Reports to the ftc show a growing wave of scams aimed squarely at retirees’ life savings These scammers pretend to be from known and trusted government agencies and businesses. A form of fraud in which a scam artist sends an email (or places a phone call) purporting to be from the recipient's bank, internet service provider, or other trusted source and asking for personal information such as credit card or bank account numbers, passwords, or social security numbers. It’s hard not to glance at your phone when you hear the ding of an incoming text And reports to the ftc’s consumer sentinel network suggest their odds of a big payout have improved Reported losses to text scams have skyrocketed even as the number of reports declined
In 2024, people reported $470 million in losses to these scams, more than five times the 2020 number. It asks the consumer to provide personal identifying information. The ftc is not contacting people about refunds in the amazon matter If you get a call from someone who claims to be from the ftc, it’s a scam The ftc will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize And no one from amazon will ever ask you for money to get a refund
