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Scams and Consumer Fraud

Helping to build ethnic media’s capacity to report on scams in their communities.

Huge Spike in Consumer Fraud Losses, New FTC Data Show

Peter Schurmann - Mar 13, 2025

US consumers lost $12.5 billion to scammers in 2024, according to new data from the Federal Trade Commission, a 25% increase year-on-year.

Scams and Consumer Fraud

‘They Break Up Families’ — Crypto Scam Leaves Lasting Scars for Atlanta’s Korean Community

Peter Schurmann - Sep 9, 2022

Reporting by Atlanta's Korean media show losses totaling $10 million with alleged victims in the hundreds. One woman is now looking for justice.

Scams and Consumer Fraud

Exodus Lending: An Escape Route for Victims of Predatory Loans

Khalil Abdullah - Jul 6, 2022

Recurring utility bills, rising rents, and now the specter of inflation, often make the easy availability of payday loans too enticing to forgo.

Scams and Consumer Fraud

FTC to Minnesotans: Everyone Has a Scam Story — Now’s the Time to Tell It

Khalil Abdullah - May 27, 2022

The scale of consumer fraud in the United States is staggering, topping $5.8 billion in 2021, much of it impacting communities of color.

Housing

CA Bill Seeks to End 300-Year-Old Foreclosure Practice, Keeping Billions in Communities

Peter Schurmann - Apr 28, 2022

The bill would amend California’s foreclosure process to ensure homeowners retain their equity, addressing a key driver of the racial wealth gap.

Scams and Consumer Fraud

Car Buyers of Color Especially Vulnerable to Fraud, Reports Federal Trade Commission

ACoM - Feb 7, 2022

Last year, The Federal Trade Commission received more than 100,000 complaints from consumers who had been duped by fraudulent sales people.

Economy

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Government Imposters and Fake COVID Cures – How Scammers Rip Off Communities of Color

Jenny Manrique - Oct 28, 2021

Across ethnic communities, scams through used car sales and lending agencies have preyed on people in the midst of their financial struggles.

News Exchange

Summer Brings Out Door to Door Scammers – Chicago Fraud Busters Share Tips at FTC Briefing

Khalil Abdullah - Jun 9, 2021

An imposter may be in uniform, sporting the logo of a utility company or of a well-known business.

Scams and Consumer Fraud

No Place in Montana is Too Remote for Scammers – Reaching tribal residents with the swipe of an iPhone

Khalil Abdullah - Apr 1, 2021

By Khalil Abdullah, Ethnic Media Services For a family in Billings, Montana, a personal apocalypse rode into their lives over the telephone. The voice was...

Scams and Consumer Fraud

Amazon to Pay $61.7 Million to Flex Drivers Whose Tips Were Withheld

ACoM - Feb 10, 2021

By Nina Mohan, Ethnic Media Services Amazon will pay over $61.7 million dollars to the Federal Trade Commission following an investigation that revealed that for...

Scams and Consumer Fraud

FTC’s “Operation Income Illusion” Targets Get-Rich-Quick Scams

Mark Hedin - Dec 16, 2020

Kati Daffan (left), Assistant Director, Legal Services Collaboration and Every Community Initiative, Division of Marketing Practices, FTC; Rhonda Perkins (right), Attorney, Every Community Initiative,...

Scams and Consumer Fraud

Beware Shape-shifting Scammers in the Pandemic

Khalil Abdullah - Sep 30, 2020

By Khalil Abdullah, Ethnic Media Services Consumer fraud is a shape-shifting demon that follows the headlines to target its prey, whether affluent or newly impoverished...

Scams and Consumer Fraud

Coronavirus Opens a Pandora’s Box of Scams

Khalil Abdullah - Jul 14, 2020

Also available in Spanish, Chinese, and Korean. By Khalil Abdullah, Ethnic Media Services Indianapolis, IND -- If Willie Sutton were alive, he wouldn’t be robbing banks,...

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