FTC to Host Hispanic Outreach and Law Enforcement Event

The Federal Trade Commission will host back-to-back workshops, “Hispanic Consumer Outreach Forum,” and “Hispanic Consumer Protection Law Enforcement Workshop,” on May 12-13, 2004, to explore strategies for effective and high-impact education and law enforcement to protect the Hispanic community from fraud. The workshops offer an opportunity to discuss the nature and extent of consumer fraud against Hispanics, law enforcement programs targeting these frauds, and best practices for reaching the Spanish-speaking community with fraud prevention messages.

Hispanic Consumer Outreach Forum

The Hispanic Consumer Outreach Forum, which will be held on May 12, 2004, from 12:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EDT), will explore the makeup of the Hispanic market, share best practices for consumer education, and effective fraud prevention messages for the Hispanic community. Speakers will include journalists, marketers, and consumer protection officials.

Hispanic Consumer Protection Law Enforcement Workshop

The Hispanic Consumer Protection Law Enforcement Workshop will be held on May 13, 2004, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EDT). Participants will explore the consumer frauds that commonly affect the Hispanic community, and the existing efforts and new approaches to stop these frauds. Speakers and attendees will discuss ideas for prioritizing enforcement and improving coordination. Speakers will include representatives of state and local consumer affairs departments, offices of state attorneys general, the Better Business Bureau, and district attorneys offices.

Both workshops will be held at the FTC’s Conference Center at 601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. They are free and open to the public, and there is no pre-registration.

All attendees must display a valid form of identification, such as a driver’s license, to be admitted in the building.

A detailed agenda and additional information on the workshop will be posted on the FTC’s web site at www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/hispanic/index.htm.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish (bilingual counselors are available to take complaints), or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.