From safes to front doors, most of us use locks every day, and the risk of a lockout is always present. However, you might want to think twice about which locksmith you hire to help you out. According to the Better Business Bureau, locksmithing scams are on the rise. If you aren’t careful who you […]
Consumer Fraud
Almost every day consumers are confronted with a variety of scams including credit card fraud, identity theft, travel scams, medical fraud, counterfeiting and misrepresentation of products and/or services.
Consumers are confronted with fraud, con jobs, scams and ripoffs every day.
You find them when buying a car, purchasing insurance insurance, using your credit card, shopping at the mall, making purchases online, or taking out a loan.
Some scams are easy to identify and avoid. Some scams are harder to spot. You need to be able to identify all of them before it's too late. Failing to detect a single scam can cost you thousands of dollars.
The Consumer fraud section of Fraud Guides provides information and tips on how to avoid some of the most common frauds, schemes and scams facing today's consumer.
If money is involved there's a scam artist out there with a scheme designed to trick you out of it.
Do your due diligence!
Educating yourself about fraud and knowing the tricks in the scam artist's toolbox is your number one defense against fraud.
We encourage you to use us as a resource anytime someone offers you something that appears "too good to be true." We also urge you to use more than a single reference when doing your research.
The more you read, the better your chances of avoing a scam. Knowledge is the best weapon against fraud and a little of it can go a long way.
What is consumer fraud? Some definitions
Consumer fraud includes many fraudulent and misleading practices such as advertising, marketing, selling, or procuring goods or services. Consumer fraud occurs when a product or service does not perform as advertised.
Another example of consumer fraud is overcharging for something or concealing a fee. Consumer fraud may also occur when a company compels you to agree to unfair terms and conditions in order to complete a transaction.
You may also be a victim of consumer fraud if you purchased an item represented to you as safe when the seller had reason to believe otherwise.
In this section we also include ID theft, banking, travel, medical and real estate fraud.
Recognizing Consumer Scams
After you've read a few of the consumer fraud articles here on FraudGuides you may begin to see a pattern. Most scams share characteristics and once you can easily recognize them you'll be able to spot them a mile away.
We provide many examples of consumer fraud here so that you can learn by example and avoid these scams with ease. Our aim is to help people before they become fraud victims as well as those that have fallen prey to scam artists.
For victims of fraud
If you are a recent victim of fraud we provide advise on what you should do and where to report the crime. If you think you've been scammed, report it immediately.
Many fail to report fraud out of embarrassment or because of the mistaken belief the authorities are powerless to help. Failing to report a crime is one of the worst things you can do!
At the very least your report might help someone else down the road. Contact the authorities and tell them everything you can.
You'll feel better and may end up helping someone else.
Reduce your junk mail by Opting Out
Reduce your junk mail by Opting Out Four easy ways you can reduce junk mail and marketing phone calls. With DMAChoice, Optoutprescreen, Do-Not-Call lists and Catalog Choice – opting out has never been so easy! This year do something you’ve been meaning to for a long time: put a stop to junk mail and phone […]
How to Conduct Online Banking Transactions Securely
Many fear online banking, thinking it unsafe. Learn the steps you need to take that can make online banking as safe as visiting your local branch. Is online banking safe? You bet it is. One could even argue that people using online banking are in a better position to detect suspicious activity on their accounts […]
Multi-Level Marketing
Back in Amway days multi-level marketing used to be somewhat respectable but now almost all the remaining MLM programs are scams Many, if not all, of today’s multilevel marketing programs involve some degree of fraud. Either they promise sales and incomes that can never be achieved or they are nothing more than pyramid schemes crudely […]
Medical Billing
Medical Transcription or other jobs that let you handle a company’s billing from the comfort of home seldom pay the high income promised in their ads. You’ve probably seen classified ads about lucrative medical billing businesses you can operate from home with incomes reaching as high as $50,000 a year and though that sounded very […]
Assembly and Crafting
Building things at home sounds like a dream job come true but it’s more likely to be a scam designed to build the wealth of a crafty con artist. What could be more perfect, and fun, than making money doing crafts at home? Some of the home assembly offers promise as much as $30 an […]
Turnkey Websites
This late-night informercial favorite claims the money will just roll in once you set up your online store and you have to do practically nothing. You may have seen these “turnkey” websites advertised on a late night television infomercial or in a magazine somewhere promising overnight guaranteed success. While that sounds great there are at […]
Reshipping
Reshipping fraud can both cost you a lot of money and involve you in an international fencing operation that could land you in hot water! Reshipping packages has become the latest in a long list of home business scams. The scam works when people are promised considerable sums of money for receiving, repackaging and then […]
Envelope Stuffing
Stuffing envelopes is a bad idea for a home business because it could end up costing you both time and money. The most common work from home scam, according to U.S. Postal Inspectors, is envelope stuffing. Advertising for this scam promises pay for stuffing envelopes at home in your spare time. Sometimes for as much […]
Fraud Protection Tips
A collection of tips, tricks, and advice on how to avoid being conned, scammed or defrauded. Do not under any circumstances give out your date of birth, mother’s maiden name, social security number and other personal information to people or web sites you are not fully comfortable with. Keep close watch on your sign-in names, […]