The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) decided to put an end to language barriers, making its information available to the community in more than 10 languages, thereby seeking to avoid fraud that harms its economy.
In 2022 alone, more than 2.5 million fraud reports were recorded, with losses close to $9 billion, according to federal authorities.
?We want to understand these blackmails in their language, because they never affect a single person; With this we can see what the trend is and how it is affecting certain communities? said Mónica Vaca, deputy director of the Consumer Protection office of the Federal Trade Commission, during a briefing held by Ethnic Media Services.
The FTC accepts complaints in English, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Korean, Somali, Tagalog, Russian, Polish, Portuguese and many more.
In order to stop the various types of fraud, Vaca explained that they use the reports generated, there they observe trends and finally generate information to prevent them, in addition to generating protocols to recover the lost money. Given this, it asks the community to file their report and denounce these types of practices in order to support and improve the way they work.
?We carry out investigations, sue companies and, where possible, try to get money back; We do this through education, sharing information about your rights and responsibilities. It is done in writing and in print, but also in digital media?, Vaca added.
The language access initiative manages to expand the field of study and gives a voice to all communities, and although scammers come from different parts of the world or with multiple languages, it is of utmost importance that citizens can report in their language and feel protected in any case.
?For many years there were reports in Spanish, but now if you call you can present it through your own language, for a report of fraud or identity theft; Now you can take the steps to follow to recover your money or conclude your complaint?, he expressed Monica Vaca.
The expert stated that many times one must act very quickly to be able to recover the money, so having the system in more languages can help the community to act immediately and in a timely manner, without fear of being judged or not being understood.
When you are a victim of fraud, you can make your report at 8773824357, option 3, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Larissa Bungo, an attorney with the Consumer and Business Education Division of the Federal Trade Commission, explained that within the platform there are some guides to avoid being scammed, the steps to follow to recover the money that has been stolen from you, as well as the reporting process and some tips to protect personal data.
All of this is now available in more than 10 languages with the aim of making the resources available to more communities and other sectors to which this information was not reaching.
Larissa Bungo invited all people to consult the information on the web platform https://www.ftc.gov/es, a site where you can find a lot of information to share the links with family and friends, as well as the graphics available for social networks, remembering that the more people are aware of this, the more cases of scams can be prevented.
Jongwon Lee gave testimony about the use of the FTC's new multilingual services and commented that it is very common to experience scams within the same communities; When a group of people who share the same language interact, it generates trust and this in turn leads to a friendship. Later, the friend presents the investment opportunity and when he or she raises the money, it disappears.
?Now I am pleased to know that the FTC is taking action, filing reports in Korean and other languages, thanks to the fact that we have access to other languages we can end the fear and shame?, he expressed Jongwon Lee.
He also stressed that access to the language serves to generate confidence and security in communities that were not heard before.
Finally, the specialists called to be more careful in purchases made for Christmas and the end of year holidays, since scammers take advantage of these dates to steal or ask for money, always staying informed and acting with caution will be the key. to take care of your money.
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