Main Street Dollars

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One of the strongest defenses against identity theft is also completely free, and most people never turn it on. A credit freeze locks down your credit reports at the three nationwide bureaus so that no new lender can pull them — which means a thief who has your name, birth date, and Social Security number…

Zelle and Venmo scam losses usually aren’t refunded like credit-card fraud — here’s how to fight a wrongful transfer

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in Fraud & Scams

Peer-to-peer payment apps like Zelle and Venmo move money the way handing over cash does: fast and, in most cases, final. That is why people who are tricked into sending money to a scammer are often shocked to learn their bank will not simply reverse it the way it would a fraudulent credit-card charge. The…

Toyota is recalling more than 500,000 Camry Hybrids over a display fault, with free repairs

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in Recalls

Toyota has issued one of its largest U.S. recalls of the year, covering more than half a million of its newest hybrid Camry sedans over a defect that can leave the dashboard blank when the car starts. For the households who own these cars — many of them retirees and long-haul commuters who picked the…

A women’s health app will pay $59.5 million over privacy, with a no-proof claim due October 15

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in Settlements & Claims

If you used the Flo period- and pregnancy-tracking app several years ago, you may be owed a cash payment, and claiming it takes only a few minutes with no receipts or documentation required. Flo Health, Google, and an analytics company called Flurry have agreed to pay a combined $59.5 million to settle claims that the…

About $100 billion of struck-down tariffs is flowing back to businesses, not the shoppers who paid

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in Consumer Rights

When the Supreme Court struck down a large block of import tariffs earlier this year, it set up one of the biggest tax refunds in recent memory. The government has already returned roughly $100 billion in duties it was not allowed to keep. But there is a catch for ordinary households: the money is going…

The FTC is mailing over a million refund checks to consumers harmed by companies

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in Settlements & Claims

Real refund checks from the federal government are landing in mailboxes this year, and they arrive without anyone having to ask, pay, or hand over personal information. The Federal Trade Commission returns money to consumers harmed by companies it takes to court, and in 2026 it has sent multiple rounds of payments, including more than…

A debt collector must give you written proof of a debt if you ask within 30 days

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in Consumer Rights

When a debt collector calls, the person on the other end holds a quiet piece of leverage that few people use. Federal law gives anyone contacted about a debt the right to demand written proof that the debt is real, that the amount is correct, and that this particular collector has the right to pursue…

Comcast is paying up to $50 to customers hit by a data breach, with claims due September 14

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in Settlements & Claims

Millions of current and former Xfinity customers have a narrow window to claim a payment tied to a 2023 data breach, and the clock runs out in mid-September. A $117.5 million class-action settlement resolves claims over an intrusion that exposed personal information for an estimated 35.8 million Comcast customers. Eligible people can file for a…

The FTC warns of a second wave of recovery scams that target people who already lost money

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in Fraud & Scams

Losing money to a scam is bad enough. Federal consumer regulators are now warning that for many victims, the con does not end there. In an August 3, 2026 consumer alert, the Federal Trade Commission described a follow-up hustle it calls “the worst of the absolute worst”: recovery scams that deliberately target people who have…

Mercedes-Benz recalls 310,667 vehicles for a door-lock fault, with repairs free to owners

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