Sometimes the FTC is able to return money to people who were ripped off in a con artist’s scheme. But scammers try to cause confusion and take advantage at every step.
If you lost money in a scam, you might get a call or email from someone claiming that they can help you recover your funds – if you pay them, hand over personal information, or allow them remote access to your computer. Don’t do it! Recent complaints to the FTC show that scammers are:
- targeting people who lost money to tech support scams
- claiming to be from the FTC’s Refund Department or Refund Division
- using the name of real FTC employees.
So how can you tell whether an FTC refund is real?
- If the FTC contacts you about a refund, you’ll find information about the case at ftc.gov/refunds.You can be sure the phone numbers and links on this page are legit.
- The FTC never requires you to pay fees or asks you for sensitive information, like your Social Security number or bank account information. The FTC also never asks for remote access to your computer. If someone claims to be from the FTC and does, it’s a scam.
If you get a call from someone who says they’re from the FTC but asks you for money or sensitive information, please tell the real FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.
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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.
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In reply to HI, Scammer took control of by edward329
In reply to Will the FTC ever compensat by Lot of patience
In reply to I just got a small ck from by Demo
If you have questions, please call Rust Consulting, Inc. at 1-866-898-5106. They are managing LifeLock refunds for the FTC.
In reply to I received a check from FTC by Kmacprint
Was there a letter with the check that explained the refund? The letter should say you can call the refund administrator at 1-877-270-9672 if you have questions.
Read more about the refunds: The FTC sent more than $5.4 million to nearly 40,000 people who paid EZ Doc Preps and related defendants for help dealing with student loan debts but received nothing.