Fighting Fraud in African-American and Latino Communities

When we say we’re fighting fraud in every community here at the FTC, we mean it. We’re bringing cases and reaching out to diverse segments of the population: servicemembers and veterans, older adults, Asian Americans, Native Americans, the disability community, LGBT individuals and groups – and African American and Latino communities.

Our work to fight fraud in these last two communities is the subject of a report we sent to Congress just today. The report talks about what we’ve done in the past and our strategic plan for the coming year. It also describes research on what’s happening in African American and Latino communities when it comes to fraud. Here are some highlights.

• New FTC research shows that African American and Latino communities under-report scams to the FTC, even though consumers in these communities were more likely to experience fraud than the overall population.
• The scams affecting these communities often focus on income and debt. For example, bogus work-from-home opportunities, pyramid schemes, and business opportunity fraud exploit peoples’ need to work, just as credit repair, debt relief, and mortgage relief scams prey on peoples’ need for financial stability.
• Trusted sources of information help get the word out about how to avoid scams – whether it’s a local library, teacher, community advocate, religious organization, or local media outlet. The FTC continues to share our free resources with anyone who can use them to help protect people from fraud.

Reporting fraud is vital – and it’s a way for each of us to help protect our community. So today I’m asking you to talk about fraud. When you think you spot a scam, tell someone. Tell anyone. And then tell the FTC. Because every report makes a difference.