Last week we discussed not only the increase and evolution of scams and fraud people experience but the growing concern of the role AI will play in the future of scammers. This week we will focus on bad business practices and how journalists can help their readers stay aware of what’s happening in their community.
On Your Side reporting
There are a number of journalists who not only actively report on bad business practices but also get involved in righting those wrongs. For example, Gary Harper, a consumer reporter at Arizona’s Family 3TV, has “successfully recouped millions of dollars for viewers” by negotiating resolutions with companies and is best known for “investigating and confronting unscrupulous contractors.”
Many other local TV channels have similar teams successfully assisting local consumer business complaints. The NBC10 Boston Responds team has recovered $1.6 million for consumers since 2017, and the team at NBC5 Dallas Fort-Worth has recovered $6.05 million since 2016. These reporters have helped consumers with toll bills from cars that weren’t theirs, no-show contractors, and bank errors that are unnecessarily difficult to get corrected.
Even if your organization doesn’t have a consumer advocacy team, you may want to make connections with the National Association of Consumer Advocates. The organization works with journalists to “spotlight important consumer issues, to offer compelling consumer stories, and to provide the expert information about consumer law.” A local consumer advocate could help speak to current scam trends they are seeing in real-time or connect you with victims who want to share their story.
Where to get business reviews other than Google or Yelp
Many consumers are unaware of the publicly available information that can help them make the best financial and business decisions. In addition to understanding the latest scams, knowing how to find properly licensed businesses and contractors can make a huge difference in preventing future business fraud.
To start, all states have professional licensing boards, and although the professions regulated by them and the requirements vary by state, most have searchable databases that can confirm if licenses are up to date and if there is any history of complaints. For example, Arizona has a registrar of contractors that states: “Anyone can pretend to be a contractor. Check the license.” Employing fake contractors, or even just bad ones, is a common way people lose money they shouldn’t have to. Highlighting where consumers can find complaints or expired licenses can hopefully prevent more consumers from falling victim to the same bad actor.
Licenses and complaint boards cover a wide variety of professions. Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation lets you look for barbers, real estate agents, home inspectors, and veterinarians, among many other professions. Their easily searchable database includes licenses that are expired, suspended, and have active or past complaints. Many states have similar resources.
Learn more about what your state has to offer and make sure your readers know too. And don’t forget about the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker to see some of the most recent scam reports.
