How Scammers Target People
While residing in the United States, Ashish (name changed for privacy) received a perplexing email in his inbox that raised suspicions. The email purported to be from his college professor who requested an urgent phone call at a dubious number. Ashish said that initially, he found the message quite convincing. However, when he cross-checked the information with his contacts, he discovered that the email was, in fact, a scam.
In another incident, Prashanth (name changed for privacy), disclosed his bank account information to a caller who claimed he was owed a federal tax refund. Thankfully, Prashanth acted swiftly, notifying his bank right away, and successfully avoided becoming a victim of a potential scam.
These are just two instances that exemplify the methods scammers employ to deceive people. At a November 21 Ethnic Media Services briefing on the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC), speakers discussed how the new language access capacity to their call center could give the FTC a clearer picture of the scams in play and who they are targeting.
The FTC said that new language enhancements would allow consumers to report fraud, by phone or online, and receive assistance in their preferred language.
How the FTC works to prevent scam
As the nation’s consumer protection agency, the FTC works to stop fraud, deception, and unfair business practices through enforcement.
According to Monica Vaca, FTC’s Deputy Director for the Bureau of Consumer Protection, they conduct investigations, sue companies and people who break the law and try to help people get their money back.
“We also do this through education and outreach. We tell people about their rights and businesses, about their responsibilities, and also share how to spot, avoid, and report scams.” Vaca said that all the reports that they receive go into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a reporting database, which helps them learn about scammers and issue consumer alerts.
Once a consumer has reported a scam that has resulted in loss of money, the FTC shares the next steps with them to help them get their money back, which Vaca says, really depends on the case. “The rights that you have as a consumer depend on the payment mechanism that you used. So, if you used a credit card, you have different rights than if you paid in cash, or if you paid with a check.”
Sometimes those next steps are fairly simple like filing a fraud report with your credit card company to dispute a charge. But they can be difficult in some cases where people put cash in a Federal Express envelope or in the mail. Therefore, it is important to report quickly so the consumers have the best chance possible of getting their money back, added Vaca.
According to Larissa Bungo, a senior attorney in the Division of Consumer and Business Education of FTC, in the year 2022, the Consumer Sentinel Network received over 2.5 million reports of fraud.
Breaking through language barriers
During the briefing, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that its call center will now accept reports in multiple languages, in addition to English and Spanish. This move aims to serve more diverse communities and help consumers file fraud and identity theft reports in their preferred language. The new languages available include Amharic, Mandarin, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Somali, French, Arabic, Russian, Korean, Portuguese, and Polish. This will undoubtedly make it easier for non-English or non-Spanish speakers to receive the necessary help and support.
When asked about the languages that are not on the list, Vaca clarified that their call center has the capacity to cover up to 180 languages. “Just because your language is not on the list, that does not mean we are not covering it. One can report a scam by just following the prompts which will allow them to select a language and speak with an interpreter,” said Vaca.
Consumers can also find free practical guidance, which can help people know how to spot, avoid, and report scams and bad business practices.
“Our resource on how to avoid a scam includes four warning signs of a scam to help people spot them so they can avoid them. There is information to help people know what to do if they have paid a scammer, steps to take to try to get your money back, and know how to protect your personal information,” said Bungo.
There is also a fraud handbook for recent immigrants and refugees that warns them about common scams such as immigration and job scams, and guidance for small business owners on how to spot and avoid typical scams targeting businesses like fake invoices and business impersonation scams.
The resource materials are available in all languages mentioned above.
Beware of holiday scams
During the holiday season, experts report a rise in fraud, particularly in online scams where people purchase goods that are never delivered. Vaca cautioned consumers about sites that appear only on social media because they may not really exist. “Try to do business with a company that has a good reputation and if you don’t know the company, please try to look it up online and see if you come up with any information about that company,” said Vaca.
Meanwhile, Bungo explained how scammers impersonate Amazon, UPS, or FedEx with fake delivery notifications and request that customers click on a link due to ‘delivery issues.’
“Please avoid the temptation to click on the link. Instead, if you have placed an order, go to the legitimate source and check your order history,” warned Bungo.
Photo by Taylor Grote on Unsplash
