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Consumer Alert

Are ads on social media vetted or checked for scams? Here’s what to know

BCP Staff
You’re browsing your social media feed when an ad grabs your attention mid-swipe: that designer bag you’ve been dreaming of is 50% off for a limited time only! You’re dying to get your hands on one, so you don’t think twice about clicking on the ad. Why would you? The ad is right there in your feed and it looks real, so you trust that it’s legit. But it might not be. That’s because social media platforms don’t always thoroughly vet the ads you see or the advertisers behind them.
Consumer Alert

Veterans: Don’t pay to apply for VA benefits

BCP Staff
Scammers know that applying for veterans benefits is at the top of the to-do list when you’re getting ready to leave the military. That’s why they pretend to be with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and offer to help you apply for benefits if you pay them — even though it’s free to apply with the VA. So if you’re applying for veterans benefits, get the help you need while avoiding scams. Here’s how.
Consumer Alert

A way to spot scams: how someone asks you to pay

BCP Staff
Let’s say someone contacts you unexpectedly and says you have to pay to fix a problem, get a prize, or something else. But then they say the only way to pay is by bank transfer, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, payment app, or gift card. Well, reports to the FTC show that’s a scam.
Consumer Alert

Veterans: Here’s help to protect your small business

BCP Staff
As a veteran, you’ve worked hard to protect our country. And if you’re a veteran-run small business, you know how important it is to have protections against scammers and cybercriminals. Your best defense is an informed workforce, so here are some free resources to help you start the conversation with your team.
Consumer Alert

How to spot fake rental listings during a military move

BCP Staff
Whether you’ve been planning a move for months or you’re dealing with last-minute orders, military moves can be both exciting and stressful. The last thing you need is a rental scam to raise that stress level, so here’s how to spot them.
Consumer Alert

Can you spot debt relief scams that target the military?

BCP Staff
Scammers promise to solve your debt problems to trick you into paying them instead of your actual lender. If a caller offers to help you enroll in a special “military debt forgiveness” program, pause. That’s probably a scam. Learn how debt relief scammers might target the military and how to avoid the scam.
Consumer Alert

Talk about scams during Military Consumer Month 2026

BCP Staff
At the FTC, we know talking about scams helps people avoid them. Military Consumer Month is a great time to talk about ways scammers target the military community to steal their money, benefits, and personal information. Here’s how you can encourage the servicemembers and veterans in your life to share their scam stories.
Consumer Alert

Animal lovers: learn to spot and avoid this breed of pet scams

BCP Staff
Scammers have been taking advantage of how much people love animals. They’ll steal and manipulate pet images, videos, and even use AI-generated deepfakes to help them trick you into giving them your money or personal information. Fortunately, there are ways to help you detect and avoid these kinds of scams:
Article

Rental Listing Scams

Scammers use rental listings to get you to pay in advance for a place to live or vacation.
Consumer Alert

How to spot a CAPTCHA scam

BCP Staff
The FTC is getting reports about a new phishing scam that looks a lot like the CAPTCHA requests you might be used to seeing. Real CAPTCHAs give you image- or text-based tasks to prove you’re not a robot — something like typing letters and numbers exactly as they appear, or matching pictures of things like fire hydrants or traffic lights. Here’s how the fake CAPTCHA requests happen…and how you could wind up installing malware on your own device.
Consumer Alert

Fake check scam targets childcare providers

BCP Staff
If you’re a childcare provider, you know parents might sometimes need to arrange for childcare in a pinch. But if you get an urgent message from someone who says they need childcare and will send you a check in advance, that’s likely a scammer trying to trick you into sending them money.
Consumer Alert

A real FTC employee won’t text you their photo ID to “verify” their identity

BCP Staff
Scammers lie and pretend to be an FTC employee to trick you into giving them money, access to your financial accounts, or your personal information. In a new twist, they falsely claim they’re an FTC “agent” that can help you recover money you lost in a scam. Here’s how this new FTC impersonator scam works.
Consumer Alert

Medicare fraud affects everyone, so here’s what to know and do

BCP Staff
Medicare losses due to fraud, errors, and abuse cost taxpayers about $60 billion every year. Providers might double bill Medicare for a single treatment, charge for things like a back brace you didn’t get (or need); a company might offer you a fake Medicare drug plan; or a scammer might ask you to confirm your Medicare number ­— which they then use to commit hospice fraud.
Consumer Alert

How are scammers trying to reach you?

BCP Staff
Scams often start with a text, call, or an ad or message on social media. So, if you have a phone or you’re on social media, chances are you’ve heard from a scammer recently.
Consumer Alert

Run a small business? Pay your bills, not scammers

BCP Staff
If you run a small business, you know how important it is to pay your bills. Scammers know this too and send fake invoices to businesses for products or services they never ordered in the hopes they’ll pay up.
Consumer Alert

What to know after the Canvas cyberattack

BCP Staff
You might have heard from the news or your school that online learning platform Canvas’ parent company Instructure was hacked, potentially putting students’ personal information at risk.
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