Californians have lost nearly $125 million to fraud in 2018 alone. Scams can take on many forms from bogus lotteries to sham charities, to imaginary real estate investments. We’re here to educate and protect consumers and business owners from the ever-growing list of traps intended to take your money and compromise your security.
Disaster fraud
After a disaster, some people see an opportunity to take advantage of those who may have just lost their home or business by offering repair services that may be unnecessary or at an inflated price. Others may play on the sympathies of the public by creating a fake charity to round up money for themselves. Learn more about what you can do to protect yourself after a disaster here.
Cybersecurity fraud
Most of our monetary transactions take place in front of a screen. Scammers know this and are waiting for you to click on a bad link so they can get your information and drain your account. Practice good cybersecurity habits when banking and shopping online and learn how you can best protect your identity.
Tax scams
Scammers no longer wait until tax season to try to get their piece of your refund. Throughout the year, you may get robocalls or phishing emails designed to steal your personal information and any refund you have coming. Scammers can try to intercept your information from dupe shopping websites to unsecure WiFi networks, and more. Protect your valuable information and learn more about staying safe online here.
Modern miracles for sale
With the New Year approaching, fraudsters know that people will be looking for self-improvement products. Exercise caution when shopping for products that guarantee change overnight or in a short period of time-it’s probably a gimmick. Learn more about health fraud scams here.
Real estate fraud
The Southern California market is ripe for a variety of real estate abuses like mortgage fraud, scammers listing properties that aren’t actually for sale, stealing down payments, and more. Our Homeowner Notification Program can let you know about changes made to documents recorded against your home so you can verify if changes are legitimate or if someone’s trying to scam you. If you’re looking for a property to rent or buy, our Foreclosure Prevention team can help you identify scams to watch out for.
Please give our office a call at (800) 593-8222 or file a complaint online if you think you’ve been a victim of a scam.
