FourFourFourTwo article Consumers who believe they are being fleeced are being duped by scam artists.
Here are five tricks that can help.
1.
Give them a choice.
Consumer advocates and others who have spoken to victims of consumer frauds say consumers should be able to choose to pay the difference between the price of a product and what they paid for it. 2.
Give people a reason to be suspicious.
“We need to be able for consumers to think about the scam before they buy,” said Jennifer Schmid, a lawyer with the Consumer Watchdog law firm.
3.
Get them to pay upfront.
“If they don’t, they’ll have no incentive to buy,” she said.
Consumers can also opt out of a fraudulent purchase by making a payment at the time of purchase.
4.
Avoid getting caught in the middle.
When you sign up for a credit card or other consumer credit card, you may be told to enter your name and address.
However, many consumers may not realize they are signing up for an account they may not have even read about.
Some have trouble remembering the details.
“A lot of people think, ‘I just have to click a button, and it’s over,'” Schmid said.
5.
Reject the scammer.
If a fraudster tries to trick you into making a fraudulent payment, you can tell them you don’t want to do it, and that you want to make the payment right away.
If you are a victim of fraud and feel you need to take action, the Consumer Fraud Prevention Center has resources on how to file a lawsuit.
Contacting a consumer fraud expert The first step to preventing fraud is recognizing a scam and speaking to the consumer’s financial advisor.
Consumers should be offered information on the products they need to purchase, what the credit card companies will charge, what to expect if they do get charged, and how to report a fraud.
The consumer should also be told that the person making the fraudulent payment may be trying to defraud them by claiming credit card fraud protection.
Consumers also need to know what they can do if they get the impression that the consumer has been scammed.
“The consumer has a right to know whether there is fraud, or if there is, it is the consumer who should be responsible for identifying it,” said Lisa Fennell, a consumer finance expert at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
3rd and 4th principles Consumer advocacy groups and consumer groups and financial advisers say consumers need to understand that some consumer credit cards offer protections that do not apply to other types of cards.
For example, the American Express Discover Card has a $100 annual fee and a $50 fee if you cancel the card in a year, and the $100 statement credit does not apply in certain circumstances.
But credit cards that are not cardholders, such as a personal or family loan, are not covered by these protections.
4th principle Consumer advocates say the best protection is for consumers not to pay up, or to make payments.
If someone is going to try to deface or defraud your business, it may not be worth your time to pay that much extra to defend your business.
5th principle Consumers should not assume that if they don.t get a refund, they dont have the right to a refund.
In fact, you should file a dispute with the credit bureau if you suspect fraud and pay up the difference with the money you should have already paid.