If you lost a loved one to covid-19, you may be eligible for a government program that pays for funeral expenses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay up to $9,000 for funeral expenses for loved ones who died of covid-19. Survivors can apply for benefits by contacting FEMA at 844-684-6333.
For three years, people have reported losing more money on romance scams than on any other fraud type identified in Sentinel, a fraud database. In 2020, reported losses to romance scams reached a record $304 million, up about 50 percent from 2019.
First, I received emails from my credit union that $1,500 then $2,300 were possible fraudulent charges. I called and sure enough, a scammer from Sweden was trying to charge those amount to my credit card. The credit union flagged the fraudulent charges, and the money was never charged to me.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued an order Tuesday against a debt collector and its owner for harassing thousands of consumers, falsely threatening them with legal action. The CFPB found that Yorba Capital Management and its former owner, Daniel Portilla Jr., violated federal law.
This week, I wrote the 100th issue of my newsletter Helpful Money Tips for You. To celebrate, instead of offering my usual 10 tips, I offered 100. To sign up to get my free newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/gkZ6JH. You’ll get it in your email.
Scammers are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to steal money from people. During these chaotic times, knowing about possible scams is the first step toward preventing them. Scammers are inventing new schemes as well as repurposing old ones. Be alert as you go about your covid daily lives.
It isn’t over yet, so keep wearing masks and social distancing. It’s worrisome that people are rushing to go to activities again. While it’s exciting that millions of people are being vaccinated, kids are back in school, and the cases and deaths from coronavirus went down and are now plateauing, this is far from over.
When I was writing my weekly Helpful Money Tips for You newsletter (see Newsletter heading above to subscribe), I ran across an article by a women who was upset because a new coffee shop in her area turned out to be secret “nutrition club,” a recruiting tool for Herbalife.
American Medical Collection Agency or AMCA has agreed to resolve a multistate investigation into a 2019 data breach that exposed the personal information of more than 7 million people, and possibly exposing the personal information of up to 21 million throughout the United States.
