Consumer Fraud complaints are on the rise. In 2006, there were more than 24,000 fraud complaints in Florida alone, with those complaints accounting for monetary losses of over $34 million. Broadly speaking, consumer fraud encompasses a wide range of fraudulent and deceptive practices in the advertising, marketing, sale, or provisioning of goods or services. Examples include Securities and Financial Fraud, Internet Fraud, Identify Theft, Insurance Fraud, and Real Estate Fraud.
Too often, consumers mistakenly believe that they have little or no recourse and don’t pursue a fraud claim even though they were victimized by fraudulent behavior. But in many cases, consumers do have recourse, and can pursue a fraud claim for their losses.
Often the fraudulent behavior affects entire groups of consumers, who have all experienced similar situations. In these situations, consumer fraud class action suits are often brought on by one or more individuals on behalf of the entire group or “class” of people. The purpose of a class action suit is to secure a legal remedy which may eliminate the wrong against the individuals involved, compensate them for the wrong, and also provides these remedies for all others in the definable class who have suffered as a result of the same practice or action.
Types of consumer fraud that our firm handles for clients include:
Our consumer fraud attorneys welcome Consumer Fraud and Consumer Class Action cases and relish the opportunity to expose and penalize the people and companies that willfully deceive consumers. Our lawyers have experience in Consumer Fraud cases and are also experienced as Lead Counsel in Class Action cases.
Proving fraud is sometimes difficult. The law requires that three elements are required - a material false statement made with an intent to deceive, and the victim’s reliance on the statement and damages. We prove wrongdoing through meticulous investigation, usage of leading economic experts, and forensic accounting methods, to not only identify the wrongdoing and responsible parties, but also to identify the extent of the economic damages. We have a number of resources and informational articles that may be of help to you, and they can be viewed here or in our Info Center.
If you suspect you may have been a victim of consumer fraud, do not hesitate to contact us or call us at 407-838-2000 to discuss your situation. We are here to help.
