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FTC Reports $145M In COVID-Related Scams Since January

PYMNTS

More than 200,000 Americans have lost $145 million linked to the COVID-19 pandemic since the start of the year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported on Tuesday (Sept. At 7,628, the FTC found that the greatest number of complaints came from people aged 30-39, who lost a total of $13 million with a median loss of $209.

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Coronavirus Scams Trigger Surge In FTC Complaints

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported in a press release that it has received over 7,800 complaints from consumers all relating to the coronavirus pandemic, twice the number it received just a week ago. Complaints are stemming from travel and vacation cancellations as well as online shopping issues and government imposter scams.

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FTC delves into scam payments

Payments Dive

In consumer fraud complaints to the federal agency last year, PayPal and Cash App were cited as apps often used by consumers to pay scammers.

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FTC Warns Of COVID Scams, Cracks Down On Fake Job Schemes

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced a new operation, Operation Income Illusion, to crack down on fraudsters targeting victims with fake promises of jobs or income, according to a press release. The FTC is working with 19 other federal, state and local law enforcement partners in the effort.

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FTC Bans Rogue Payment Processor In Settlement Over Alleged Scams

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A Texas operator of several payment processing centers has agreed to be permanently banned from the industry in order to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the state of Ohio that they unlawfully participated in scams, according to a press release. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

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FTC Warns Of Imposter Grandchildren Scamming For Cash

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned Monday (Dec. 3) that a new scam is targeting people 70 and older, in which they are being tricked into sending large amounts of cash to people pretending to be their grandchildren. “These scammers are experts at impersonating people they’ve never even met.

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FTC Reports Over 18K Fraud Cases Linked To Coronavirus

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According to the FTC, there have been 18,235 reports of fraudulent activity or fraud attempts related to the coronavirus since Jan. The FTC says the top categories of these scams entail travel and vacation-related items, online shopping and bogus text messaging, along with “all kinds of imposters.” million to fraud.

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