Eventually, they start asking for money — maybe for a plane ticket to visit you or emergency surgery. Or they might say they can help you invest your money in cryptocurrency or the stock market. It’s all a scam to get your money.
Never send money or gifts to a love interest you haven’t met in person. If you suspect a romance scam:
Talk to someone you trust. Do your friends or family say they’re concerned about your new love interest?
Search online for the type of job the person has plus the word “scammer.” Have other people posted similar stories?
Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture. Is it associated with another name or with details that don’t match up?
Also notify the app or site where you met the scammer.
If you paid a scammer, your money might be gone. No matter how you paid, it’s always worth asking the company you used to send the money if there’s a way to get it back. Read What To Do if You Were Scammed to learn more.
Tell the FTC about romance scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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scamsbulletin.blog 