Category: Fraud & Consumer Protection
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Romance Scams: The Money Request That Ends the Story
Romance scams follow one script, and it always ends with a money request. What FTC data shows, the warning signs, and what to do if you already paid.
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Data Brokers Sell Your Profile: Where to Opt Out
Data brokers compile and sell profiles on nearly every American. The opt-outs that actually work, from prescreened offers to California’s new DROP tool.
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Buying a Used Car? Run the Recall Check First
NHTSA’s free VIN lookup shows in about a minute whether a used car has an unrepaired safety recall. How to run it, read it, and get the free fix.
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Tech Support Pop-Ups: The Script Scammers Follow
That frozen screen with a security alert and a phone number follows a script. The stages of the tech support scam, and the one rule that defeats it.
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Credit Report Errors: The Dispute Process That Works
Federal law puts a 30-day clock on credit report disputes and makes the process free. The steps that get errors fixed, and what to do if they will not budge.
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One Stop for Every Recall: How to Set Up Alerts
Six federal agencies announce recalls on one shared site, recalls.gov. Here is how to check it and set up free email alerts so recalls find you first.
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After a Data Breach: The First Five Moves to Make
Got a breach notice? The order of operations matters. Five moves, from freezing your credit to an IRS IP PIN, that close the doors thieves walk through.
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Grandparent Scams: The Emergency Call That Is Not Real
The panicked call from a grandchild in trouble follows a script. Here is how the family emergency scam works, the tells, and what to do instead of paying.