How To Protect Yourself - Scams and Cons Explained

Protecting Your Financial Health

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Learn about scams before they happen. While we cannot offer legal advice we can teach and inform so you know what to watch for. Collection offers may sound valid, but companies want your money and may promise to help. This is your online scam, fraud and con prevention center

On these pages we tell you the truth about settlements scams, debt collector scams, false promises, and how companies later claim "There is no record of that conversation", and how to prevent future frustration

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The FBI says types of public corruption include:

Law Enforcement corruption at the state or local level typically involves the payment of bribes or kickbacks in exchange for official actions or inaction. It also includes any violation of law not necessarily connected to the official duties of law enforcement personnel.

Legislative corruption at the state or local level usually involves payment of bribes or kickbacks in exchange for official action or inaction. These bribes or kickbacks can be received by the legislators themselves, by aides, by staff persons, and/or by outside parties doing business with the government.

Municipal corruption involves illegal activities similar to legislative corruption. Common corruption schemes at a local level include bribes or kickbacks in exchange for: supporting local ordinances, approving local government bond issuance, reducing taxes unlawfully, fraudulently manipulating probate assets, and conspiring with others to rezone property or to influence land-use proposals.

Judicial corruption typically arises out of the corrupt influencing of state or local judges, juries, or court personnel (clerks, bailiffs, probation officials, and other administrative staff). Common corrupt schemes include: payments to judiciary personnel in exchange for dismissal of charges; reduction of charges, bonds, or sentences; waiver of fines; return of forfeitable property; and favorable probation conditions.

Contract corruption usually involves the payment of bribes or kickbacks to local or state officials in exchange for favorable treatment on government contracts. Potential subjects are private contractors, anyone acting on their behalf, and public officials involved in the contracting process (procurement officers, purchasing agents, city councilpersons, and county commissioners).

Regulatory corruption involves payment to local, state, or federal officials in exchange for favorable action or inaction pertaining to identification documents, licensing, and inspection and zoning variances. Unlawful payments are commonly known as bribes and kickbacks.

Prison corruption involves corrections officers taking unlawful payment for acts directly or indirectly related to their job. Common schemes include: smuggling contraband into the facility, granting unlawful privileges, and prematurely releasing inmates.

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Bill Collectors Fined for violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

If a debt collector runs a scam or violates the law, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, they can be fined and held accountable.

Consider the case of Arrow Financial Services. The fine was the largest civil penalty ever imposed against a collection agency licensed in Minnesota.

The Department of Commerce’s investigation alleged that Niles, Ill.-based Arrow Financial Services:

• Withdrew money electronically from a debtor’s checking account without authorization and after two separate requests to stop.
• Contacted debtors at work after requests to stop.
• Disclosed debt information to a debtor’s co-worker.
• Allowed a collector to contact a debtor prior to receiving a debt collector license, and submitted an application for a debt collector’s license despite a recent felony conviction.
• Failed to respond to the Department of Commerce’s request for information, failed to provide responses from individual debt collectors and failed to provide copies of debtor work logs. "This company says it provides courteous and professional service, but they missed the mark," Commerce Commissioner Glenn Wilson said. "The violations are serious and we cannot and will not tolerate this type of activity in Minnesota."

Also as part of the penalty, Arrow Financial Services must design and implement a compliance program within 60 days to address the areas where violations occurred.

The company is part of Sallie Mae

As the customer you can protect yourself by keeping good records including phone logs and mail logs. Document everything that was said, follow up, and keep a good diary.

2010/09/03 · by T. Blake