Recognize an FTC Impersonator

You might have heard that, last week, Amazon agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle the FTC’s charges that it enrolled millions of people in Prime subscriptions without their consent – and then made it hard for those unwilling Prime subscribers to cancel. Since $1.5 billion of that amount goes back to consumers, you might be wondering: who gets it? How? And what do I need to do?

Do you get a lot of calls trying to sell you products or services you never asked for? Sometimes telemarketing calls are random. Other times, companies trick you into sharing your information so they can sell it to the telemarketers that call you (without your permission). If you’re on the Do Not Call Registry, these calls are illegal. So, how can you cut down on the number of unwanted telemarketing calls you get?

Every year, scammers get more active around Medicare Open Enrollment Period, trying to get your money, information, or both. As you consider your health coverage and prescription options during this period (October 15-December 7), learn to spot the scams.