Latest Scams
Payments
Dated alerts about payment requests that should be checked independently, with the safer next step and the published source for each one.
Kansascftc.gov
Told to Pay Someone Through a Crypto ATM? Stop and Check First
Impersonators posing as banks, courts, or government agencies are directing people to pay them through cryptocurrency ATMs. Here is why that instruction itself is the clearest sign of a scam.
Arrives by a phone call directing you to a cash machine
Read this alertParking metersconsumer.ftc.gov
A QR Code on a Parking Meter May Not Be the Real One
Scammers are placing their own QR code stickers over the real ones on parking meters and signs. Scanning the wrong one opens a look-alike payment page instead of the parking agency's own site.
Arrives by a QR code sticker on a parking meter or sign
Read this alertUpdated Car shoppingconsumer.ftc.gov
A Car Dealership Website May Be a Convincing Fake
Scammers are cloning real car dealership websites, complete with logos and vehicle listings, to collect deposits for cars that do not exist. Here is how to check before you pay.
Arrives by a website that looks like a real dealership
Read this alertUpdated Houston and Marylandconsumer.ftc.gov
Text About an Unpaid Toll? It Is Almost Certainly a Scam
A text says you owe a small toll and that a much larger late fee is coming. Here is how to recognize one of these messages and how to check a real toll account instead.
Arrives by a text message
Read this alertUpdated Rochester, NYconsumer.ftc.gov
A Package You Did Not Order? What a Brushing Scam Is
A parcel arrives that no one in the house ordered, sometimes with a QR code inside. Here is what a brushing scam is, which part is actually risky, and the calm next step.
Arrives by a delivery to your door
Read this alertSearch resultsconsumer.ftc.gov
The Top Result for Pay My Bill May Be a Paid Ad
Searching for a company's payment page can put a paid advertisement above the real result. Here is why the first result is not always the company, and how to reach the genuine payment page.
Arrives by a search engine results page
Read this alert
6 alerts in this group. See every recent alert.