TranslateConsumer Alerts
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
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
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
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
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
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
Costco and Retail Scams
Many scammers take advantage of our familiarity with well know businesses and their logos so that you think you are receiving an email from a store that you may do business with. Read full story
Donating to Charities after a Disaster
With the many recent disasters that have occurred locally and in the news, it is important to be aware that scammers unfortunately take advantage by exploiting these tragedies. For a helpful list of tips to consider when donating to charities Read full story
Refunds to Pay Day Loan Customers
The Federal Trade Commission announced that it is refunding $505 million dollars to consumers who took out loans between January 2009 and January 2013 from AMG Services and its related companies. Read full story