Finding yourself or a loved one the victim of a fraud or scam can be shocking, but in this economy where we face catastrophic levels of unemployment, new taxes, business loss, and home foreclosures, the repercussions of these types of crimes can be devastating to our personal finances. None of us can afford to be victims of fraud, identity theft, or other malicious practices. This page is designed to bring you information that can help you protect yourself and your family from these types of crimes.
Now, more than ever, protection of finances and assets is crucial to our sustainability. Many have already fallen victim to illegal business practices, identity theft, internet scams, and questionable phone or internet solicitations. According to Javelin Strategy and Research, there were 10 million victims of identity theft in 2008 in the United States.
Victims of theft averaged $1,620 in losses per household (U.S. DOJ, 2005). The pie chart below illustrates the most common types of identity theft based on the Federal Trade Commission complaint data.
Earlier this year I was appointed to the Legislature’s Select Committee on Investment Malfeasance. We held a hearing in Los Angeles regarding the fraudulent activity of investor Bernie Madoff and the impact those crimes had on California consumers.
At least 429 individual Californians – not including businesses or charities – fell victim to Madoff’s global Ponzi scheme. It ultimately robbed investors of some $65 billion dollars and earned Madoff a lifetime in prison. Many small investors lost their life savings and are now facing the loss of their homes.
Unfortunately, this is not the only fraudulent activity being perpetrated in California. Scams run the gamut from defrauding Senior citizens and stealing identity, to taking advantage of people in foreclosure. The best way to thwart these illegal activities is to be aware, alert and informed.
If you feel you have been the victim of a scam or illegal business practice, you will find links to available resources to help you address your concerns. This web portal also contains tips on how to protect yourself in the future.
It is my hope that with the information provided you will be able to stay educated and informed on this important topic.
Resources
Toll Free: 1-800-952-5210 (CA)
Toll Free: 1-800-326-2297
Publications
Toll Free: 1-800-9525225
916-322-3360
Protecting Consumers
Protecting Children and Seniors
Here you can find answers to questions concerning:
Charities
Collection Agencies
Credit Reports
Internet Auctions
Unsolicited Emails/Faxes/Calls
Lemon Law/ Autos
Business practices/Complaints
Here you can find answers to questions concerning:
Foreclosure
Credit Scams
Equal Credit Opportunity Act
Reporting
Cooling-Off Rule
Consumer Disputes
Phone Fraud
Automated Debit Scams
Warranties
Car Advertisements
Scholarship Scams
Business Scams
Here you can find answers to questions regarding:
Product Recalls
Consumer Product-related Statistics
Facts & Figures
- 10 million victims of identity theft in 2008 in the United States (Javelin Strategy and Research, 2009).
- Incomes higher than $70,000 were twice as likely to experience identity theft than those with salaries under $50,000 (U.S. DOJ, 2005).
- 26-32% of victims between 4 and 6 months to straighten out problems caused by identity theft; 11-23% of victims spend 7 months to a year resolving their cases (ITRC Aftermath Study, 2004).
- Businesses across the world lose $221 billion a year due to identity theft (Aberdeen Group).
- On average, victims lose between $851 and $1,378 out-of-pocket trying to resolve identity theft (ITRC Aftermath Study, 2004).
- In cases of child identity theft, the most common perpetrator is the child's parent(ITRC Aftermath Study, 2004).
- Stolen wallets and physical paperwork accounts for almost half (43%) of all identity theft (Javelin Strategy and Research, 2009).
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a joint venture of the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, in 2007 found:
- Online auction fraud was the most reported type of fraud and accounted for 44.9% of consumer’s complaints
- About 70% of the fraud victims were scammed through www (e.g. online auctions)
- About 30% of the victims were scammed by email
- The average loss for all Internet frauds was $1,500. (More than half of these losses occurred through auctions)
Legislation
Provided is a list of legislation that I have authored or co-authored while in the legislature to protect consumers.
- SB 771 Unsolicited and unwanted telephone solicitations, 2001
- AB 1769 Advertising: Unsolicited cellular telephone and pager text messages, 2002
- SB 890 Unfair Competition, 2003
- AB 102 Unfair Competition, 2003
- AB 1092 Gift Certificates: service fees, 2003
- AB 1641 Consumer Warranties, 2005
- SB 839 Identity Theft, 2006
- SB 200 Raffles: Internet Advertisement, 2009
- SB 424 Vehicles: manufacturers and distributors, 2009
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