Aug. 5, 2005
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0805phxfraud-ON.html
Latino activists in Phoenix are lauding the Federal Trade Commission
for its efforts to combat fraud schemes victimizing Hispanics, a
commonplace occurrence throughout the Valley, they say.
"You hear of stuff like this all the time," said activist Chris Ibarra
of the Downtown Voices Coalition, a consortium of nearly 90 community
organizations. "Too many Latinos are the victims of apartment-rental
scams and predatory-lending practices that specifically target Latinos."
Apartment-rental, home-repair and auto-sale scams topped the list of
fraud schemes victimizing Valley Latinos at an FTC-hosted forum last
month at Arizona State University West.
Latinos are two times likelier than others to be the victims of consumer
fraud, according to a 2003 FTC study. Language, cultural barriers and
immigration status often make them ideal targets.
The forums, which also will be held in other big cities with large
Latino populations, aim to identify recurring Hispanic fraud issues and
to cull feedback from law-enforcement and community leaders on how to
encourage victims to report the crimes.
"Many Latinos are afraid of the government, whether they're citizens or
not, which makes us appealing targets," said community activist Samuel
Esquivel, former state director of Arizona's League of United Latin
American Citizens. "So I'm thrilled that the FTC is seeking community
input to try to address this problem."
The agency recently launched ¡Ojo!, a bilingual Web site at
www.ftc.gov/espanol, with tips and resources for Latinos and a
bilingual hotline, 1 (877) FTC-HELP.
This article also appeared in ¡Extra!