FTC Launches Consumer Fraud Awareness Campaign Targeted to Spanish Speakers

The Federal Trade Commission is launching a Spanish language consumer fraud awareness campaign, Mantente alerta contra el fraude. Infórmate con la FTC (“Be on the alert against fraud. Stay informed with the FTC”). The campaign goal is to encourage Spanish speakers to identify fraudulent and deceptive business practices and to tell the FTC about them when they occur. The outreach campaign complements the agency’s enforcement initiative against frauds targeting Hispanic consumers.

The campaign includes a series of radio public service announcements and banner ads on Web sites that are geared to Latino audiences. It follows a recent survey on consumer fraud that found that Hispanic consumers are twice as likely to be victims of consumer fraud as non-Hispanic whites.

“Many consumers do not know where to seek help when they have been defrauded,” said FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras. “This campaign lets Spanish speakers know that the FTC is not only a great source of information about spotting a fraud, but also an important place to report it.”

The FTC has information about a number of consumer frauds in English and Spanish at www.ftc.gov and at www.ftc.gov/ojo. In addition, the agency maintains a toll-free help line at 1-877-FTC-HELP where counselors take complaints in both English and Spanish.

Mantente alerta contra el fraude. Infórmate con la FTC will be a pilot in 11 cities: New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Raleigh, Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Los Angeles.