Consumer Fraud
We are all consumers. We buy things and hire companies to provide services for us. When a business intentionally cheats us during a consumer transaction, ie commits fraud (a fancy word for cheating), that is generally called "Consumer Fraud." It's a relatively new area of legal practice; very few lawyers specialize in consumer fraud. With more and more fraud being uncovered, committed by almost every conceivable type of business or corporation, most of us have fallen victim to some sort of consumer fraud during our lifetimes. But, with law firms, such as ours, with experience in handling consumer fraud cases coming to the forefront, consumers are able to fight back and make the bad guys pay for what they did.
Another way to understand the potential vastness of consumer fraud is to think of everything you bought during the last year; every company you paid to do something for you; every product you used. The list spans pages and pages, from the market, to the car wash, to the bank, to the home improvement store, and on and on. Every single transaction carries a risk that you could be swindled. Some of the most common areas involve predatory lending practices by mortgage brokers and lenders; auto dealer fraud; credit card or collection agency scams; deceptive insurance practices; denial of disability benefits; and rip-offs by unlicensed contractors.
If you're a victim of consumer fraud, do something about it! Call us.
What about "Small" Rip-Offs?
Often, folks will ask us about “small” rip-offs, cheats, or scams. “I only got cheated out of a few hundred dollars” or “is it worth going after the bad guys for a small amount”? It depends. Each case is different. But, consumer laws are tough. They allow us to take even smaller cases, get our attorney fees paid, get money for you, and even get extra penalties against the crooked business! Some cases even warrant punitive damages to punish businesses for cheating consumers like you. What may look like a small case, could turn out to be a lot bigger than it seems, or even lead to a class action, where many consumers have been ripped-off for small amounts but in the same type of scam by one or more businesses. We look at many different factors when evaluating a case, not just the value of what was lost. Consumer fraud cases are complex by nature, and sometimes only investigation will determine if there is a good case or not. We look at the conduct of the “bad guys” and ask ourselves “does this make us angry? Is this outrageous? Does this make us want to stop this type of sleazy conduct?” We try to imagine how jurors would see this case and what they would do if the case went to trial. So don’t give up just because the case may seem small. Sometimes small cases can lead to big money justice!
New Kinds of Fraud?
TELL US! We’re always interested in hearing about new scams. Tell us if you know about something new or different, or if you think it’s something that’s just not right. It doesn’t have to be against consumers. It can be a big business ripping off a smaller one by unfair competition or price-fixing, a medical office committing medicare or medical fraud against the government, or any other type of fraudulent activity. In fact, in certain whistle-blower situations, you may even be entitled to a portion of the recovery when the cheaters have to pay! More importantly, it’s just not decent or fair to lie, cheat or steal, and all of us have an obligation to stand up to this type of unacceptable behavior and loudly say . . .
“NO, WE WON’T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THAT!”
Not in our town. Not in our community.
Not against our friends, neighbors, and families.
Not now, not ever.