Military Consumer Blog
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Explore practical tips with the military community about avoiding scams and managing money. Military Consumer is a joint initiative to empower active duty and retired servicemembers, military families, veterans and civilians in the military community. Use these free resources as the first line of defense against fraud and make better-informed decisions when managing your money.
Military Consumer Blog
3d ago
Being online is part of kids’ lives. When they’re online, kids watch and create content, post photos, videos, play games, and share what they’re doing with friends and family. But when they post, play, and connect, they can encounter people and situations that aren’t always what they seem. What can you do to help protect them ..read more
Military Consumer Blog
3d ago
Are you having a hard time paying your mortgage? Even if you’ve missed payments or you’re already facing foreclosure, you still might have options. You really do, but that’s the same thing scammers will tell you. Fortunately, there are ways to spot mortgage relief scams while you focus on saving your home ..read more
Military Consumer Blog
3w ago
Maybe you — or even your pet — are an influencer. But did you know that scammers might target you with phony job opportunities? You might get a message on social media, supposedly from a recruiter or “brand ambassador manager” of a national company. They say they’ll send you free products and pay you big bucks to promote and tag their stuff on social media. All you need to do, they say, is give them your banking information so they can pay you ..read more
Military Consumer Blog
3w ago
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that every year we report on the top scams people tell us about. And that we take a deeper dive into the data through our Data Spotlight reports . A new Data Spotlight about business and government imposters shines a light on the top imposter scams. Last year, people reported almost half a million business and government imposter scams directly to the FTC. These reports reveal three trends ..read more
Military Consumer Blog
3w ago
Getting hired might feel like the ultimate high. But finding out it was just a scammer trying to steal your money will bring you — and your bank balance — right back down. Many college students look for virtual jobs they can do while going to school, but if a new employer mails your first paycheck before you even start working, that’s your cue to stop — it’s a scam ..read more
Military Consumer Blog
3w ago
Sharing a scam experience with someone you know takes courage. If someone trusts you enough to share their scam story, especially if the scammer is still in touch with them, here’s some advice to help guide you ..read more
Military Consumer Blog
1M ago
If you’re looking for a new place to live — or about to renew your lease — a landlord may run a tenant background check to decide whether to rent to you or not. The tenant background check process can be confusing, and renters often don’t know how the process works or what to do if something goes wrong. The FTC, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), and Department of Justice have put out a new ..read more
Military Consumer Blog
1M ago
We expect banks and brokers to keep our money safe. We think they’ll stop or warn us about suspicious transfers out of our accounts. But do they? Scammers are exploiting that trust and getting people to transfer their money and drain their retirement accounts to “protect” or “safeguard” or “legalize” it. The truth? The money gets stolen, and banks and brokers won’t get it back from the scammer ..read more
Military Consumer Blog
1M ago
Scammers say and do things that can tell us they’re lying — and they’re not who they pretend to be. Of course, to hear or see those clues, we have to get past the panic scammers make us feel, thanks to the so-called emergencies they try to create. And since scammers are convincing, that can be hard to do. But recent scams are costing people their life savings, so here are some sure ways to spot the scammer ..read more
Military Consumer Blog
1M ago
One way to spot a scam is to understand its mechanics. A new and complicated scam starts with a call or text message about a suspicious charge on your Amazon account. But it’s not really Amazon. It’s a scammer with an elaborate story about fraud using your identity that ends with you draining your bank or retirement accounts ..read more