Let’s talk about scams that target Latinos

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Tomorrow begins Hispanic Heritage Month — a time to honor all that Latinos and their culture bring to this country. At the FTC, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by providing tools and information that can help Latinos avoid scams and frauds. These resources are at consumer.ftc.gov and in Spanish at consumidor.ftc.gov.

For the next four weeks, we’ll highlight consumer fraud topics impacting the Latino community and point out the FTC’s free resources. And we’ll focus on specific advice on how to spot and avoid scams. This week, we’re starting with money-making opportunity scams. We know that scammers will target anyone searching for a job or a business opportunity, but we have also seen money-making schemes that targeted or disproportionately affected Latino communities.

For example, the FTC has sued and shut down several operations that specifically targeted Latinos with empty promises of making lots of money by selling products from home. The fotonovela Fatima Says No to an Income Scam is based on a money-making scheme the FTC shut down — and it illustrates how to avoid these scams.

If you’re considering a money-making opportunity:

• Search online. Look up the company’s name, email address, and phone number, plus the words “scam,” “review,” or complaint.”
• Talk to someone you trust. Describe the offer or the job to them. What do they think?
• Avoid any company that tries to pressure you. In fact, stop communicating with anyone who uses high-pressure sales tactics, tells you to act now, or discourages you from checking out the company. 
• Never pay someone up front — especially if they promise you a job that pays a lot. Honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job. Anyone who does is a scammer.

If you spot a scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or in Spanish at ReporteFraude.ftc.gov.