Avoiding Scams: New Video and Help from the FTC

Today’s troubled economic waters are infested with a school of hungry sharks – con artists who promise people a lifeline through jobs, recession-proof income, and access to free government grant money.  They’re bleeding money from individuals…and from the economy as a whole.

That’s why the Federal Trade Commission and its partners are moving aggressively through enforcement and education.  There’s more about today’s announcement of a major enforcement action here: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/07/shortchange.shtm .

On the education front, the nation’s consumer protection agency has produced a new video to help people learn how to spot a scam.  The video is posted at: www.ftc.gov. It features a former telemarketer of fraudulent business opportunities who explains exactly how he got people to part with their money.  It also features two of his victims, as well, describing how they got caught.

The video is posted at www.ftc.gov, and more resources about helping people avoid business opportunity scams are at www.ftc.gov/bizopp .