Federal Trade Commission Archives - Page 3 of 3

Maryland Secretary of State, Attorney General warn of possible COVID-19 charity scams

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Chris Montcalmo

ANNAPOLIS, MD—The Federal Trade Commission has reported that scammers are taking advantage of fears surrounding the coronavirus, including through the sale of counterfeit products and the solicitation of money and personal information. When charities request donations in response to the coronavirus, Marylanders may feel duty-bound to donate in an effort to help their neighbors. Maryland’s Secretary of State John C. […]

Attorney General Frosh asks FTC to strengthen online protections for children

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Chris Montcalmo

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh and a bipartisan coalition of 25 state attorneys general this week submitted a comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking the agency to strengthen its rules prohibiting websites, mobile apps, and other digital marketing companies from collecting personal information from children under the age of 13 and using that information to […]

Maryland businesses receiving fake “2019 Certificate of Good Standing Request Form” letter

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Chris Montcalmo

UPDATE: A 2020 version of this scam is now making the rounds – read more. Original story below… —— BALTIMORE, MD—The Office of the Attorney General has received information indicating that businesses in Maryland have been receiving a letter entitled “2019 Certificate of Good Standing Request Form.” The letter requests a fee in exchange for a letter of good standing […]

Attorney General warns Marylanders about ‘winning’ lottery letter scam

Posted on November 18, 2019 by Chris Montcalmo

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh’s Consumer Protection Division warned consumers on Monday of a lottery mail scam targeting local residents. The scam letter claims the recipient has won the Mega Millions International Lottery 2019 Draw and includes a counterfeit reproduction of the Maryland Mega Millions logo. The sender of the letter has no affiliation with the Mega Millions […]

Attorney General warns Marylanders about ‘Community Development Block Grant’ scam

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Chris Montcalmo

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh warned Marylanders on Wednesday that scammers are contacting individuals claiming they are entitled to, or have been awarded a Community Development Block Grant, Community Services Block Grant, or CSBG for seniors. These solicitations are scams designed to obtain personal information and/or money in the form of upfront fees (in one reported case, the […]

Police: phone scam targets sex offenders

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Chris Montcalmo

NOTTINGHAM, MD – Scammers are once again targeting registrants from the public sex offender list in a scam involving requests for gift cards and other types of payments. This scam was first noticed in Baltimore County in December 2018, and now it has returned, police say. Law enforcement agencies in multiple states have encountered incidents in which these scammers are […]