The FTC is renewing its September warning that scammers pose as government officials, charities, or contractors after storms and other disasters, while a separate new FTC alert lays out the exact steps to get an intimate image removed if it was shared online without your consent.

The FTC has flagged this same risk around National Preparedness Month (observed every September) in each of the last several years, and its 2026 alert repeats the pattern: "scammers are always looking for ways to steal people's money and personal information," and "after emergencies, they often pose as government officials, charities, or contractors." The agency's advice is to prepare before a disaster hits — check what your insurance actually covers, and keep copies of important documents — precisely so you are not scrambling and vulnerable when someone shows up offering to help.

A Federal Trade Commission consumer alert (September 10, 2026) walks through what to do if someone shares an intimate image of you online without your permission, including a digitally altered or AI-generated one. Platforms covered by the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act must give you a way to report the image and must remove it, and any known copies, within 48 hours of your request. The FTC's guidance: find the post and use the platform's own reporting option first (a directory of platform contacts is available at StopNCII.org), and if the platform does not act within 48 hours, report it to the FTC at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.