Markets Wired

The Federal Trade Commission will host a workshop entitled “Fraud Affects Every Community” on Oct. 29, 2014, in Washington to examine how fraud affects groups including older adults, servicemembers and veterans, low-income communities, and African-Americans, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans.

The FTC’s law enforcement experience, input from consumer advocates, and survey research reveal that some broadly-targeted frauds – such as telemarketing fraud, debt-relief services, phony opportunities to earn income, and unauthorized billing schemes – are more likely to affect certain communities. Meanwhile, some scams target specific populations – such as service-members shopping for cars, or people seeking help with the immigration process.

This workshop will examine the marketplace experiences of people in these communities, identify areas of concern in different communities, and seek to find actionable remedies through cooperation, law enforcement, industry fraud-prevention initiatives, community outreach and education. The event will bring together consumer advocates, state and federal regulators, fraud prevention experts, academics and researchers to discuss the issues. Its findings will enhance the FTC’s ongoing efforts to fight fraud in the marketplace in every community.

The workshop will address the following issues:

• What are the top consumer protection concerns in each community?
• What types of fraud are most prevalent in each community?
• What are the different experiences consumers have on the Internet?
• What interventions by consumer groups, industry, or academics have been and could be successful to prevent fraud?

Individuals who are interested in speaking at the workshop can email everycommunity@ftc.gov with information about any relevant experience in this area by Sept. 24, 2014. The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will be held at the FTC’s Headquarters location at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.

The Commission will publish a more detailed agenda at a later date.

Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Requests should be submitted to Lara Kittleson via email at lkittleson@ftc.gov or by calling 202-326-3388. Requests should be made in advance, and include a detailed description of the accommodations needed and contact information.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.