Articles: Scams

I applied for a loan online. I then received a call from business reps from an out-of-state bank telling me that my loan had been approved but that I had to pay a $120 processing fee via Green Dot MoneyPak card.

Dear Consumer Ed: I got a call from a man in Washington, D.C.

Dear Consumer Ed: I received a text message that says I won a Walmart gift card. How can I tell if this is legitimate?    

Dear Consumer Ed: I received a mailer from a cruise line stating I had won a trip but just had to pay a small fee, which has turned into a big fee. I would like to get my initial money back and not go any further with actually booking the trip.

Dear Consumer Ed: I applied for a $10,000 loan online.  I provided my Social Security Number and bank account information for the credit check.

Dear Consumer Ed: I received a call from a company that said I could get a $3,000 federal grant if I had them do an energy audit of my home.  They then requested my social security number and bank account information so they could check my credit rating. I got suspicious and hung up.

Dear Consumer Ed: I received a phone call from my gas company about a past due bill.

Dear Consumer Ed: I got a call from a man in Washington, D.C. who said he was with a payday loan company, telling me that I had received a loan for $1,000.   He gave me a confirmation number and told me I had to call his senior loan manager in order for the loan to go forward.  He then told me I had to pick the money up at a Western Union.  I declined, but am interested to know if this is legit.

Dear Consumer Ed: I saw a sign on a telephone pole that promised to erase my bad credit.  I contacted the company and paid them $100.00.

Dear Consumer Ed: I received a call from someone claiming to be from the fraud department of my credit card company.  They already had my name, address, and credit card number, so I assumed the call was legitimate.  They told me my card had been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern and asked m