The Best Frauds, Scams, and Big Company Cons in America Today

FTC Update -- The FTC contacted us! Here's what they said!

Our Brief Interview: A representative of the Federal Trade Commission (in Washington -- the arm of the Federal government that tries to handle and mitigate fair consumer practices in the U.S., including Consumer Fraud) called us, looking for a certain company suspected of Internet fraud. We used the opportunity to ask some questions and get some answers about how they are responding to all types of marketing fraud in the U.S. -- not just internet scams.  Since that is the central theme of our site, we were looking for evasiveness and unawareness of the problem. (As background, we have sent numerous complaints to the FTC for years about various frauds and scams, and we have NEVER received an action response to any of them. From previous contact with the FTC, we got the impression that they were a dull organization, whose main job was to focus only on the obvious swindles (like the Nigerian one), while they let the prevalent marketing scams that affect almost all Americans today, quietly slip under the table. From years of no response, we concluded the FTC is too out-of-touch with reality to stop marketing fraud. And we assumed that the FTC reps would be dull bureaucrats, too old or overworked to care.) Not the person we spoke to!  He was as sharp as a tack, and was fully aware of the marketing scams and frauds craftily designed by some of the largest companies in the U.S. Without actually endorsing the frauds posted on this site as "under investigation by the FTC", it was perfectly clear from talking to this guy that NONE of these big corporate marketing schemes had escaped their eye. They knew about them, but because the companies (like AT&T mentioned here) are big and powerful in the U.S., it is difficult for the FTC alone to "prosecute" all such companies. Other Political Pressure: This very sharp FTC representative made it quite clear that without some additional political pressure from other places, other governments and other agencies, it is almost impossible for them to carry the ball alone against major U.S. companies who've found crafty ways to rip off the U.S. public (e.g. see the Sears scam). It sounded like a cop out at first, but then we realized: If state governments are not aware of the strategies these big companies are using, they will criticize the Federal Government for interfering in "Profitable Big Company Commerce in Our State" -- which is the typical wording that state politicians use when their skids are greased!
A Clear Message: So the message from this FTC rep. was subtle, but very clear: Work hard at making your local State Representatives -- the Governor of your State, your Senators, Attorney General, and the State Legislature -- aware of how these big companies are conducting fraudulent marketing strategies in your state. Make them realize that you are not fooled by these scams, you don't like them, and you want the STATE to stop those companies from being allowed to scam the public of your state -- specifically YOU! Unless the States are also ready to take some action, the Feds cannot do it alone. That is not a failing of the Federal Government -- it is an accurate statement about how the political power in our country is delegated.  States have a lot of power to criticize, ridicule and veto Federal actions.  From our experience, States are also much quicker to turn a blind eye to big corporate wrong-doings than are the Feds. So you now know what your job is, don't you?  It is up to everyone reading this site and related articles on scams and frauds to GET BUSY spreading the word to your state Reps about this site, the marketing scams that are listed on it, and any others you have been involved in. Only through STATE AWARENESS OF THE PROBLEM, can the FTC be given the green light at the Federal level to start taking action to STOP the marketing frauds listed on this site! Write your State Senators and Governor Now!!