In an August 17, 2026 consumer alert, the Federal Trade Commission warned that a paid search ad can take someone looking to pay a bill to another company’s site instead of the company or agency that issued the bill.
In its complaint about Doxo, the FTC alleged that the service misrepresented itself as an official payment channel for companies and agencies including Labcorp, AT&T and state toll authorities. The FTC says a separate payment service may also add fees the payer did not expect.
To reach the right payment page, the FTC recommends scrolling past paid results and typing a company website address you already know directly into the browser.