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Federal Trade Commission Goes After Recession Scam Artists

Federal Trade Commission logo.JPGJesus tells us that there is nothing worse than a false prophet. But that’s probably because he never met someone who was offering a fake job in the middle of a global economic recession.

If you’ve been laid off for any length of time, I’m sure you’ve seen these scam artists who offer great job leads, for a small fee. Some people have been willing to pay, only to find out that they might as well have sent their money to Nigeria to aid a distressed prince.

I don’t know what kind of depraved individual preys on people that have recently lost their job, but that’s just evil. That’s like telling somebody they can afford to own a home with no money down and giving them an interest rate that balloons in the out-years. Who does that?

Thankfully, the Federal Trade Commission is stepping in to try to stop this madness. Here’s its plan:

Today’s troubled economic waters are infested with a voracious school of sharks — con artists who are promising people a lifeline through jobs, recession-proof income, and access to free government grant money. They are bleeding money from individuals, and from the economy as a whole.

That’s why the Federal Trade Commission and its partners are moving aggressively through enforcement and education. On the education front, the nation’s consumer protection agency has produced a new video to help people learn how to spot a scam. It’s available at www.ftc.gov. The video features a former telemarketer of fraudulent business opportunities who explains exactly how he got people to part with their money, and two of his victims, as well.

I hope the FTC is able to help get these scam artists off the (virtual) street. Then I hope criminals receive 150 years in prison where they are attacked daily by Michael Vick’s dogs. Don’t tell young professionals like lawyers that they can get a job when everybody already knows that they can’t. Bastards.

Check out the video, after the jump.

Aside from the obvious “if somebody promises you a job, they are lying,” method of avoiding these scams, here are some other tips from the FTC:

In all seriousness, watch out for these scams.

Scam Watch [Federal Trade Commission]

Comments

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1 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:10 PM

fucking terrorists

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2 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:10 PM

first

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3 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:16 PM

Keep New York moving forward. Vote Elie Mystal for state senator.

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4 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:20 PM

Just one minor difference b/w scamming the unemployed and offering ARMs: ARM lenders fully disclose the terms of the loan and request their customers' informed consent.

Like I said, minor difference.

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5 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:21 PM

It is about time the FTC got serious. By the way, have you heard about my new book, "Cancer Cures They Don't Want you to Know About?" It's out in paperback next week.

--Kevin Trudeau

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6 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:29 PM

"Back in the Depression, you had to grift. It was either that, or work."
-Abe "Grandpa" Simpson

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7 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:29 PM

I'm pretty sure that guy and others like him will get to spend their eternity in hell right next to some creepy kid-touching pederast.

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8 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:29 PM

The FTC is going after law school deans now?

9 Posted by Misfit Mascot Panda | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:30 PM

Jesus also once said "Don't try to be a great man. Just be a man, and let history judge your greatness."

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10 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:31 PM

what kind of idiot falls for these scams?

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11 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:34 PM

I am a jobless rising 3L at Michigan. I want to kill myself.

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12 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:35 PM

8, give it a month, they are just catching on to the recession scams.

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13 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:35 PM

I am a jobless rising 3L at Michigan. I want to kill myself.

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14 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:38 PM

If they want to die, perhaps they should do so, and decrease the surplus population.

-- Ebeneezer Scrooge

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15 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:39 PM

nobody was scammed worse than the Latham first years

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16 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:40 PM

Has anyone ever tried to sue Adam West or Ernest Borgnine for their part in advertising these things?

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17 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:50 PM

Obama = false prophet

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18 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:53 PM

17 = false prophet

Obama = false messiah

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19 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:57 PM

16, sue Adam West? You can't sue Batman. Haven't you ever heard of the Doctrine of Superhero Immunity?

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20 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 6:09 PM

It is so hard to read this blog these days because of Elie's political nonsense. Idiots fall for these scams, and idiot buy mortgages they cannot afford. Here comes the government to save the idiots once again.

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21 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 6:19 PM

"scam artists who offer great job leads, for a small fee."

What about scam artists who promise great jobs for a large fee..... you know....3rd tier law schools.

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22 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 6:30 PM

21: Beat you to the punch.

--8

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23 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 6:32 PM

4, the ARM brokers also actually give you the money to buy a house, which you get to live in.

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24 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 9:54 PM

Yeah. Those kind hearted ARM brokers were humanitarians. It couldn't be their fault they ended up rich. From bad loans. And then the rest of us picked up the tab.

Nope. No good deed goes unpunished. Those ingrates somehow came up with the idea that they could buy a house and just twisted arms until they got an exploitative loan.

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25 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 10:21 PM

Dan reads like communist propoganda.

All the lawyers have now been "liberated" from employment, which we only clung to, in our limited misunderstanding, because of "intertia." Yay for the worker. Take that Sallie Mae.

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26 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, July 1, 2009 11:35 PM

Well played, 5.

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27 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, July 2, 2009 9:43 AM

Jesus never said that there is nothing worse than a false prophet. Changing the words of Jesus is a significant offense however, and with over 24,000 pieces of first century New Testament documents in existence and the bibliographical consistency of the original text, those words can easily be verified.

Maybe you shouldn't USE Jesus.

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