Protecting Yourself Against Fraudulent Lawyers

August 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Because a lawyer is a trained professional at law, we tend to trust them more than we do many other professions. In most cases this trust is well founded, as lawyers are generally honest and ethical people who are sincere in representing their clients. The problem is that lawyers are human like the rest of us and, as we all know, all avenues of life have their fair share of ‘bad eggs.’

Many motorists distrust towing companies because they seem more interested in making money out of accidents than caring for victims. They may be hesitant to consider the ethical honesty of their Florida truck accident lawyer. It is not until they are hurt before they realize they’ve suffered a wrong.

In most countries, Bar Associations fight for the right to keep their own colleagues honest by hearing any charges made against their fellows. In most cases it works well, as peers are often the best judge of their own when one of them transgresses. However, there is a movement in some states to strengthen the consumer laws so that legislation more tightly controls the activities of lawyers.

In one case, Cripe v. Leiter, the claimant wished to sue her lawyer under Illinois consumer fraud statute for over-billing. The claim against the lawyer was that the over-billing constituted fraud. The lower court found the lawyer was subject to the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act, and the State Supreme Court reversed the decision on appeal.

This means the lawyers’ own American Bar Association remains the place to hear fraud claims against their own.

Filed Under: Corruption Tagged With: , ,

Avoiding Fraud

March 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Avoiding Fraud

If you are in the habit of divulging personal information with little second thought you may want to reconsider. By giving this personal information out you are opening yourself up to the prospect of being scammed and your identity beings stolen from you. This is not worth being careless. Taking the time to get information from those who are asking you to give your information could save you from being in the middle of an identity theft situation. Ask a few questions. Find out what their contact information is and where they are licensed to do business before you go and give over everything about yourself. This is vital to saving yourself from fraud. There are online degree programs available that provides fraud prevention measures and tips.

Another thing to be careful of when you get the call or email saying you have been chosen is your financial information or credit card information. This is potentially the best way to make yourself a victim of fraud. You want to avoid giving out any way for individuals to get potential access to your finances. There are a number of things you can do to avoid this including not giving this information out without first checking the entity reputation. Make sure the person or business you are dealing with has a good reputation and can be trusted with your personal information. Taking these steps may seem like a headache but it is much less a headache then having to clean up the mess left behind after being a victim to fraud and dealing with reclaiming your identity.

Filed Under: Fraud Awarness Tagged With: , ,

Take the Time to Protect from Fraud

March 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Take the Time to Protect from Fraud

There are many things to be careful of in the technologically savvy world that provides the easy way to do just about everything. It can often be so easy in fact that individuals do not realize they are falling into a fraudulent situation. Too often those who are desperate for some good news and something being given to them are ready to give all the information needed for a person or entity to take over their lives and destroy their finances. This is why it is imperative that you never give out any personal information, especially on the internet without understanding who you are giving the information to and how they will be using the information, not just at that moment but in the future. You want to be sure they have no plans to sell your information or allow other affiliated entities the use of your personal information.

Although it is easier to just do everything online and give out personal information without really thinking about it, taking the few moments to ask important questions of the person asking the information could save you from losing your identity and your finances. Never giving information freely is a wise decision when it comes to online information sharing. Avoiding the prospect all together is the best measure. This having been said, if you feel that you want to exchange information do your homework first. Make sure that the entity you are giving the information to gives you all of their contact information and licensing information. Before giving your information out confirm what they have given you. This may seem like a lot of work but it is well worth the effort when you consider you could be saving your financial world.

Filed Under: Financial, Fraud Awarness Tagged With: , ,

Taking Precautions to Avoid Fraud

February 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Taking Precautions to Avoid Fraud

For those who are already having a difficult time with the economic state of the country it is easy to see how they might be panicked by the possibility of being the victim of fraud. Consumers are being especially careful of how hey handle their money. Taking measures to avoid fraud should be no less important. There are several ways to ensure that you are not taken advantage of and that your money is safe. Taking the extra steps before putting your finances at risk will certainly pay off.

One precaution that every person should take is understanding who you are giving your personal information to. Before you hand out any information concerning your social security number, your bank information or your credit make sure to ask questions of the person interested. The person or entity should be willing to give you all the information you are looking for ahead of time. Use this information to research the person or business with the local authorities. For businesses there are many bureaus responsible for maintaining complaints and other such information.

You should always be cautious about giving your personal information over the telephone. There is no reason for such information to pass back and forth without written applications that you can put your hands on. It is also vital that you are not giving your information out to someone seeking it from you. If you are the one approaching business opportunities you can expect that your information will be necessary, however do not give it to a person or entity that you have not thoroughly investigated. If there are complaints against a particular company you will be able to get this information from your secretary of state’s office.

When handing out personal and financial information like the numbers of your prepaid credit card you want to be sure to ask if they will be giving your information to any third party members or affiliates of their company. Often your information is given once and then passed around to other companies and entities.

Filed Under: Fraud Awarness Tagged With: ,

No Fraud, No Lawsuit

December 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Cerebral Palsy
Image by mtsofan via Flickr

Mention the word “fraud” and “lawsuit” in the same sentence, and you’ll likely get the attention of almost anyone around you. That’s because it’s generally expected that wherever or whenever there’s a fraud committed, a lawsuit will likely follow.

Committing a fraudulent act carries with it some pretty severe consequences in most every state in the country. Many public officials and private organizations work tirelessly to ensure that in each situation, the punishment meets the crime and deters individuals from committing those acts again. The Maryland medical malpractice attorneys have tried many cases involving fraudulent behavior, and other attorneys in other states have taken note of their victories and have used them in compiling their own medical malpractice cases.

What kinds of actions constitute fraud? They can include:

  • Knowingly employing deceptive financial practices when dealing with a person to gain control of his or her money (saying one thing and then “forgetting” what was discussed).
  • Failure to disclose all parts of a contract to an individual, especially if that person lacks the capability to fully enter into a contract because of only having limited knowledge or education (i.e. children, mentally-impaired people or elderly adults).
  • Applying undue pressure to have a person sign a contract without full disclosure.

Very often, people know exactly what things warrant fraudulent behavior and don’t need to have it spelled out to them. However, in some cases, it is necessary to seek legal advice because fraud laws can vary widely from state to state. There are differences when it comes to what acts are legal and what acts are not. It’s not a good idea to leave to chance what things are legal. Instead, you should look closely at the law concerning business dealings, real estate matters, medical procedures and even most retail experiences to decide what is and what is not a fraudulent matter.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Financial, General Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Avoiding Fraud is Vital to Getting Justice

December 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Sixth Sense
Image by guano via Flickr

No one likes to think they’ve been the victim of fraud. It’s important that people find ways to avoid fraud, because they can get taken for a lot of money and have other problems because of it. That’s why it’s a good idea to check out companies that you plan to work with, people who you are bringing into your life, and anything else that you’re considering. There are advertisements for money-making opportunities, and there are all kinds of options out there in the world. Most of them are legitimate, or at least reasonable. Some are not, and it’s very important that you weed them out so you don’t end up wasting time and money on them.

You also have to be careful if you need legal advice, even for something as simple as a DUI misdemeanor. Getting the right lawyer matters, and there are many good ones out there. Like any profession, though, there are unscrupulous people who care more about making money than they do about the people they work with and help. When you find those people, just walk away and look for other people who actually care about what they’re doing. You’ll find a lot more of them, fortunately, than you will the negative people who can be fraudulent and cause you trouble.

Making good choices can sometimes be difficult, because it’s possible for some people to be very deceptive and you won’t catch it until it’s too late. Being careful and not jumping into anything before you check it out thoroughly is the best way to find what you need out of life and keep the right people around you. That way you’ll be much more likely to have only good people in your life and in your business dealings, helping you see success without worry.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Corruption, Financial Tagged With: , ,

Fraud and Business Cards

November 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
BERLIN - DECEMBER 18: Businessman Lars Windho...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

You should be able to trust the legitimacy of paperwork and documents such as business cards and business forms. When a company has documents like letterheads and envelopes that appear to be legitimate, you should be able to trust that the company would be legitimate and therefore trustworthy. The truth is that you need to “trust but verify” every business that you work with in order to ensure that you are not being taken advantage of or defrauded. There are supposed business owners out there that are not legitimate, and they are giving legitimate businesses a bad name as a result.

When you are dealing with a business, and the business appears to have legitimate business cards, flyers, letterheads, envelopes and other documents, this is a good sign that the business is in good standing. There are other things that you can do as well, however. For example, you can check with the BBB or Better Business Bureau to find out if anyone has ever lodged a complaint about the business. You can also perform an internet search for the name of the company and words like “legitimate” or “scam” to see what comes up. If the business is fraudulent, the internet will have something to say about it.

It is vitally important that you only work with businesses that are legitimate. Doing business with fraudulent businesses only gives those fraudulent companies more reasons to keep defrauding people and other companies. Although it can be hard to find out which businesses are legitimate and which are not, this is an important process in making sure that you only do business with companies that deserve your business and not the ones that do not. Doing business with legitimate companies is the right way to support true business people rather than fraudsters.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Corruption, Fraud Awarness Tagged With: , ,

Watch Out for Fraud in the Refinance Car Loan Industry

September 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Business fraud can occur in any business industry. This is simply the nature of modern business, because many unscrupulous people are doing business in this day in age. When you decide that you want to check into a refinance car loan, you have to be prepared to protect yourself against people that may not have your best interests in mind. If you do not protect yourself against fraud while refinancing your car loan, an unscrupulous lender may attempt to take advantage of you. The more you know about business fraud, the more you will be able to protect yourself.

When you refinance a car loan, what you are doing is attempting to alter the terms of your car loan to benefit you in some way. A refinanced car loan should offer you more favorable terms. When you refinance your car loan, the result may be a longer term period, a lower interest rate, or lower monthly payments. The reason is that you are refinancing for a smaller amount than the original cost of the loan, and you have been paying your loan as agreed, so you should be able to get a better interest rate as well.

Unfortunately, sometimes when lendesr help you with your refinance, they may actually try to give themselves the more favorable terms. Loan fraud can exist in large and small ways, so sometimes fraud may be committed against you without it being readily apparent. Because of this, it is imperative that you read over the terms of the loan carefully and completely to make sure that the deal is favorable for all involved parties and not working against you in some manner. Refinancing a car loan can definitely be a good thing when the loan terms are honest and beneficial to you, but you have to be careful not to let a lender get the best of you.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Fraud Awarness, General Tagged With: , , ,