Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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A credit freeze is free to place or lift at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and while it is on no one can open new credit in that person’s name
Placing a credit freeze costs nothing, and so does lifting one. The Federal Trade Commission says on its consumer advice page that “there’s no cost to place or lift a credit freeze” at the three nationwide credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. While the freeze is on, nobody can open a new credit account in…
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Indiana deposits food stamp benefits once a month by last name, from the 5th for A and B to the 23rd for W through Z
Every Indiana household on food stamps gets its money on a fixed day, and the day depends on the first letter of the last name. The state’s Division of Family Resources deposits SNAP benefits once a month, starting on the 5th for last names that begin with A or B and finishing on the 23rd…
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The FTC says it is not contacting anyone about Amazon Prime refunds, which arrive only by check, PayPal or Venmo
A phone call, text or email from someone claiming to be with the Federal Trade Commission about an Amazon Prime refund is almost certainly a scam. The FTC itself says it is not contacting people about refunds in the Amazon matter. The real payments arrive in one of three ways, a mailed check, PayPal or…
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Cencora’s breach settlement administrator says it does not contact claimants by text message
A text message that says it is from the Cencora data-breach settlement is not coming from the people running it. The settlement’s official website states plainly: “The Settlement Administrator does not communicate via text message.” The statement sits on a page updated October 16, just as the long-delayed payments are expected to begin. Timing is…
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Social Security student benefits require a school schedule of at least 20 hours a week
Twenty hours a week is the line. A student drawing Social Security benefits has to be scheduled to attend school at least that much, in a course that runs at least 13 weeks, or the agency does not count the student as full-time. Social Security spelled out the test in an October 15 blog post…
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SSI recipients who leave the country for 30 days in a row must report it
A winter trip to see family overseas is easy to plan and easy to forget to mention to Social Security. For people on Supplemental Security Income, a stay outside the United States of 30 consecutive days or more is a change the agency says must be reported. The rule is in Social Security’s October 7…
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Social Security replaces a lost or stolen Social Security card for free
Nobody has to pay to replace a lost or stolen Social Security card. The Social Security Administration says a replacement card is free, and that it never charges for the card services it provides. The agency’s replacement card page, last updated October 14, 2026, says “You can request a free replacement card.” A Social Security…
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Food stamp rules in Texas set a $464 standard utility allowance from October 1
Texas food stamp caseworkers started the month with a new set of numbers. A revision to the Texas Works Handbook, effective October 1, 2026, sets the SNAP standard utility allowance at $464, along with a refreshed list of the other deductions that go into a household’s benefit. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission publishes…
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Older, disabled and homeless food stamp recipients can buy restaurant meals in nine states, with Illinois limited to Cook and Franklin counties
A SNAP card works at a restaurant in only nine states, and only for certain people. The Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Administration lists Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island and Virginia as running a Restaurant Meals Program. In Illinois the program covers Cook and Franklin counties only. Everywhere else, the…
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The FTC warns paid search ads can steer Medicare shoppers to fake plans
Anyone shopping for a Medicare plan this fall may find the wrong website sitting at the top of the search results. The Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers and dishonest businesses pay for top placement, and that a click on one of those ads can lead to a plan that is “not health insurance” or…