TranslateConsumer Alerts
Tech Scams — Seniors Beware
The Federal Trade Commission reports that it received nearly 143,000 reports about Tech Scams last year. The statistics show that people over 60 are more than five times likely than younger people to lose money on this type of scam even though they are less likely to lose money on other types of scams. Read full story
Social Security Calls
The Federal Trade Commission reports a spike in the number of people receiving fake calls from the Social Security Administration. Since January 2018, the FTC reports they have received 63,000 reports and losses of $16.6 million Read full story
Art Trails Open Studio 2018 Attendees List Scam
A fraudulent email is circulating offering to sell Art Trails Open Studio 2018 Attendee list for a fee. Read full story
Kidnapping SCAM in Sonoma County
The Press Democrat reports that a Sonoma County resident received a phone call with a woman pretending to be his daughter screaming that she was in trouble. Read full story
Fake Calls About Your Social Security Number
The Federal Trade Commission reports that it had been receiving a number of reports about scams involving social security numbers. The scammers say that your social security number has been linked to a crime and that your number is being blocked and there is a fee to either unblock or get a new number. Read full story
Price Gouging Protections Extended by the Governor
The Price Gouging protections under Penal Code 396 have been extended by the Governor through May 31, 2019. Read full story
Marriott Security Breach of Consumer Information
Marriott International has announced that its Starwood Guest reservation database was breached which has exposed personal information of its guests. This includes the names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, passport numbers, dates of birth, gender and reservation information. Read full story
Cybersecurity for Small Businesses
The Federal Trade Commission has posted new resources for small businesses to help protect them from cybersecurity threats. Read full story
Scammers Favor Gift Cards
As many of our prior posts have indicated, scammers frequently use gift cards as a way to obtain payment because they are not traceable and no stop payment can be placed on them. Read full story
New Law On Credit Card Freeze and Faqs
A new law effective September 21, 2018 allows you to freeze and unfreeze your credit file with the credit reporting agencies for free. Read full story