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Consumer Fraud Online
Consumer Fraud Online is a website devoted to helping the hundreds of thousands of consumers victimized each year by fraudulent, abusive and deceptive business practices. The sponsors of this website are committed to promoting justice for consumers, and are actively engaged in promoting a fair and open marketplace that legally and forcefully protects the rights of consumers, particularly those of modest means.
To request a preliminary evaluation and information on options if you have been a victim of consumer fraud, contact Consumer Fraud Online.
The number of fraudulent schemes inflicted upon consumers is alarming.
In 2005, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released its annual report detailing consumer complaints about fraud. Consumers reported fraud losses of over $680 million; the median monetary loss was $350. Internet-related complaints accounted for 46% of all reported fraud complaints, with monetary losses of over $335 million and a median loss of $345. Complaints about identity theft topped the list, accounting for 255,000 of more than 686,000 complaints filed with the agency. Other top categories of consumer fraud complaints included:
Internet Auctions — 12 percent
Foreign Money Offers — 8 percent
Shop-at-Home/Catalog sales — 8 percent
Prizes/Sweepstakes and Lotteries — 7 percent
Business Opportunities and Work-at-Home plans — 2 percent
Advance Loans and Credit Protection — 2 percent
Telephone Services — 2 percent
Many incidents of consumer fraud could have been avoided if the proper preventive measures were taken by consumers. The FTC is constantly issuing new rules regulations, consumer advisories, and guides. A good starting point for research into these topics is the FTC's website, and in particular their Guidance Documents page.
Help for Victims of Consumer Fraud
Consumer Fraud Online is provided as a source of information and practical help for consumer fraud victims and their families. Many types of consumer fraud are described on this website, as are various preventive measures to give you a sense of what you can do to protect yourself from becoming a victim. Of course, a thorough investigation will need to take place to evaluate any particular consumer fraud complaint. To do this, the sponsors of this web site have assembled a team of lawyers and experts with substantial experience in investigating claims of consumer fraud. Working together, these lawyers and experts collaborate to offer hope to consumer fraud victims.
Each day, deceptive acts and practices are being used by corporations against ordinary consumers, and Consumer Fraud Online helps consumers obtain compensation for damages suffered as a result of fraudulent conduct. We also help consumers fight corporate abuses of our consumer protection laws, such as mandatory arbitration clauses, which prohibit consumers from filing lawsuits and force all disputes to mandatory arbitration hearings. These arbitration clauses are carefully drafted to stack the deck against consumers: it is the companies that select the arbitrators, arrange for the arbitration in places convenient for the company, forbid class actions, limit discovery, and prohibit recoveries such as punitive damages and attorneys fees. Consumer Fraud Online understands that these clauses are not isolated examples of unconscionable conduct, and that consumers are victimized twice: once when they are defrauded and a second time when they are barred from seeking relief in a court of law. We are here to help you challenge these barriers to a full and just recovery.
Our New York law firm specializes in utilizing powerful and complex consumer laws to help vulnerable Americans seek economic justice. Today’s consumer marketplace is complex and full of pitfalls, even for those of us with all the necessary skills and advantages. For unsuspecting and low-income consumers it is far more treacherous — even the smallest misstep can lead to financial ruin and a sense of hopelessness that paralyzes individual progress.
Everyone Deserves Fair Treatment
You need only read the morning headlines or watch the news on TV to see the many abuses unwary consumers wake up to every day — predatory lending, mandatory arbitration, home repair rip offs, credit counseling abuses, mortgage scams, bankruptcy, and much more. The problems are many, the effects are devastating, and the solutions are complex. But no matter how tough the road, help is available to you — the consumer — because everyone deserves a fair chance in the marketplace.
Consumer Fraud Online encourages visitors to this web site to explore its contents and learn more about protecting yourself from becoming a victim of fraud and the legal remedies which may be available to you.
To request an attorney’s thoughtful evaluation of a consumer fraud case, contact us through this Web site.
Meiselman, Denlea, Packman, Carton & Eberz P.C. has created Consumer Fraud Online as a source of information for consumers. Located in White Plains, NY, the firm serves clients nationwide.