All year long, scammers are looking for ways to steal your hard-earned money. FTC data shows people reported losing $12.5 billion to scams in 2024, which is up $2.5 billion from 2023. April is Financial Literacy Month: a great time to check out the free resources at consumer.gov to help manage your money while protecting it from scammers.
Looking to make a budget that helps you save money, buy a car, rent an apartment or house, or deal with debt? Consumer.gov has the info you need to spot, avoid, and report scams as you make your plans.
At consumer.gov, you’ll get the basics on managing your money and advice on:
Scams can happen to anyone. Scammers are good at what they do. Learn how to protect your money and information from scammers. Los estafadores son personas deshonestas. Scammers are dishonest people. Some lie to convince you to send them money.
Other scammers want your information. They try to get information like the username and password for your bank account. Or your credit card number or Social Security number. They want your information so they can pretend to be you and use your accounts without permission.
Scammers tell many different stories to try to get your money or information. But scams usually have some things in common.
Scammers tell you to hurry. They don’t want you to have time to think or to check out their story. Scammers might even lie and say you’ll be arrested if you don’t act quickly.
Scammers tell you to pay, and they tell you HOW to pay. Scammers often say you can only pay by:
buying a gift card and giving them the numbers on the back
wiring money through a company like MoneyGram or Western Union
sending them cryptocurrency
using a payment app
Here are some ways to protect yourself:
Don’t respond to unexpected calls, emails, texts, or social media messages that ask for money or personal information.
Take your time. Honest organizations will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your information is a scammer.
Never pay someone who insists you can only pay with a gift card, a wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or a payment app.
Tell the Federal Trade Commission:
Go online at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Call 1-877-382-4357
Scammers can be very convincing. They call, email, and text you trying to get money or personal information — like your Social Security or account numbers. And they're good at what they do.
If you paid or sent money to someone you think is a scammer, you might not get it back. But it’s always worth asking the company you used to send the money if there’s a way to get it back.
Try to cancel or reverse the transaction as soon as you can.
1. Contact whoever you used to send money, for example:
your credit card company or bank
the money transfer company (like Western Union or MoneyGram)
the gift card company
the cryptocurrency company
the post office
2. Tell them it was a scam
3. Ask them to give your money back. If you gave cash or gold to someone, call the police.
If you gave a scammer your Social Security number, go to IdentityTheft.gov and report it. Answer the questions on the website. When you finish, the site will give you advice about what to do next.
If you gave a scammer your username and password, log into your account right away and create a new password. If you use the same password anywhere else, change it there, too.
Identity theft happens when someone uses your personal or financial information, like your Social Security number or credit card number, without your permission. There are things you can do to reduce the chance someone will steal your identity.
Someone might steal your name and address, credit card or bank account numbers, Social Security number, or medical insurance account numbers. They could use your information to:
get new credit cards or other accounts in your name
get a job
steal your tax refund
use your health insurance to get medical care
To find out if someone stole your identity you can do the following:
Check your bills and account statements. Look for things you didn’t buy, withdrawals you didn’t make, or changes to your address that you didn’t expect.
Look at your medical bills and insurance statements. You might see charges you don’t recognize.
Check your credit reports for mistakes or accounts you don’t recognize. Right now, the three nationwide credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — let you get a free report online once a week. Get your free weekly report from each bureau at AnnualCreditReport.com.
There are things you can do to help keep your information safe.
Protect documents with personal information. Keep things like your birth certificate, Social Security card, and account statements in a safe place. Shred papers with personal information on them before you throw them away.
Don’t give your Social Security number to someone who calls, texts, or emails you. Even if they say they’re from the government, your bank, or a company you know. They’re not. It’s a scam.
Protect your information online and on your phone. Use passwords that are hard to guess. Add multi-factor authentication for extra security on accounts that offer it.
For more information, consult the materials available from the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice
https://consumer.ftc.gov/
