Free trials aren’t always free. Learn how to avoid “free trial” scams.

Certain children who were brought to the United States may be eligible to remain in the country and get a work authorization permit. They will need to meet certain requirements and complete a background check.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the agency in charge of setting up an application process. It should be up and running sometime in mid-August. Meanwhile, don’t apply or your application will be rejected.

USCIS recommends you follow these tips:

DO:

• Visit www.uscis.gov to learn more about the announcement, eligibility criteria and to find the latest updates.
• Contact USCIS for more information at 1-800-375-5283.
• Visit www.uscis.gov/avoidscams to learn more about how you can avoid becoming a victim of an immigration service scam.

DO NOT:

• Pay anyone who claims they can request deferred action on your behalf or apply for employment authorization through this new process before USCIS announces an implementation date.
• Send an application seeking work authorization related to this process.

Visit USCIS for more information about the program or call 1-800-375-5283. They can answer your questions in English or Spanish.

When you’re looking for a new job, it can be tempting to jump at new opportunities. However, if a job offer seems too good to be true, it could be a scam.

Many jobs scams have a few things in common that you should watch for:

• The potential employer says you can make fast money working from home.
• You are asked to pay money to the employer up front.
• Emails from the employer are full of spelling and grammatical errors.
• The employer asks for personal and bank account information upfront.
• You are asked to transfer money through Western Union or MoneyGram.

Learn more about how to avoid job scams.

To learn about other free resources to help you no matter what your financial situation, sign up for our e-mail list or visit our page.

By Colleen Tressler, Senior Project Manager, Federal Trade Commission

Looking for a job can be a full-time job. So when you do come across a promising prospect, you might be tempted to leap before you get a good look.

But job hunters need to know that scammers also are in the mix, posing as real employers. They may pretend to be a business looking to hire, or they may claim they can give you access to special job listings or interviews. Some even guarantee to place you in a job. What’s more, they often advertise in the same places real employers do.

Whatever their angle, job scammers are looking for the same thing — to convince you to send money — or your credit or debit card information — before you catch on to their schemes.

So how do you know when you’re dealing with a scam? The surest sign of a job scam is someone who wants you to pay for the promise of a job. That’s true even when they say they’ve got a job waiting and that the money is for certification or some other fee. If you have to pay, it’s not a job offer.

Some popular job scams to look out for include:

Government and Postal Job Scams: Scammers pretend to have access to special government job listings, or guarantee to get you a job with the postal service. But information about federal and postal job openings is free and available to everyone. Applying also is free. Find out more about federal jobs at usajobs.gov, and postal jobs at usps.com/employment.

Work-at-Home Schemes: Making a great income from home is an appealing prospect. But promises of guaranteed incomes and big returns for little work are the sign of a scam, whether it’s envelope stuffing, craft work, rebate processing, online search work, or medical billing. In reality, you’re left with useless starter kits or certifications, and broken promises.

Mystery Shopping Ads: Getting paid to shop and eat sounds hard to beat, but that email or ad for a mystery shopping job is likely a scam. Con artists send fake checks, convincing you to wire back money before the check bounces. When it does, you’re on the hook for the money you withdrew and sent.

If you’re not sure about a company, check it out with your local consumer protection agency, state Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau, and find out what others are saying by entering the company’s or person’s name into a search engine with the word complaints.

And be sure to check out the FTC’s Job Scams video and learn more at ftc.gov/jobscams, or ftc.gov/EstafasDeEmpleo for Spanish.

To learn about other free resources to help you no matter what your financial situation, sign up for our e-mail list or visit our page.

Asked by Sandy on Facebook.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has information about federal loan programs for home improvements and repairs. If you’re interested specifically in financial assistance for energy efficiency, there are federal tax credits available. You might want to review this information to see if it matches the details in the letter.

Be aware that the Home Information Center is not affiliated with the federal government. You can see if other people have filed a complaint against the company by contacting the Better Business Bureau or your local consumer affairs department. You may also want to review these tips about how to spot and report fraud.