Latest Scam - Smishing

 So, the latest scam craze seems to be smishing.  Sounds like a new teenage dance, doesn't it?  However, it is anything but an innocent dance floor move.  The term is a scam, and its name is derived from "SMS" and "phishing".  Yes, the scam uses text messaging to your cell phone to get information, and will appear to be from a legitimate source.  To read more about this latest trend, see https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/thats-immediate-red-flag-being-044602921.html

Commonwealth Financial Systems Ordered To Shut Down

 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has ordered medical debt collection agency Commonwealth Financial Systems to cease operations and pay a $95,000 fine for illegally trying to collect unverified medical debts.

The CFPB said that Commonwealth, which specializes in collecting past-due medical debts and informs consumer reporting companies about consumer collection accounts, violated the law in several ways, These include a failure to conduct reasonable investigations after consumers disputed debts, a failure to inform consumer reporting agencies about disputes, and continuing to attempt to collect disputed debts without documentation proving the debts.