Consumer Alert
Visit ftc.gov/languages for fraud and scam advice in 12 languages
By
Cristina Miranda
Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
February 3, 2023
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Fraud affects every community, and it’s not unusual for scammers to run their scam in the language you speak at home. Now, the FTC has information in a dozen languages to help you spot and avoid those scams: ftc.gov/languages. You’ll find info in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, Hmong, Korean, Russian, Somali, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Ukrainian. So, what will you find there?
At ftc.gov/languages, you’ll get all the basics on:
- How to spot and avoid a scam. What are the signs to watch for? What do you do if you spot those signs?
- What to do if you paid a scammer. Or if you think you did. There can be ways to recover your money — sometimes — if you act quickly. Here, you’ll learn what to do.
- What to know if you’re newly arrived in the U.S. Unfortunately, scammers can target people new to U.S. systems and culture, so learn to spot some of the scams related to looking for a job, going through the immigration process, or just figuring out how things work.
You’ll also find graphics in each language to share on social media (please tag @FTC or @laFTC) to help others in your community know how to spot, avoid, and report fraud.
Use the free materials at ftc.gov/languages to spread the word and start conversations with your friends, family, and your community. And use ftc.gov/languages to help encourage the people you know to report the fraud and scams they see at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. And don’t forget to keep up with the latest from the FTC: Sign up to get Consumer Alerts.
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Consumer Alert
Visit ftc.gov/languages for fraud and scam advice in 12 languages
By
Cristina Miranda
Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
February 3, 2023
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Fraud affects every community, and it’s not unusual for scammers to run their scam in the language you speak at home. Now, the FTC has information in a dozen languages to help you spot and avoid those scams: ftc.gov/languages. You’ll find info in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, Hmong, Korean, Russian, Somali, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Ukrainian. So, what will you find there?
At ftc.gov/languages, you’ll get all the basics on:
- How to spot and avoid a scam. What are the signs to watch for? What do you do if you spot those signs?
- What to do if you paid a scammer. Or if you think you did. There can be ways to recover your money — sometimes — if you act quickly. Here, you’ll learn what to do.
- What to know if you’re newly arrived in the U.S. Unfortunately, scammers can target people new to U.S. systems and culture, so learn to spot some of the scams related to looking for a job, going through the immigration process, or just figuring out how things work.
You’ll also find graphics in each language to share on social media (please tag @FTC or @laFTC) to help others in your community know how to spot, avoid, and report fraud.
Use the free materials at ftc.gov/languages to spread the word and start conversations with your friends, family, and your community. And use ftc.gov/languages to help encourage the people you know to report the fraud and scams they see at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. And don’t forget to keep up with the latest from the FTC: Sign up to get Consumer Alerts.
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We’re nearing the end of Identity Theft Awareness Week, but there’s still lots on tap and a chance to catch conversations you may have missed. Please join us to learn how to help protect yourself, your family, and your small business from identity theft, and what to do if identity theft happens.
Concerned about tax-related identity theft? Today we’re talking with the IRS in a live webinar where you’ll have a chance to ask questions. We also have video presentations with Consumer Action in English and Spanish, focused on tax-related identity theft, IRS impersonators, and scams that target your personal information and your money.
Young adults — identity theft and scams can affect you too. Join the FTC and the Identity Theft Resource Center for five short podcasts talking with college students about identity theft basics and job, financial aid, impersonator, and social media takeover scams. The last two podcasts drop today and tomorrow, and all five podcasts will be available on demand.
Others we’ve spoken with this week include AARP, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Maryland Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, and the Small Business Administration. Find a full listing of events in English and Spanish at Identity Theft Awareness Week. Did you miss a webinar or podcast? Events available on demand are listed too.
We thank all of our partners for joining us to discuss the warning signs of identity theft, easy steps to help stop identity thieves, and identity theft recovery. And, we thank you for joining the conversation.
Remember, if you experience identity theft, visit IdentityTheft.gov to report it and get a personal recovery plan. And, if you spot a scam, tell us about it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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Consumer Alert
This Black History Month, take charge of your credit
By
Terri Miller
Consumer Education Specialist
February 1, 2023
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The FTC honors the contributions and legacy of Black Americans across U.S. history. One of the top consumer issues we’ve heard from people living in majority Black communities is related to credit bureaus. Your credit history tells businesses and potential employers a story about how you use money. What is your credit history saying about you — and is it accurate?
Businesses might run your credit report to decide if they want to lend you money, give you a credit card, or rent you an apartment. You could pay more for things like a loan or even utility services if the report shows that you pay your bills late or take on more debt than you can afford to pay back. Sometimes that information is accurate — but sometimes it’s not. Take charge using these steps to manage and protect your credit:
- Monitor your credit regularly. Through December 2023, get a free copy of your credit report from the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — every week if you want. But even if you just do it yearly, look closely for problems or mistakes, like someone else’s information, payment history or account information that’s wrong, or accounts that you didn’t open yourself.
- Dispute errors right away. If you find mistakes, dispute them with each credit bureau that has the mistake and the company that reported the incorrect information. Both parties have to investigate your claim and correct the information if they find that it’s inaccurate. If you find accounts you didn’t open, it could be identity theft. Go to IdentityTheft.gov to get a free personal recovery plan that walks you through each step, including getting fraudulent information removed (or “blocked”) from your credit report.
- Place a credit freeze. One way to help protect against identity theft or misuse after a data breach is to freeze your credit report. That limits access to your credit and makes it hard for someone to open new accounts in your name. And you can do this (for free) even if your identity hasn’t been stolen.
Share this information with someone in your family, faith community, or social organization and check out ftc.gov/creditmatters to learn more about understanding your credit.
Topics
Scams
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 If you work with older adults, or if you are (or know someone) 65+, join this free, 30-minute webinar to learn how you can share a lifetime of experience and protect others from scams. The FTC will discuss its updated Pass It On materials, which give older adults a way to share what they know about everything from business impersonators to romance scams and identity theft. We’ll share the updated website, discuss how you can get free materials for your group presentations, share ready-made presentations for each topic, and talk and hear about ideas for getting the word out in your community. This webinar is open to everyone, with a focus on libraries and community-based organizations. To join the webinar TOMORROW at 11:00 am EST: URL: https://ftc.zoomgov.com/j/1610006275?pwd=ekJyQUdYcmI4Z2xqMS9QUUE1VXgwZz09 Webinar ID: 161 000 6275 Passcode: 0rY$JZ By phone: (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): +1 646 828 7666 US (New York); +1 669 216 1590 US (San Jose); +1 551 285 1373 US; 833 568 8864 US Toll-free Can’t make tomorrow’s webinar? We’ll be offering other sessions throughout February and early March (see list below.) Webinars in English February 2, 11 am EST February 8, 3 pm EST — Focus on aging service and community-based organizations February 15, 3 pm EST — Focus on law enforcement February 22, 3 pm EST March 1, 3 pm EST Webinars in Spanish February 15, 1 pm EST February 23, 2 pm EST March 1, 2 pm EST Thank You, FTC’s Division of Consumer and Business Education |
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Consumer Alert
GoodRx’s not-so-good privacy practices come to light
By
Alvaro Puig
Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
February 1, 2023
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Nowadays, there are health-related apps and websites everywhere that let you track things like your physical activity, health conditions, caloric intake, prescriptions, and even ovulation. They ask you for details about yourself and your health, but what if they use and share your information in ways they’re not supposed to?
The FTC says GoodRx, a digital health platform that offers virtual doctor visits and lets users get coupons for prescription drugs, broke its promises to users about how it would use and share their personal health information.
The FTC claims GoodRx shared information about users’ health conditions and prescription drugs with digital advertisers like Facebook and Google without users’ permission — and contrary to what it told users in its privacy policy. GoodRx then used that sensitive health information to target its users with health ads on users’ social media feeds. To generate those ads, GoodRx shared with Facebook and others information about its users’ prescription medications and sensitive health concerns — things like erectile dysfunction or treatments for sexually transmitted diseases. Worst of all, it failed to tell its users.
To settle this matter, GoodRx will pay a $1.5 million penalty. The company is prohibited from sharing health data with relevant third parties (like Facebook) that would use it for advertising, and must get users’ permission to share health data with relevant third parties for anything else.
Health apps can have a great benefit to users. But convenience may come at a cost. As this and other FTC cases show, there can be risks if companies don’t keep their promises. Companies might create profiles about you and share your sensitive information with other companies. And once your information is no longer private, it’s hard (maybe impossible) to keep it out of the wrong hands.
Here are some ways to protect your privacy online and when you use an app:
- Opt out of targeted ads, if possible. A company’s privacy notice or policy can be hard to read, but it should spell out what the company will or won’t do with your information: Will it share your information with other companies? For targeted advertising? Can you control whether ads will be targeted to you based on your app usage and browsing activity? The Digital Advertising Alliance and the Network Advertising Initiative
also have free opt-out tools. If you choose to opt out, do so on each device and browser you use. Check if you can customize your privacy settings. Can you adjust the app’s permissions so it doesn’t have access to information it doesn’t need? Does the app track your device’s location? If the app doesn’t need the info, especially your location, turn it off. If the app does need it, consider limiting access to only when the app is in use. Find out if you have the right to tell the company to delete your data. Some state laws give you that right. See the U.S. State Privacy Legislation Tracker
- from the International Association of Privacy Professionals to learn more.
For more advice, check out our guide to protecting your privacy online.
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For Release
FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection Issues Criminal Liaison Unit Report Detailing Efforts to Ensure Wrongdoers Face Accountability
January 30, 2023
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The Criminal Liaison Unit of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP CLU) has issued its 2022 Criminal Liaison Unit Report, describing the history of the BCP CLU, its program operations, and major accomplishments over the past five years. In an effort to ensure criminal prosecution of appropriate consumer fraud cases, the BCP CLU refers cases to partner agencies with criminal jurisdiction, including U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the county, Divisions of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and others.
“For the worst individual and corporate wrongdoers, civil remedies may not be sufficient to protect the public from further harm,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Government works best when agencies work together toward a common goal, and we are proud that our partnership with criminal enforcers leads to justice for bad actors and a safer marketplace for us all.”
The FTC, which is not authorized to bring criminal law enforcement actions, established the BCP CLU in 2002 to bring the “worst of the worst” offenders to the attention of prosecutors. As it grew, the BCP CLU worked to establish relationships with prosecutors and educate them about the Commission’s consumer fraud and deception cases. Success in initial cases proved that criminal consumer protection cases were not only viable, but could result in substantial prison sentences.
Over the past five years, the report notes, BCP CLU referrals have led to criminal charges against 107 new defendants, 145 total convictions, and 181 defendants sentenced for consumer fraud. The total sentence time for all defendants was 746 years, with the average sentence being 51 months (approximately 4.3 years) of incarceration.
The BCP CLU Report: 2018-2022
As the BCP CLU has grown over the past 20 years, the program has worked to address prosecutors’ concerns by communicating regularly to understand their priorities and to strategically refer cases most likely to be attractive to them, according to the report. The result has been an established reputation for presenting prosecutors with solid cases that will make the most of their limited time.
The BCP CLU also has established annual awards, which recognize the FTC’s best partners for their criminal prosecution efforts on behalf of U.S. consumers. In 2021, because of the importance of this work as well as BCP CLU’s success to date, the Commission issued a Statement Regarding Criminal Referral and Partnership Process, where the agency recommitted itself to a robust program of criminal referrals across both its competition and consumer protection missions.
The 2022 BCP CLU Report includes information on:
- Significant early BCP CLU cases and their results;
- An overview of BCP CLU program operations;
- A description of BCP CLU cooperative efforts with other law enforcers;
- A list of BCP CLU Award recipients;
- A summary of BCP CLU accomplishments between 2018 and 2022; and
- A look forward to the future of the program, including current priorities.
More information about the BCP CLU can be found here on the FTC’s website.
Sarah Waldrop, the BCP CLU Chief, was the lead staffer on this report.
The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. Learn more about consumer topics at consumer.ftc.gov, or report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.
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