The financial news that actually matters
Tenant-screening company RentGrow agreed to a proposed order that includes a $2.25 million civil penalty over federal allegations about inaccurate or incomplete background reports. The order awaits judicial approval and does not create a consumer refund fund, but the case matters because an extra eviction or criminal entry can change a housing decision even when…
A federal jury convicted two people who impersonated Department of Veterans Affairs staff while targeting seriously ill veterans and their emergency contacts; prosecutors said the pair reached more than 60 victims, attempted 130 fraudulent transactions and obtained about $8,300. The relatively modest amount stolen understates the scheme’s severity because the defendants exploited hospital workflows and…
Older taxpayers who use the standard deduction can still receive a separate federal deduction for qualifying cash gifts made in 2026. The ceiling is $1,000 on most returns and $2,000 for married couples filing jointly, but records and charity eligibility determine whether a gift counts. The rule is available to nonitemizers generally, not only to…
Three Celsius Network founders agreed to orders requiring a combined $16.5 million in payments to resolve Federal Trade Commission charges over claims about the safety and availability of crypto deposits. The allegations remain the FTC’s description of the conduct, and the court must approve the orders before they carry the force of law. The case…
The Federal Trade Commission is sending Zelle payments to eligible University of Phoenix students who did not complete an earlier settlement payment. The current round is not a new open claim process, and the agency does not require a fee to release the money. Some former students may also have a separate federal borrower-defense application,…
An elderly Indiana woman was pushed so deeply into debt by a fabricated medical-bill story that she took out a second mortgage and worked as a food-delivery driver to keep making payments. The defendant has now admitted the fraud in federal court, but the case also shows how sustained personal pressure can override ordinary financial…
Identity thieves do not always rely on high-tech hacking. Some simply sift through discarded mail and trash for documents that hand over everything they need: account numbers, Social Security numbers, and personal details. Destroying sensitive paperwork before throwing it away, rather than tossing it intact, is a basic and effective defense against this old but…
A phone call from a panicked grandchild, begging for money to get out of trouble, has long been a scammer’s tool. Now the voice on the line can be a convincing imitation of the real person, generated by artificial intelligence from a short sample of their speech. As the technology makes these emergency scams more…
The U.S. tax system runs on pay-as-you-go, meaning taxes are due as income is earned throughout the year, not just at filing time. For workers, employers handle this through paycheck withholding. Retirees whose income comes from investments, distributions, or other sources without automatic withholding can be caught off guard, because they may be responsible for…
When an older person is being drained of money by a scammer, a caregiver, or even a relative, families often feel they have nowhere to turn. There is a public agency in every state built for exactly this situation. Adult Protective Services investigates the abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older and vulnerable adults, and…