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May 30, 2023
Medicaid: Spotting the scams
During the pandemic, states had to keep people enrolled in Medicaid so they didn’t lose their insurance. Now that the health emergency declaration is over, that requirement has been phased out — which means people eligible for Medicaid have to re-enroll in their state’s program or find new insurance if they’re not eligible. So, where do the scams come in?
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May 22, 2023
Scammers are hijacking job ads. Here’s how to spot the fakes
Scammers are taking outdated ads from real employers, changing them, and posting them on employment websites and career-oriented platforms like Indeed or LinkedIn. The modified ads seem to be real job offers with legitimate companies. They’re not. In fact, their goal is to trick you into sharing personal information. So how do you know if you’re dealing with a scammer?
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May 18, 2023
Avoiding scams that target immigrants
When there are big changes that lead to confusion, scammers prosper. Pretty much always. So, as Title 42, the pandemic-era law related to immigration, expired last week, the resulting “what happens next” will almost certainly lead to notarios hoping to ride that question all the way to the bank. So how do you stop them?
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May 10, 2023
Those urgent emails from MetaMask and PayPal are phishing scams
If you got an email that seems to be from MetaMask or PayPal, stop. They’re phishing scams. The MetaMask fake says your cryptocurrency wallet is blocked. And, if you don’t act fast, click a link, and update your wallet, they say your crypto will be lost. The phony PayPal message says BNC Billing cancelled your payment to Binance — and it gives you a phone number to reach PayPal…except that’s a scam, too. If you get one of the messages, delete it. But what then?
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April 26, 2023
Submit a Comment on the Joint FTC-CFPB Tenant Screening Request for Information
On February 28, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a request for information seeking public comment on background screening issues affecting individuals who seek rental housing in the United States, including how the use of criminal and eviction records and algorithms affect tenant screening decisions and may be driving discriminatory outcomes.
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April 21, 2023
Are you really the lucky winner? Spot the prize scams
Say you hear or read the words: “You’ve won!” What will you do with your winnings? Who wouldn’t be excited to win a prize, sweepstakes, or lottery? But…did you actually win? And how do you know?
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April 14, 2023
Ads for fake AI and other software spread malicious software
There’s a lot of hype around artificial intelligence (AI) these days. And cybercriminals are taking advantage of people’s interest in AI to spread harmful malware through online ads.
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March 23, 2023
Auto Insurance Fraud - It's a Crime!
Automobile insurance fraud in California has historically taken several forms. The most common fraud schemes involve automobile property and automobile collisions.
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March 14, 2023
No, that’s not the IRS texting about a tax refund or rebate. It’s a scam.
IRS impersonators have been around for a while. But as more people get to know their tricks, they’re switching it up. So instead of contacting you about a tax debt and making threats to get you to pay up, scammers may send you a text about a “tax rebate” or some other tax refund or benefit. Here’s what to know about the new twist.
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February 24, 2023
Top Scams of 2022
The 2022 headline is this: scammers stole a LOT of money. The latest FTC data book says people reported losing $8.8 billion to scams. That’s $2.6 billion more than 2021. Except the number of reports are down by half a million (2022: 2.4 million reports. 2021: 2.9 million reports).