July 5th, 20240
By Anna Burns
When you want to know what’s happening in housing, you go to the experts. That’s why the FTC joined renters, renters’ advocates and researchers in Atlanta to hear about issues affecting renters. They told us that the rise of institutional investors and corporate landlords since the financial crisis has...
September 30th, 20220With Michigan teens back in school, parents and teachers should be aware about online safety, as tech-savvy teens are falling for online scams at a higher rate than seniors, according to researchers behind a new study.
SocialCatfish.com released the study on the "State of Internet Scams 2022" using 2022 data from the FBI IC3 and...
October 25th, 20210WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new report published by the federal government's consumer affairs watchdog agency shows a disproportionate impact of certain scams which target communities of color.
The staff report by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) highlight the unique types of consumer problems that these communities face, as well as how...
June 18th, 20210Instead of telling you a ghost story around a summer campfire, we have an all-too familiar tale to share: Myra’s grandson, Jon, is in Mexico for the summer. They video chat every week. One day, Myra gets a call from someone who says he’s Max, a friend of Jon’s: “He was arrested last night and needs $500 for bail.” Max says the...
December 16th, 20200LANSING — In a press conference on Tuesday, state officials provided facts about the COVID-19 vaccine and warned of new scams that have already started.
With the Pfizer vaccine starting to be administered to healthcare workers throughout the state and the Moderna vaccine expected to be coming soon as well, Michigan Department of...
September 27th, 20200With the rise in unemployment and general economic insecurity brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state authorities have been tracking increased instances of consumer scams.
Adding to an already tragic situation, scammers prey on the desperation of those whose means of living are halted by mass economic shut-downs all...
May 20th, 20190
The popularity of video streaming services has taken off in the past few years. It’s become easier to stream video through smart TVs, streaming boxes that connect to your not-so-smart TV,and even streaming sticks. These devices let you stream video through popular apps like Hulu, Netflix, SlingTV, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube TV....
May 20th, 20190Crowdfunding is one way to support a project you believe in and get rewards for that support. But the project you’re backing is only as good as the people behind it. Some dishonest people can take your money but produce nothing – no product, no project and no reward.
Here’s how crowdfunding works: People called "creators"...
April 2nd, 20190Most of us manage basic computer safety on our own. We keep security software and firewalls up to date and ignore pesky pop-up ads about computer health. Many of us would gladly take advantage of a free computer tune-up from a big-name retailer. We wouldn’t suspect the tune-up might be a tech support scam.
But according to a recent...
December 24th, 20180Unless you enjoy the bustle of traditional holiday shopping, you’re probably thankful for being able to get what you need online. Unfortunately, the Federal Trade Commission has gotten reports from consumers who didn’t get their orders as expected — or never got them at all.
Here are tips to have a good online shopping...
August 6th, 20180Shopping for a car can be exciting. But wading through ads and promotions from car dealers, and deciding how to pay, can make it stressful.
If you decide to finance the car, you have two options: Get a loan from a bank, credit union or finance company, or get dealership financing. Either way, the financing application requires an...
