Was Live Thu, Nov 10, 2022 | 11 am PT
Guest Speakers:
- Monica Vaca, Deputy Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission (Washington DC)
- Joannie Wei, Assistant Director, Federal Trade Commission, Midwest Region (Chicago)
- Michael Elliot, Staff Attorney, DNA-People’s Legal Services (Flagstaff)
- Sherrie DNA, a member of the Navajo Nation, who recently experienced consumer fraud
News Report from this Media Briefing
Event Overview
The FTC – the leading federal agency charged with protecting consumers from fraud – brings law enforcement actions to stop scams, but its effectiveness depends on hearing from people about the scams targeting them. Every year, scammers steal hundreds of millions of dollars from people by pretending to be the government or tech support, selling useless products, or promoting fake lotteries and sweepstakes. This briefing will report on a new national initiative by the FTC to build public awareness among Native Americans about how to spot and avoid scams in their communities, as well as where to report them.
The briefing will share with Native American news media the most recent FTC data on fraud and scams; legal action the FTC has taken to fight fraud and even get money back for people who lost it to scams or bad business practices; and free resources to inform people and help them protect themselves from scams. It will also include first-person testimonies from two members of the Navajo Nation about the bad business practices they encountered and what actions they took to defend themselves.
Presented by Ethnic Media Services
and the Federal Trade Commission
