It's hard enough to fathom the delinquent acts that have developed into our financial crisis yet the numbers of scams that perpetrators are using are in increasing numbers.

The most recent scam alert from the FDIC dated January 7, 2009 states that there are "E-mail[s] Claiming to Be From The Federal Reserve Bank"

In the last couple of years, Southeast Florida residents have been victimized by door-to-door 'salesmen'  claiming to be repairmen or utility workers who prey especially on the elderly. The elderly have victimized in numerous occassions by being robbed out of money and/or services not rendered according to local television news.

There is also a scam alert from the IRS which warns consumers that "...if it sounds to be too good to be true, it probably is", an old cliche that we are mostly familiar with.  

The Broward County, Florida website has developed a Consumer Protection web page and has compiled a list of scams and alerts, warning consumers to be on the lookout and to prepare themselves from devious perpetrators who claim to be someone that they are not. The website focuses on key scam issues that perpetrators are using to exploit their victims. The website also gives advice and information on what to do in case you have fallen prey of these malicious acts, emphasizing on how to practice safety precautions on how not to fall prey on the hands of these criminals.

"When economic times are tough, we often see a correlating increase in scams and in the number of people who are trying to take advantage of our citizens", said Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum in Tallahassee, FL on Monday March 2, 2009, in regards to a common [consumer] concern reported to state regulators in 2008. ~FAR News and Events March 4, 2009 - Mortgage and Foreclosure Top List of Floridians' Complaints to Regulators.

Recent Scam Alert Articles:

Scammers Target Troubled Borrowers  ~Daily Real Estate News - March 16, 2009

Florida ranks #2 according to a Mortgage Asset Research Institute Study:
Mortgage Fraud Rises As Sales Decline ~DREN March 17, 2009  - The Associated Press

Federal Trade Commision: Rescue Scam Consumer Facts - How Scams Work

Consumer Resources:
National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA)

USA.gov Consumer Guides and Information

OCC Bank Counterfeit Cashier's Check Alert

The White House - A Proclamation by the President of America Barack Obama
National Consumer Protection Week 2009 - February 27, 2009

For more information on criminal scams and alerts visit your local state, county, or city websites for recent scam activities. Although we cannot stop crimes from occurring and will always exist, we can prevent and outsmart scam artists from making more victims out of innocent ones.