The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
Ridgewood NJ, Does it ever feel like you’re getting more robocalls than calls from actual humans? Illegal robocalls aren’t just annoying — they’re also often scams. But you might be wondering — how did they get my number in the first place?
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, QR codes have become ubiquitous, finding applications in various scenarios such as accessing restaurant menus, making payments for public parking, or gaining entry to events like concerts and sports matches. However, their widespread use has also attracted scammers who exploit QR codes to deceive individuals and compromise personal information. It is crucial to be aware of potential threats.
Continue reading FTC: Scammers hide harmful links in QR codes
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, when a company makes a promise, you expect them to keep their word, right? According to the FTC, Amazon promised to delete children’s personal information and Alexa users’ voice and geolocation information but broke the law instead. In an announcement today, the FTC and the Department of Justice said Amazon violated children’s privacy law by keeping kids’ Alexa voice recordings forever to feed its voice-related algorithms.
Continue reading FTC and DOJ Charge Amazon with Violating Children’s Privacy
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, here’s a scam we know is hitting the Korean community right now — but it’s just as likely to be coming soon to a phone or email inbox near you. Because one thing we know is that scammers never target just one person (or community). Read on so you can spot and report these scammers before they trick someone you care about out of money.
Continue reading New Scam Targets New Jersey’s Korean community
Who’s minding your business online ?
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, many of us have grown used to the idea that companies constantly collect information about us as we go about our daily lives. It may be information we give up willingly, like a credit card number for a purchase. But it also may be information that we don’t know we’re surrendering, and may not want to share. Companies are able to collect enormous amounts of personal data about virtually every conceivable aspect of our lives, often in ways that we might not expect or understand.
Continue reading The FTC invites you to comment on commercial surveillance and data security
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, if the cryptocurrency craze feels like a tempting way to make money, or you think you’re missing out, read on. Because, according to the FTC’s new data spotlight, scammers are banking on what you don’t know about cryptocurrency — or scammers’ tricks. And that could cost you serious money.
FTC Sues Intuit for Its Deceptive TurboTax “free” Filing Campaign
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Federal Trade Commission is taking action against Intuit Inc., the maker of the popular TurboTax tax filing software, by issuing an administrative complaint against the company for deceiving consumers with bogus advertisements pitching “free” tax filing that millions of consumers could not use. In addition, to prevent ongoing harm to consumers rushing to file their taxes, the Commission also filed a federal district court complaint asking a court to order Intuit to halt its deceptive advertising immediately.
Continue reading So We Guess TurboTax is Not Really Free ,Free after all
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood blog has reported on a number of consumer frauds over the years focusing primarily on the seniors being taken advantage of in Bergen County the FTC’s new Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book points out the younger people may be the victims of fraud far more often.
Ridgewood NJ, Love happens year-round, not only on Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, romance scams are the same. So, along with sharing (or not) some chocolate, make Valentine’s Day a time to share with people you care about some ways to spot and avoid romance scams. Because, according to a new FTC report, people sent $547 million to online romance scammers last year.
Continue reading Online Romance Scammers in 2021: Fraudsters to the left of you, Fakers to the right
photo by ArtChick
by Jennifer Leach
Associate Director, Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC
Ridgewood NJ, this has been National Adoption Week for pets, and by now, thousands of dogs and cats might have new homes in the hearts of many thousands of people. But as the holidays approach, scammers know that families are hearing about their kids’ NEED for a dog or cat. And scammers are ready to take advantage by offering up that perfect pet — for a fee. You’ll find ads offering litters of puppies, especially, on websites and listservs online. But once you pay, your supposed pet and the “breeder” will vanish, along with your cash. Here are ways to spot those puppy and pet scammers and stop them in their tracks.
Has Amazon contacted you to confirm a recent purchase you didn’t make or to tell you that your account has been hacked? According to the FTC’s new Data Spotlight, since July 2020, about one in three people who have reported a business impersonator scam say the scammer pretended to be Amazon.
Continue reading Amazon Impersonator Scams : What You Need to Know
by Seena Gressin Attorney, Division of Consumer & Business Education, FTC
Some of you are celebrating your second COVID-19 vaccination with the giddy enthusiasm that’s usually reserved for weddings, new babies, and other life events. You’re posting a photo of your vaccination card on social media. Please — don’t do that! You could be inviting identity theft.
Continue reading FTC: Social Media is not the Place for COVID-19 Vaccination Cards
by Ari Lazarus
Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
If you’re a college student, faculty, or staff member, you’re going to want to pay attention to this one. IRS imposters are sending phishing emails to people with “.edu” email addresses, saying they have information about your “tax refund payment.” What do they really want? Your personal information.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned of threat actors sending phishing emails and text messages purporting to be from state workforce agency (SWA) websites. These emails contain links that, if clicked, direct users to spoofed unemployment benefit websites requesting users to enter personally identifiable information (PII) or other sensitive information. This data can be used to apply for unemployment benefits and/or commit identity theft.
by Bridget Small
Division of Consumer & Business Education, FTC
If you used MoneyGram to send money to a scammer between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2017, you may get a prefilled claim form in the mail soon. The claim forms, from claims administrator Gilardi & Co. LLC, are the first step in distributing money from the $125 million settlement with the FTC in 2018. In that case, the FTC and US Department of Justice (DOJ) charged that MoneyGram failed to meet agreements to crack down on consumer fraud involving money transfers.
