Category: Scams & Your Rights
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Californians whose Vanilla gift cards were drained by tampering scammers can claim their losses from a $1.525 million fund by February 19
California residents who lost money from a Vanilla Gift Card after criminals tampered with the packaging can now ask for it back from a $1,525,000 Restitution Fund. Claims must be filed online or postmarked by February 19, 2027, according to a notice the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office issued on October 23, 2026. The money…
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Social Security’s watchdog says next year’s raise for 76 million people is automatic and warns of callers who charge fees to ‘activate’ 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…
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Pennsylvania secured $700,000 in restitution for Gillece customers it says were sold unneeded sewer work
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on October 22, 2026 a settlement that secures $700,000 in consumer restitution from Gillece Services, LP and Gillece Plumbing and Heating, Inc. The state says the companies misled customers into paying for unnecessary home improvement work, especially sewer pipe replacements. The money comes with a $50,000 payment in costs…
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Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles charged 15 people in schemes behind over $1.8 billion in fraudulent claims, including hospice billing for Medicare patients who did not know
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…
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Social Security’s inspector general warns that scammers posing as police are telling victims to load money onto QR codes and barcodes, and some lose thousands of dollars
Scammers posing as police officers, sheriff’s deputies and federal agents are the subject of a new warning from Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General, which says they are telling victims to load money onto QR codes and barcodes at a retail store, and that some victims lose thousands of dollars. The alert, titled “Think…
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A Loveland, Colorado woman who used two Social Security numbers must repay $214,144 in Section 8 rent help and $33,159.48 to Social Security after a six-month sentence
A 67-year-old Loveland, Colorado woman was sentenced to six months in federal prison for collecting Social Security and Section 8 housing benefits while using two Social Security numbers. Antoinette Vazquez Cobain was also ordered to repay $33,159.48 to the Social Security Administration and $214,144.00 to the Loveland Housing Authority. The two amounts add up to…
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The FTC won a $106.8 million judgment shutting down a debt relief ring that posed as banks and government agencies and promised to slash consumers’ debts
A federal court in Arizona has permanently shut down a debt relief operation that the Federal Trade Commission says posed as banks, credit card companies and government agencies. On October 14, 2026, the court entered a $106.8 million default judgment against seven companies tied to the scheme, the FTC announced on October 22. The agency…
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The FTC says GovAssist.com and Entry.com charged travelers at least $148 for passport help advertised at $89, while the State Department application is free
The Federal Trade Commission says two websites that look like passport services charged travelers at least $148 for help that was advertised at $89, when the application itself is free from the State Department. The agency sued the companies behind GovAssist.com and Entry.com on October 22, 2026, in federal court in Puerto Rico. The complaint,…
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Washington job applicants at Saint-Gobain or CertainTeed from 2023 to mid-2025 could get an estimated $1,271.91 each automatically if a judge approves on January 15
People who applied for a job in Washington State with Saint-Gobain or CertainTeed between January 1, 2023 and July 26, 2025 are in line for an estimated $1,271.91 each, paid automatically, if a King County judge approves a class action settlement at a hearing on January 15, 2027. The deal sets aside $1,628,000. The case,…
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Social Security’s watchdog says a Pompano Beach woman was convicted of stealing more than $152,000 in benefits paid for nearly six years after her great-aunt died
A federal jury has convicted Asha Anderson, 48, of Pompano Beach, Florida, of stealing more than $152,000 in Social Security retirement benefits that kept arriving for nearly six years after her great-aunt died. The Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General announced the verdict on October 20, 2026. Jurors found her guilty of theft…