Good Morning. Every day, people make reasonable assumptions — about a package in the mail, a message from a recruiter, a house they expect to inherit. Today's stories are a reminder that things aren't always what they appear, and the cost of finding out can be steep.
On The Money Today:
That mysterious empty package in your mailbox isn't harmless. Here's what it means for your personal information
She answered a text from a "recruiter" and lost $20,000 — the red flags were there the whole time
He thought he was inheriting his dad's house. If you're counting on one too, read this first
Let's get into it.
Hundreds of Americans have been receiving empty envelopes from a sender who doesn't exist — and most assumed it was a prank. It's not. If one shows up at your door, it likely means your name, address and personal data are already in someone else's hands. Here's exactly what to do before it turns into something worse.
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Kathryn thought she'd landed a flexible remote job. The platform looked legitimate, the first payout came through fast, and the money in her account kept climbing. By the time her family stepped in, $20,000 was gone — and she couldn't afford groceries. Job scams cost Americans $630 million last year, and the people running them are getting harder to spot.
You could spend years caring for an aging parent, assuming the house would eventually be yours — and still walk away without full ownership. That's what happened to Tom, and the legal structure his father chose could limit everything from selling the home to borrowing against it to leaving it to your own kids. Before you assume an inheritance is coming, make sure you know what you're actually getting.
MONEY IQ
Reported losses from job scams in the U.S. tripled between 2020 and 2023. How much did employment scams cost Americans in 2025?
ALSO MAKING THE ROUNDS TODAY
NEWS: Spirit Airlines is gone, but getting its 90 abandoned planes back is proving harder than anyone expected
DEBT: Her husband spends up to $400 a week on DoorDash while she chips away at their $20K wedding debt alone
NEWS: He signed the contract, paid $25,000 down and drove off the lot — then the dealership repossessed his truck and demanded $15,000 more
REAL ESTATE: A Wisconsin man spent two months fighting to access $70K of his own Social Security savings — and he didn't do anything wrong
MONEY IQ: HOW DID YOU DO?
C) $630 million. Job scams cost Americans $630 million in 2025. Scammers clone real websites, use former employer names to build trust and start with small payouts before the real damage is done. If a job offer asks you to spend money to make money, walk away.
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See you soon with another quick roundup of the financial news that matters.
