Every refund the Federal Trade Commission sends to consumers comes with one fixed rule: the person receiving the money pays nothing to get it. The agency says it will never tell anyone to transfer money in order to “get a refund,” and it never asks for upfront fees. That rule matters because FTC refunds are…

A federal court in Arizona has permanently shut down Accelerated Debt Settlement, a debt-relief operation that the Federal Trade Commission says went after seniors and veterans by posing as banks, credit card companies and government agencies. The FTC announced the result on October 22. The U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona entered a…

Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General says people 70 and older lose more money per scam than victims under 70. The finding comes from Issue 20 of the office’s quarterly scam report, which covers April 1 through June 30, 2026, the third quarter of the federal fiscal year. The measure is the average loss…

The Federal Trade Commission warned on Monday, October 26, that scammers are posing as well-known charities and telling people they won a sweepstakes. The catch comes next. Before any prize is released, the caller or the ad asks for a payment or a Social Security number. The warning came as a consumer alert from the…

Patrick Vereb Sr., the 72-year-old owner of Eternity Pet Memorial in western Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty to felony theft charges for taking more than $650,000 from pet owners who paid for cremations and burials. Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced the plea on October 22, 2026. The owner admitted the charges, which include first-degree theft…

A 63-year-old Jacksonville woman, Gail Starks, has been indicted on federal charges of stealing Veterans Affairs survivor benefits, with prosecutors saying the payments ran for 35 years. The Justice Department announced the charges on October 23, 2026. An indictment is an accusation, and Starks is presumed innocent unless and until she is proven guilty. The…

Four promoters of an alleged cryptocurrency pyramid scheme have agreed to pay about $5.98 million to settle with New York, and the state is now asking a court for far more from the couple behind it. The Attorney General’s office says it filed a request seeking $1.3 billion from NovaTech’s founders, Cynthia and Eddy Petion.…

The Federal Trade Commission is warning about phone calls from people who pose as FTC officials and threaten to deactivate the listener’s phone number. The agency’s consumer alert, posted October 22, 2026 by Bureau of Consumer Protection staff, says the calls end in a demand for a “security deposit.” The FTC says none of it…

The Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General says the 2027 cost-of-living raise is automatic, and no one has to pay to receive it. In an alert dated October 21, 2026, the watchdog warned that scammers are using the increase to pitch fees to “activate” it or to raise a payment. The raise applies…

Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles announced charges on October 22, 2026 against 15 defendants, including six medical professionals, in schemes the Justice Department says produced over $1.8 billion in fraudulent claims to government and private health care programs. Eight of the defendants were arrested. Among the cases are three hospice schemes totaling over $138 million…