Category: Scams & Your Rights
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Circle K customers hit by a data breach can claim up to $2,000, but only through September 3
If you shopped at a Circle K run by Gas Express and later got a notice that your personal information was exposed in a data breach, there is money on the table, but not for long. A class action settlement lets affected customers claim a flat cash payment or reimbursement of up to $2,000 for…
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In the “phantom hacker” scam, fake tech, bank and government agents talk seniors into moving savings to a fake safe account
It usually starts with a pop-up warning or an unexpected phone call about your computer. By the end, a stranger has convinced a retiree to move their life savings into an account they promise is safe. This is the “phantom hacker” scam, and the FBI says it has drained more than $1 billion from Americans…
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About 1.5 million OCOOPA hand warmers were recalled after 15 fires and one death, and buyers get a full refund
If you keep a rechargeable hand warmer in a coat pocket or a nightstand drawer, check the model number today. About 1.5 million OCOOPA hand warmers have been recalled after reports of fires, hundreds of burns, and one death. Owners can get a full refund, but the first step is to stop using the device…
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Those $2,000 tariff “dividend” checks are still only a proposal, and any text saying yours is ready is a scam
If a text message just told you that your $2,000 tariff “dividend” check is approved and ready to claim, stop before you tap anything. As of August 2026, those checks are still only an idea that President Trump has floated, not a payment any agency is sending out. The messages telling you otherwise are exactly…
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Fake job and ‘task’ offers cost Americans $150 million in a single quarter, and no real employer makes you pay to get paid
With layoffs in the news and plenty of people hunting for work, a particularly cruel kind of fraud is booming: scams that dangle a job and then drain the applicant’s bank account. Federal regulators say these schemes cost Americans about $150 million in just three months, and the fastest-growing version disguises itself as easy online…
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About 178,000 heated blankets sold on Amazon were recalled after 27 fires, and buyers can get a full refund
A heated blanket is supposed to be one of the coziest things in the house, which is exactly what makes this recall unsettling. Federal safety regulators have recalled about 178,000 heated throws and blankets after hundreds of reports that they melted, sparked, or caught fire, including 27 actual fires. If you bought one, the manufacturer…
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Scammers posing as U.S. Marshals talked an elderly woman out of $137,000 in gold bars, and no real agency ever asks for gold
The story reads like a warning label for a whole category of fraud. Federal prosecutors say an elderly woman was talked into handing over nine gold bars worth more than $137,000 to strangers who claimed to be protecting her, and was nearly pressured into draining $429,000 more from her retirement account before agents stepped in.…
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Comcast is paying $50 or more to Xfinity customers hit by a 2023 data breach, with claims open until September 14
If Comcast is your internet or cable provider, there is a good chance you are owed money right now, and the deadline to claim it is close. A $117.5 million class-action settlement over a 2023 data breach is paying eligible Xfinity customers a flat $50, or more if they can document losses, and the window…
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Tip-over dressers sold on Amazon and Wayfair were recalled this month, with full refunds offered
A dresser looks like the last thing in a home that could hurt someone, which is exactly why tip-over accidents keep happening. Federal regulators this month pulled several inexpensive dresser lines sold through Amazon and Wayfair off the market because they can topple over, and the remedy for owners is a full refund. If one…
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Fake unpaid-toll texts helped push government-impersonation scams up 40%, and forwarding them to 7726 flags the sender
If a text has ever told you that you owe a few dollars for an unpaid toll, with a link to settle it right now, you have met one of the fastest-growing scams in the country. These messages are not from any toll agency, and they have helped drive a sharp jump in scams that…
