Florida AG McCollum, Bronson Join National Hispanic Advocacy Group to Warn About Work-At-Home Scams

Advisory follows FTC announcement of national enforcement efforts

October 26, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today issued a consumer advisory in cooperation with the National Hispanic Institute, warning consumers about work-at-home scams. The advisory particularly targeted envelope-stuffing “opportunities” and the state leaders expressed concern that many of the schemes were taking advantage of non-English speaking citizens, a concern shared by Gus West, Board Chairman of the National Hispanic Institute, a national non-profit organization.

“My office has received hundreds of complaints about work-at-home programs, most from consumers claiming they paid a fee but never received wages they were promised,” said Attorney General McCollum. “Even worse, many of these operations are targeting our citizens by advertising in another language, but printing disclaimers in English, thus confusing or misleading the interested consumers. We want to make sure that Floridians know where they can receive assistance if they have been victimized by these deceptive practices.”

Commissioner Bronson echoed the Attorney General’s concerns: “Our citizens are being duped into laying out money with promises of returns that are rarely realized. These scams typically target those who can least afford to lose anything.”

Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a widespread review of work-at-home ads and revealed that nearly 60 percent of the Spanish-language ads for work-at-home opportunities were potentially deceptive. FTC staff has been working with Spanish-language media on identifying potentially fraudulent advertising claims for work at home opportunities and other ad types.

“We commend the Attorney General and the Commissioner for issuing this advisory,” said Chairman West. “We hope that our participation helps Latinos and all Floridians to be more vigilant in safeguarding against fraudulent business practices.”

According to complaints received by the Attorney General’s Consumer Services Division and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ fraud hotline, many complainants claimed they had paid a $45 “registration deposit” to various companies, but never heard from the companies again. Other consumers report they had been told the only way to earn the promised money was to replicate the fraudulent envelope-stuffing scheme by making the same false claims to other consumers.

McCollum and Bronson both urged consumers who believe they have been victimized to contact state authorities to report the fraud. The Attorney General’s fraud hotline is 1-866-966-7226 and complaints can also be filed online at http://www.myfloridalegal.com. The fraud hotline for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is 1-800-435-7352 and its website, where complaints can be filed, is www.800helpfla.com. Complaints can also be filed with the FTC by calling 877-382-4357 or by writing to the following address:

Consumer Response Center
Federal Trade Commission - Rm. 130
600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20580

More information is available online here and at http://www.800helpfla.com/homeemp_text.html.

Source: Florida Attorney General

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