A call says you missed jury duty and a warrant is coming. The voice is firm, the clock is short, and you are supposed to act before you think. The Federal Trade Commission has a plain answer for that one: ignore it. Most scams in the FTC's alerts follow the same pattern, a fear or a prize, a deadline, and a request for money.

A brass magnifying glass rests on a white document on a sunlit wooden desk, beside reading glasses and a coffee mug, suggesting careful review of a consumer agreement.
A magnifying glass rests on a document, symbolizing the careful review of consumer agreements and the monitoring of business practices.

What the FTC does for consumers

The FTC runs a Bureau of Consumer Protection. It enforces federal consumer protection laws against deceptive and unfair business practices [1]. The agency also keeps an enforcement section on its site [2]. That is the legal side of its work, aimed at companies.

The everyday side is consumer.ftc.gov. It covers shopping, credit, loans and debt, jobs and making money, unwanted calls, and scams. It also publishes consumer alerts [3]. If you only bookmark one page from this article, make it that one. Reading a few alerts teaches you the shape of a scam faster than any rule list.

Common scams the FTC warns about

Consumer alerts describe several recurring setups. One is the fake charity sweepstakes. Someone claims to represent a charity you gave to and says you won a prize. The tie to a cause you care about is the hook [3].

Another is tax debt relief. The FTC warns about dishonest firms that promise to erase tax debt for "pennies on the dollar." According to the alerts, some charge service fees and do nothing for the customer, and people can end up further in debt with tax authorities [3]. The fee is the product. The relief never shows up.

The third is the jury duty threat. Calls, texts and emails that threaten arrest for missed jury duty should be ignored, the FTC says [3]. The FTC also notes that unwanted calls, emails and texts may be annoying, might be illegal, and are probably scams.

Questions to ask before you pay or agree

The FTC's alerts suggest a few questions worth asking before money moves. Does a charity sweepstakes prize seem real, or is someone pretending to be a charity you support? One practical check is to look up the charity yourself and contact it using a phone number or website you already trust, not the one in the message. The sources do not lay out a formal verification method, so treat that as common sense, not an FTC procedure.

For debt relief, ask whether the company has actually looked into your tax situation before it charges fees. A firm that promises a result before reviewing your case, or that collects fees and does no work, matches the red flags in the alerts [3].

Franchises call for a slower pace. The FTC notes that a franchise carries no guarantee of success, and that franchisors must give potential buyers honest information about the costs and operation of the business. Weigh the training and brand benefits against the risks and costs before you sign [3]. The sources do not explain how to check a franchise's disclosure documents, so a lawyer or accountant can help with that part.

What to do if you think you have been targeted

The FTC's pages let you take a few concrete steps [1]:

  1. Report the fraud through the FTC's reporting pages.
  2. Report identity theft if your personal details were exposed.
  3. Open the free credit report page the FTC links to and look for accounts you do not recognize.
  4. Register with the Do Not Call list to cut down on unwanted telemarketing.
  5. Sign up for consumer alerts to see new scams as they appear.

Each step is small. Together they leave a record and shrink the number of ways a scammer can reach you.

These FTC pages are mostly navigation and short alerts. They do not explain your rights under specific laws, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act or the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and they do not detail how to file a complaint or what remedies you might get. For those questions, look to the text of the laws themselves or a qualified professional.

A quiet desk by a window with a phone resting face-down, its soft blue notification glow reflected on the wood, suggesting a calm pause before deciding whether to act on a suspicious message.
A phone rests face-down on a desk, a pause before deciding whether to answer a suspicious message.

This article is for general information only and is not legal or financial advice. For your specific situation, consult a qualified professional.

Please seek a professional. This article is general information, not financial, tax or insurance advice. Please seek a licensed financial, tax or insurance professional about your own situation.