 We
are working with Microsoft Corporation to import consumer complaints it
receives about technical support and other scams from its Report a Scam page. This project will immediately add more than 150,000
relevant complaints to Sentinel and then provide a data feed that includes
approximately 10,000 new complaints per month.
Remember that you can search for complaints submitted by specific data
contributors in Advanced Search or by using the Complaint Source navigator found
on the lower left side bar in the Search Results page. Although Microsoft will not provide consumer PII,
a message on the complaints will inform you how to request the information from
Microsoft.
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Your
downloads are expiring, and you want a quick extension? Sentinel has a solution. When your downloads
are over 90 days old, you will be prompted to view the Delete/Renew Downloads
page. From this page, you can select and
renew downloads for another 90 days if you need them for active law enforcement
purposes. But if you do not need the
files, delete them! Find your download
files by navigating to: Search Tools menu > Downloads table > My Searches.
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 If you missed the spring Advanced Training sessions, please join us for a Sentinel Advanced Training Session on Thursday, July 12th at 2 PM EST. This one-hour session will focus on the Spotlight and Explore Complaint Relationships features. If you are new to Sentinel, Basic Training will be on Wednesday, July 11th at 12 PM EST. Simply email sentinel@ftc.gov to reserve a spot for either session.
Need quicker help? There is a short online video when you log in, as well as various tipsheets in the Help section. We particularly recommend the tipsheets on Search, Download, Spotlights, and Graph Analytics.
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The product service codes are the Sentinel complaint
categories that define the good or service offered to a consumer. Starting this summer, we are adding new codes
about technical products and services, such as broadband access, connected
devices, digital media, malware, and negative online reviews. Please note that this may have an impact on your
existing Spotlights.
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 Want to search several phone numbers at once? You can do so in Advanced Search, using up to
500 phone numbers
in a horizontal row with spaces between them. We recommend doing this in the “Search Across
All Fields” option and in any of the following formats: 8001234567, 800-1234567,
or 800-123-4567.
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The Federal Trade
Commission, jointly with the offices of eight state Attorneys General, the New
York Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, two U.S. Attorneys’
Offices and the Better Business Bureau (BBB), announced the results of
Operation Main Street: Stopping Small Business Scams. This law enforcement initiative targeted entities
seeking to defraud small businesses, and launched an education outreach effort
to help small businesses protect themselves from fraud.
The agencies announced a total of 24 actions against defendants
who allegedly perpetrated scams against small businesses, including one new FTC
case, three other FTC actions from the past six months, two criminal actions
announced by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and 18 actions by state Attorneys General
over the past year.
The BBB is announcing a new research report on small business scams that provides substantial new insights into how
fraud affects small businesses. In addition, the FTC and the BBB are pleased to
announce new business education materials, designed to help small business owners and
their employees avoid, identify and report scams.
The FTC again warned consumers of the dangers of cryptojacking. In cryptojacking, scammers can use your computer’s processing power to “mine” cryptocurrency, which can be converted into cash. Here are some consumer education tips to protect yourself from the malicious code that can infect your device. |
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