FTC

The FTC reports a scam where law firms send letters claiming individuals are heirs to unclaimed life insurance policies worth millions. The letters falsely suggest recipients can inherit money from a deceased person with the same last name, while the law firms seek to split the proceeds.

John Deere owners will gain the right to repair their own equipment under a new FTC settlement. The agreement allows owners to fix their machines without restrictions.

Federal lawyers are leaving the Trump administration and joining Democratic state attorneys general's offices, with over 100 identified as working on cases challenging the administration's agenda. Legal filings show these attorneys are involved in lawsuits opposing Trump's policies on transgender healthcare, research grants, and National Guard deployments.

A user on r/photomarket was scammed via Zelle after paying a seller who later blocked them. The user reported the scam to the FTC and their Chase Bank but received no assistance in recovering the funds. The scammer's Zelle information includes their name and phone number.

A 70s-year-old woman lost over $600,000 in a scam where impersonators posing as Microsoft and FTC agents convinced her to sell stocks, purchase gold, and hand over cash and gold to couriers. The scam involved fake identity theft claims, pressure to avoid informing family, and the use of a local gold dealer for transactions.

A customer warns against purchasing from 'The Yota Store' after not receiving their order and discovering others with similar complaints. The store failed to respond to email or Instagram messages, hid negative comments, and is accused of accepting payments without delivering products.

The FTC emphasizes discussing scams during Military Consumer Month 2026 to protect the military community from fraud targeting their money, benefits, and personal information. The initiative encourages servicemembers and veterans to share their scam experiences to raise awareness.

Amazon will pay $2.25 million to settle an FTC identity theft case. The retailer allegedly failed to meet requirements under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Job scammers are using SMS and messaging platforms to impersonate Amazon recruiters, offering fake high-paying remote roles with promises of $250–$500 daily for minimal work. The scams, often attributed to a 'Sophia' from Amazon’s recruiting department, direct victims to non-Amazon contact details and exploit 'task scam' tactics to extract money or personal data.

The Supreme Court ruled that presidents can fire independent regulators, allowing President Donald Trump to dismiss FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. The decision overturns the precedent set by 'Humphrey’s Executor.'

Fired F.T.C. Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter warns of potential presidential abuse of power. She was accompanied by her lawyer at the Supreme Court in December.

A 2026 LinkedIn survey found 72% of job seekers sometimes question job postings' legitimacy before applying, citing rising job scams. The FTC reported $220M+ in losses from job scams in early 2024, prompting warnings to verify company details and avoid suspicious offers like 'free resume reviews' or 'too easy, high-pay' jobs.

The FTC approved Elon Musk's acquisition of Mesh, a startup composed of SpaceX alumni. Mesh emerged from stealth mode in February with a $50 million Series A funding round.

Americans lost a record $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, according to FTC data. Imposter scams were the most reported fraud category for a fifth consecutive year, with losses nearly tripling since 2020.

A 37-year-old healthcare professional lost $12,000 to a law enforcement impersonation scam involving threats of arrest warrants and professional license revocation. The scammer used fear and isolation tactics, directing the victim to a Bitcoin ATM and Zelle for payments. The victim later filed reports with local police, FBI, FTC, and froze their credit.

Android is rolling out a new fake call detection feature to warn users about spoofed calls and AI-generated voices used in scams. The feature uses end-to-end encrypted RCS technology to verify if a call is genuinely coming from a trusted contact's device.

Scammers target retirees during a six-week summer window from Memorial Day to the Fourth of July, exploiting routines like booking trips, using public Wi-Fi, and posting vacation photos. Tactics include fake rental listings, grandparent scams, and holiday distractions, with the FTC reporting $274 million in consumer losses from travel-related fraud in 2024.

The FTC is considering modifying a $150 million privacy penalty against X (formerly Twitter). X argues the settlement terms are unfair because the company has changed significantly since the penalty was issued, the individuals responsible for the alleged misconduct no longer work there, and the company has implemented a robust privacy and data protection program.

US House Democrats are urging the FTC to investigate prediction markets for potential deceptive practices. They are also requesting information from the FTC regarding plans for investigative or enforcement actions against these markets.

Google is expanding its deepfake call detection feature to protect Android users from impersonation scams, which cost $3 billion in 2024. The update, part of broader Android 17 changes, now works with all contacts and counters AI voice cloning tools used in fraudulent calls.

Shutterstock will pay $35 million to settle allegations over illegal subscription cancellation practices. The settlement is related to hard-to-cancel subscriptions. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is involved in the case.

Clarifai deleted 3 million photos provided by OkCupid for facial recognition AI training following an FTC settlement. The data sharing occurred in 2014 after Clarifai requested it from OkCupid, whose executives had invested in the company.

StubHub has agreed to pay $10 million to settle FTC allegations that it engaged in deceptive ticket pricing by failing to disclose all fees upfront. The FTC accused the company of violating the FTC Act and its Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees through misleading advertising practices.

John Deere has agreed to a $99 million settlement in a class action lawsuit related to tractor repairs. The FTC lawsuit remains unresolved, while an Iowa bill showing promise for agricultural issues is expected to succeed.