What is Consumer Fraud?
Consumer fraud, in its most basic sense, relates to the deceptive practices that result in financial or other losses for consumers or investors in the course of seemingly legitimate business transactions.
In today’s fast-paced economy, consumer fraud is an increasingly common injury inflicted on millions of unsuspecting victims nationwide. In its most benign form, consumer fraud can be innocuous, but at the other extreme, it can result in serious financial losses and even bankruptcy for victims.
When companies and individuals you trust, such as banks, accounting firms, credit card companies, and insurance companies enter into business with you, they have an obligation to treat you fairly and to operate within the law. When you work with individuals who provide advice and guidance on your financial affairs, such as investment counselors, stockbrokers, insurance agents, and accountants, they have a fiduciary responsibility to act in your best interest. When they act in their own best interests instead of yours or when they act negligently with your affairs, and you lose money, you have recourse under consumer protection laws.
Your Protection Under the Law.
In California and around the nation there are consumer protection laws that guarantee your right to fair trade, competition and accurate information when interacting with the marketplace. Departments such as the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and even the Department of Justice are all responsible for upholding businesses and individuals to their responsibilities in promoting a safe, secure, fair and competitive free market. Consumer protection law is a bureaucratic labyrinth whose purpose is well-meaning in its pursuit of protection. But because of its complexity and scope, a single consumer slighted by an individual or entity, often does not have the resources to pursue legal restitution alone.
Even if you, as a consumer, have only been misled into giving up a couple of dollars through fraudulent practices, you have rights as an equal partner in all business transactions and have the right to judicial recourse. You may prefer to brush off the loss and move on, but remember that there are often thousands of other consumers losing money in a similar fashion, which is being funneled into a corrupt business making them rich on the back of your hard work. The attorneys at the Law Offices of Ronald A. Marron believe that every consumer deserves equal protection under the law and wealthy entities should not be able to hide behind their bankroll and team of lawyers in order to extract unfair financial gain.
What is Securities Fraud?
Similar to consumer fraud, securities fraud is an overarching term that relates to deception perpetuated by a party within the commodities market. When investors make an investment or sales decision on the foundation of false information such as misleading marketing or inadequate advice from a paid advisor that results in the financial losses, those responsible for perpetuating the false information can and will be held liable under the law.
Securities Fraud is not limited to financial loss from deceit through information. Laws and regulations also deal with downright theft from investors such as embezzlement, stock manipulation and falsifying a public company’s financial reports. Other underhanded practices like insider trading, front running and additional actions that take place on the trading room floor fall under the same jurisdiction
Pursuing a Securities Fraud Case.
Securities Fraud is investigated and overseen by dozens of federal organizations. The Federal Trade Commission, FBI, SEC, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and individual states manage a network of appointed regulators who enforce and examine crimes perpetrated through the stock and commodities market. State and federal laws such as the Securities Investor Protection Act give investors’ legal footing to stand on in fighting corrupt brokers and businesses manipulating the market for their own gain.
Securities Fraud is perhaps one of the most complicated and convoluted legal areas to navigate. The complexity of the system encourages everyone from Individual brokers to billionaire hedge fund managers to exploit not only legal, but moral grey areas in the pursuit of defrauding investors. The Law Offices of Ronald A. Marron have successfully pursued and prosecuted numerous cases on behalf of investors nationwide.