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Federal Trade Commission

Business
H&R Block Fined $7M For Deceptive 'Free' Filing Ads, Must Reform Tax Services: FTC H&R Block Fined $7M For Deceptive 'Free' Filing Ads, Must Reform Tax Services: FTC
H&R Block Fined $7M For Deceptive 'Free' Filing Ads, Must Reform Tax Services: FTC H&R Block will pay $7 million in federal fines for deceptive practices and must implement sweeping changes to its filing services in time for the 2025 tax season, officials said. H&R Block reached the settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the agency announced in a news release on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The order requires the company to revamp its services and pay $7 million to compensate its customers. The settlement stemmed from a February 2024 complaint accusing H&R Block of forcing users to contact customer service to downgrade products. The tax filer was also a…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Meta Drops Fact-Checking Program Ahead Of Trump's White House Return, Company Says Meta Drops Fact-Checking Program Ahead Of Trump's White House Return, Company Says
Meta Drops Fact-Checking Program Ahead Of Trump's White House Return, Company Says Meta is dismantling its third-party fact-checking program in the U.S. and aims to bring back political content as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, the company said. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the changes in a video statement on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The company that owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, will replace its fact-checking program with a Community Notes system similar to the one implemented on X (formerly Twitter). Zuckerberg said the new system's goal is to reduce bias and restore free expression. "Fact-checkers have be…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Don't Fall For It: New Twist On Imposter Fraud Targets Your Money, Personal Info Don't Fall For It: New Twist On Imposter Fraud Targets Your Money, Personal Info
Don't Fall For It: New Twist On Imposter Fraud Targets Your Money, Personal Info The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is sounding the alarm on a sophisticated new imposter scheme designed to steal your money and personal information.  These scams are becoming increasingly convincing, but learning to spot the red flags can help you stay protected. How the Scam Works Initial Contact: Scammers pose as representatives from well-known companies, such as Amazon or a tech support service. They’ll claim there’s a routine issue, like suspicious charges on your account, a computer virus, or an account breach. Escalation: The scammers lie, saying your name is tied to serious …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Scammers Posing As Well-Known Businesses, Agencies: Here's What To Know, Feds Say Scammers Posing As Well-Known Businesses, Agencies: Here's What To Know, Feds Say
Scammers Posing As Well-Known Businesses, Agencies: Here's What To Know, Feds Say Federal authorities are sounding the alarm over scams that impersonate well-known businesses and government agencies.  In 2023, data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alone show more than 330,000 reports of business impersonation scams and nearly 160,000 reports of government impersonation scams. That amounts to nearly half the frauds reported directly to the agency, the FTC said. Combined, reported losses to these impersonation scams topped $1.1 billion for the year, more than three times what consumers reported in 2020. Reports show an increasingly blurred line between busine…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Don't Die In Massachusetts. It Costs Too Much Don't Die In Massachusetts. It Costs Too Much
Don't Die In Massachusetts. It Costs Too Much If you plan to die, do it somewhere outside of Massachusetts. According to a new study, the Bay State is one of the nation's most expensive places to perish.  Forbes recently tallied all the financial costs of losing a loved one. That included end-of-life care and funeral expenses. What they found is that not only is the cost of living rising, but so is the price of dying. Alaska was the priciest place to die, with it costing more than $33,000 on average. That's $24,400 for end-of-life care and an average funeral price tag of $9,300, according to the Forbes study. Hawaii is next,…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Don't Fall For Them: Alert Issued For Student Loan Forgiveness Scams Don't Fall For Them: Alert Issued For Student Loan Forgiveness Scams
Don't Fall For Them: Alert Issued For Student Loan Forgiveness Scams Days after President Biden announced a sweeping plan to forgive thousands of dollars in federal student loans, authorities are warning of scammers preying on those with student debt. Several police agencies around the country are urging people to be on the lookout for “red flags” that may indicate a would-be scammer. Among them are promises to get student borrowers even more money, or claims they can get a borrower their money faster, police said. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) put out a statement telling student loan borrowers they don’t need to do anything or pay anybody to sign up f…

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by Michael Mashburn
Business
Scam Alert: Phishing Text Messages On Rise, New Report Says Scam Alert: Phishing Text Messages On Rise, New Report Says
Scam Alert: Phishing Text Messages On Rise, New Report Says Cybersecurity experts have reported an increase in phishing scam text messages, according to a new report from CNET. Josh Yavor, the chief information security officer at cybersecurity company Tessian, told the news outlet he has seen a recent increase in scammers using text messages for phishing, where they attempt to steal peoples' personal information by pretending to be reputable organizations. CNET also said a report from enterprise security company Proofpoint found that incidents SMS phishing increased by 24 percent in the United States last year. The Federal Trade Commission reporte…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
COVID-19: Feds Aim To Stop Deceptive Marketing Of Tea Product Advertised As Virus Treatment COVID-19: Feds Aim To Stop Deceptive Marketing Of Tea Product Advertised As Virus Treatment
Covid-19: Feds Aim To Stop Deceptive Marketing Of Tea Product Advertised As Virus Treatment Federal officials are seeking civil penalties after a tea company allegedly advertised that its product could prevent or treat COVID-19. B4B Earth Tea LLC, B4B Corp., and Andrew Martin Sinclair are accused of violating the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, according to an announcement on Thursday, March 3, from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The defendants reportedly advertised that the herbal tea product, Earth Tea, could prevent or treat COVID-19, according to a crimi…

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by Nicole Valinote
Business
Amazon 'Gig' Drivers Win $61 Million Settlement On Tip-Stealing Complaints Amazon 'Gig' Drivers Win $61 Million Settlement On Tip-Stealing Complaints
Amazon 'Gig' Drivers Win $61 Million Settlement On Tip-Stealing Complaints Amazon has settled accusations that it stole millions of dollars in tips from Amazon Flex Delivery “gig” drivers. Amazon settled the charges and the deal was announced by the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, Feb. 2. To comply with the settlement, Amazon will have to pay back $61.7 million to drivers, provide only accurate information about tips and pay to both customers and drivers, and get drivers’ consent before changing how it handles tips in the future, the FTC said. The FTC said that mega online-retailer Amazon had kept drivers’ tips for years despite numerous job ads touting th…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
Did You Get Your Refund? FTC Recovered $17 Million For MA From Alleged Scammers Did You Get Your Refund? FTC Recovered $17 Million For MA From Alleged Scammers
Did You Get Your Refund? FTC Recovered $17 Million For MA From Alleged Scammers More than $17 million is being returned to people in Massachusetts who had fallen prey to false advertising or another business scam since 2018. According to data provided by the Federal Trade Commission, since July 2018 more than 99,000 Massachusetts residents have been bilked out of $17.65 million through savings and loans, unauthorized debts and charges, grant, and payday loan scams among other types of deception. When the FTC sends refunds, it usually uses customer lists and contact information it gets from the defendants, the FTC said. If that information isn’t available, the agency …

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by Kristin Palpini
Police & Fire
There Is No COVID-19 Vaccination Wait-List - New Scams Exploit Pandemic Fears There Is No COVID-19 Vaccination Wait-List - New Scams Exploit Pandemic Fears
There Is No Covid-19 Vaccination Wait-List - New Scams Exploit Pandemic Fears The winter holidays typically see a surge in scams and this year, crooks are exploiting people’s fears around COVID-19 to get them to open their wallets and/or share personal information. On Tuesday, Dec. 15, the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office warned the community about a host of new COVID-19-themed schemes that are already being used against people. The Federal Trade Commission said vaccine-related scams have begun to make the rounds. To better prepare yourself against being tricked out of money or information, the FTC and DA advised people of the following: You likely will not…

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by Kristin Palpini
Business
COVID-19: Alert Issued For Callers Posing As Contact Tracers To Get Credit, Bank Account Info COVID-19: Alert Issued For Callers Posing As Contact Tracers To Get Credit, Bank Account Info
Covid-19: Alert Issued For Callers Posing As Contact Tracers To Get Credit, Bank Account Info Don’t fall for it. Fraudsters have been making the rounds, looking to take advantage of the COVID-19 crisis, posing as contact tracers seeking personal information from suspect victims amid the pandemic. Since the outbreak began six months ago, contact tracing has become a vital tool as health officials seek to identify positive COVID-19 cases, tracing back to the people they’ve been in contact with and isolating them to help curtail the spread of the virus. Recently, some state and federal officials issued a warning that some scammers have been posing as contact tracers, using that faux i…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Alert Issued For Package Text Message Scam Alert Issued For Package Text Message Scam
Alert Issued For Package Text Message Scam A new text messaging scam involving mailed packages that allow fraudsters to gain access to personal information has been making the rounds across the country, federal officials warn. The Federal Trade Commission is among the agencies that have issued an alert after consumers made numerous complaints after receiving a text message saying that a package pending, telling the user to click a link to set up delivery for the item. Once the link is clicked, users will be instructed to provide personal identifying information. Scammers have posed as drivers from FedEx, USPS, UPS, and other deliver…

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by Zak Failla