The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
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.
by Lois C. Greisman
Ridgewood NJ, if you, or someone you care about, lives in an assisted living facility or nursing home, read on. Because the bill funding the second round of Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) has now been signed into law. The money — right now, $600 per person who qualifies — is being sent out over the next few weeks. And, like last time, the money is meant for the PERSON, not the place they might live.
Continue reading FTC: Stimulus payments for people, not nursing homes
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Washington DC, The Federal Trade Commission today sued Facebook, alleging that the company is illegally maintaining its personal social networking monopoly through a years-long course of anticompetitive conduct. Following a lengthy investigation in cooperation with a coalition of attorneys general of 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam, the complaint alleges that Facebook has engaged in a systematic strategy—including its 2012 acquisition of up-and-coming rival Instagram, its 2014 acquisition of the mobile messaging app WhatsApp, and the imposition of anticompetitive conditions on software developers—to eliminate threats to its monopoly. This course of conduct harms competition, leaves consumers with few choices for personal social networking, and deprives advertisers of the benefits of competition.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, The Federal Trade Commission has filed an administrative complaint (a public version of which will be available and linked to this news release as soon as possible), and authorized a suit in federal court, to block Hackensack Meridian Health, Inc.’s proposed acquisition of Englewood Healthcare Foundation.
by Alvaro Puig Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
Ridgewood NJ, Scammers are calling people and using the names of two companies everyone knows, Apple and Amazon, to rip people off. Here’s what you need to know about these calls.
Continue reading Beware of Fake Calls from Apple and Amazon Support
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TRENTON NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced today that a lawsuit filed by New Jersey, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Attorneys General of New York, Minnesota, and Virginia has permanently shut down a sprawling, New Jersey-based charitable fundraising operation that scammed donors out of millions of dollars.
A complaint and individual settlement agreements filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York center on deceptive fundraising activities by multiple companies controlled by Mark Gelvan, a Florida resident who once lived in Montville, New Jersey.
Continue reading MyLife accused of posting misleading background reports
by Jabari Cook
Scammers love to use the same old tricks in new ways. One of their favorites is to pose as a business or government official to pressure you into sending them money or personal information. Now, some scammers are pretending to be popular online shopping websites, phishing for your personal information.
Ridgewood NJ, To help limit the spread of the Coronavirus, many states are requiring people to wear face coverings in places open to the public. But there are cards circulating online and on social media that say the holder has a disability that prevents them from wearing a mask, and that it’s illegal for any business to ask them to disclose their condition. Variations of the card include the seal of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), one of the federal agencies responsible for enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Continue reading No Such Thing as a COVID Mask Exemption Card
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, in recent days the Ridgewood blog has been the target of “new” phishing scam . Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. This new one claims the Ridgewood blog is claiming we are using copyrighted images .
Continue reading New Phishing Scam Targets the Ridgewood blog
You’ve probably been hearing a lot about contact tracing. It’s the process of identifying people who have come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, instructing them to quarantine and monitoring their symptoms daily.
Continue reading COVID-19 contact tracing text message scams
Franklin Lakes NJ, from the Franklin Lakes Police Department ,recently the Police Department has received two reports of fraud where the perpetrator telephoned a resident and reported an emergency involving a family member. Both become victims that were scammed out of several thousand dollars.
Continue reading Grandparent scams in the age of Coronavirus
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
During Coronavirus we must take silver linings where we can. A new study shows during the pandemic, spam phone calls – a non-medical epidemic – have declined 55% nationally with some states seeing as high as a 76% decrease.
Continue reading Study Shows Spam Call Epidemic in Decline During Coronavirus Pandemic
