Consumer Fraud Class Action Lawsuits
Consumer Fraud Lawyers: Protecting the Legal Rights of People Victimized by Deceitful Business Practices
Fraud comes in many shapes and sizes. From companies that sell defective products and banks that charge hidden fees, to insurers that make false promises and pyramid scheme operators designed to fleece investors of their money, scams cost hardworking people billions of dollars per year. At Glancy Prongay & Murray, each consumer fraud attorney at our firm is prepared to help people who have been subjected to deceitful business practices get the full compensation available under the law. We also work aggressively to ensure that those behind the fraud are made fully accountable. That often includes pursuing a class action lawsuit on behalf of a wide range of people who have been injured by the same or similar schemes.
Our firm combines decades of experience to provide comprehensive legal services for the people that we represent. We have a strong track record of success for clients in the courtroom and at the negotiating table, recovering billions of dollars for victims of consumer fraud and other wrongdoing. We are proud of our reputation among clients and in the legal community for providing professional, personalized and zealous services for the people that we represent.
What is Consumer Fraud?
People and businesses enter into a wide range of transactions every day, whether it entails going to the local grocery store, buying and selling products online or engaging professional banking, insurance or other services. Unfortunately, however, fraudsters often use these transactions as a way to deceive consumers and bilk them out of their hard earned money.
Consumer fraud comes in a number of shapes and sizes. Telemarketers, product manufacturers, online retailers, medical device makers and drug companies are just some of those that often use unfair or deceptive practices to defraud potential customers. When they are successful, it can cause serious financial harm, not to mention put people’s physical wellbeing at risk in some cases.
Each consumer lawyer at Glancy Prongay & Murray helps people fight back against consumer fraud. We have a strong track record of holding fraudsters accountable across the country and around the globe. That includes by getting the people that we represent the financial compensation that they deserve. In 2018 alone, our firm recovered $182 million in settlement money for clients in consumer fraud and other cases.
Who is at Risk of Consumer Fraud?
Just about anyone can be targeted for consumer fraud, but scammers often set their sights on certain people who they think may be particularly susceptible.
People with high levels of debt or who are new to a certain line of business may find themselves in the cross hairs. Fraudsters also tend to prey on older consumers through phone call scams and email phishing expeditions designed to dupe senior citizens into turning over credit card or other sensitive information.
Other kinds of fraud cut across age and other demographics to impact a wide cross-section of society. That includes the marketing and sale of defective products or those that don’t work as advertised. Hidden bank fees and predatory lending practices are other examples of deceptive business practices that harm a variety of consumers.
Fraud Happens. Let a Consumer Fraud Attorney Help You
There are a wide variety of scammers out there running a broad range of schemes.
The most popular, according to the Federal Trade Commission, feature fraudsters pretending to be someone they’re not. They make phone calls posing as Internal Revenue Service agents seeking information for an urgent tax matter, for instance, or from another government office claiming that your Social Security Number has been “suspended.” The common thread is that the schemes are designed to get people to send money or hand over sensitive bank account and other information.
There are a seemingly endless number of other ways in which fraudsters try to disconnect people from their hard-earned cash:
- Defective Cars: Defective automobiles roll off of the assembly line every day with significant defects that can be difficult to spot and can raise serious safety hazards for anyone on the road. Sadly, many car manufacturers are reluctant to take responsibility for these defects, whether by repairing the vehicle, taking it back and/or compensating owners and lessors.
- False Advertising: Bait and switch scams, price deception, material omissions and inaccurate product descriptions are all designed to mislead consumers. Although consumers damaged by these practices may suffer relatively small losses when compared to other scams, false advertising often reaches a large swath of people who may be able to combine their claims into one single legal action.
- Food and Supplement Labeling: Misleading labels that use terms like “natural” or “healthy” to coax people into buying them are a common example of consumer fraud. That includes descriptions that are likely to confuse consumers.
- Insurance Fraud: Dishonest insurance companies may dangle all kinds of false promises and misrepresentations about their policies to get people to sign up for health, home, car, life and other types of insurance.
- Billing Fraud: Unauthorized charges are a common type of scam in which businesses bury certain expenses in a bill to get consumers to pay up without ever noticing that they are being overcharged.
- Ponzi Scheme: The king of the investment scams, Ponzi – or “pyramid” – schemes rip people off by inducing them to fork over money based on promises of significant returns later down the road. Fraudsters then use much of that money to pay some earlier investors and line their own pockets, eventually leaving the vast majority of investors empty-handed when the money runs out.
If you have been subjected to one of these or another scam, it is crucial to have an experienced consumer fraud attorney in your corner. A lawyer can help you seek a variety of legal remedies against fraudsters, including by joining with other people who have been victimized by the same scheme.
Using a Lawsuit to Combat Consumer Fraud
The good news for anyone who has been victimized by consumer fraud is that there are a number of federal and state laws that give you the right to go after scammers.
Unfortunately, however, some people do not take advantage of their rights, either out of embarrassment at having been scammed or concern about the cost of legal action. When that happens, it allows scammers to continue to deceive consumers and prevents victims from getting compensation for their injuries.
Class action lawsuits are a particularly useful tool to help fraud victims get the full compensation available under the law. They allow a large number of people who have been targeted by the same or similar fraudulent activities to join together and pursue their legal rights in a single lawsuit. That spreads the risk and allows consumers to leverage their legal claims.
Understanding Class Action Lawsuits for Consumers
The good news for anyone ripped off by fraudsters is that state and federal laws offer several protections. You have the right to go after deceptive businesses by filing a lawsuit seeking compensation for your losses.
In many cases, a consumer class action lawsuit offers many advantages to going it alone. A class action is a lawsuit in which many people join together to collectively pursue legal action. The benefit is that it allows class members to share any costs related to the lawsuit. That can be particularly useful for people who have been defrauded out of hundreds or thousands of dollars but are concerned about the cost of legal action.
The class action option also allows class members to leverage the combined total amount of their monetary damages. Although a single lawsuit seeking a couple hundred dollars may not get a large business’s attention, a class action with hundreds of members seeking hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars will.
Every consumer fraud attorney at the firm takes our class action cases on a contingency fee basis. That means we only get paid if we win the case, either at trial or through a negotiated settlement. This helps alleviate the financial burden for clients considering legal action for fraud.
Speak With a Consumer Fraud Attorney to Learn Your Rights
If you or a loved one has been victimized by fraud, it is vital that you seek the counsel of an experienced consumer fraud attorney. A seasoned lawyer can help you understand your rights and options and build the strongest possible case against those responsible.
Glancy Prongay & Murray has been representing people in consumer, securities and other fraud cases for more than 25 years. We are proud to stand by clients in their ties of need and pleased to be able to guide them through the legal process. Call us at (310) 201-9150 or contact us online to speak with a consumer fraud attorney today.