The former president of a payment processing company has agreed to settle charges brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and seven states for his role in an operation that allegedly debited more than $200 million in bogus charges from consumers' bank accounts.

If you have an account with Amazon.com -- and millions of consumers do -- be on the lookout for new and evolving phishing scams aimed at stealing your account username and password.

Publishers Clearing House, which operates sweepstakes promotions nationwide, has agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle deceptive marketing charges brought by 32 states and the District of Columbia. The company also agreed to alter its marketing materials.

If you get a message on your Facebook page saying Cheerleaders gone wild have to see this, ignore it. That's the advice from security expert Graham Cluley of Sophos software.

Over the last year few years, the worse the economic news got the more commercials you saw on cable TV for companies selling gold and silver. Now, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says at least one of those companies hawking gold tricked senior citizens into investing in gold on credit.

A Brooklyn eye glasses merchant who yelled at, cursed and threatened customers has pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. But it's his behavior with consumers that brought him to the attention of law enforcement.

Consumers are being peppered with solicitations from companies promising to lower credit card interest rates for a fee.
Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray said his office has received dozens of complaints from consumers who have received the solicitations, which in most cases turn out to be a rip-off.

Have you ever had a telephone call when you checked the Caller ID and decided it was a call you wanted to take, only to find out when you answered the call, it was not the caller you anticipated? If this has happened to you, you have been the victim of Caller ID spoofing, notes the North Dakota Attorney General's Office.
Caller ID spoofing is the practice of using the telephone network to display a number on the recipients Caller ID display which is not that of the actual originating phone. The fraudulent uses of this practice are increasing.

Scammers trying to steal consumers' identities create fake websites to simulate actual web pages of banks and well known companies. They create so many pages its almost impossible for search engines to weed them out.

The Better Business Bureau is usually the one collecting complaints. Now, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has a complaint about the private consumer group.

"Despicable," "outrageous," causing "tragic" consequences for victims, are phrases and words a federal judge used in sentencing a suburban Chicago man to prison for swindling some 75 victims -- many of whom lost their retirement funds and life savings.

Consumers are being urged to be on the lookout for scams when searching for jobs on the Internet -- including questionable online ads for part-time "modeling jobs." "Con artists are using online message forums, email ads or bogus websites to circulate job offers that require consumers to respond quickly for high-paying opportunities," said Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett.