USAGov's Five Lessons Learned to Combat Scams in 2021 News provided by Share this article WASHINGTON, April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Americans have reported over 260,000 scams and lost over $412M in frauds linked to COVID-19. Due to the rise in fraud, federal experts across the government share official information on how to recognize, avoid and report many types of scams. Explore five key tips collected by USAGov during National Consumer Protection Week this March to protect your family and wallets in 2021. The five key tips to know are: Scammers take advantage of people during the COVID-19 pandemic.