Consumer Fraud Protection
Have you ever been lured into purchasing a particular product by a misleading sales pitch? Whenever a salesperson misrepresents a certain product or hides important information about it, in order to induce you to buy it, your consumer rights may have been disturbed. For example, you may have experienced this from a car dealership salesman lying misrepresenting an automobile. This isn’t just shady sales tactics. You have consumer rights. If you feel your rights have been violated, you should take action.
What are Consumer Fraud Acts?
Many states have a consumer fraud act. If not, a state follows a uniform deceptive acts and practices code. Most acts require a misrepresentation or concealment of a material fact that was relied upon in making a decision to purchase. Some statutes also require that the reliance on the misrepresented or concealed fact be reasonable.
In addition, most consumer fraud statutes require that you be personally damaged by the fraud. That is to say that you as a consumer did not receive the benefit of the bargain. Most consumer fraud statutes do provide that if you successfully prove that you’ve been a victim of consumer fraud, you may recover attorney’s fees as well as damages.
For example, the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act serves as a good example of a typical state consumer fraud statute. The Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act addresses three types of misleading practices: affirmative acts, knowing omissions, and infringing on sections of certain regulations imposed by the Illinois Division of Consumer Affairs. Affirmative acts are purposefully deceptive practices like misrepresentation and false promises. Knowing omissions are when a salesperson conceals vital information about a specific product in order to encourage you to buy it.
If you want to find out more about your state-specific consumer fraud act, contact us.
Have You Been the Victim of Consumer Fraud?
Contact our office to speak to a consumer fraud attorney for a free case review.
While there is a variety of ways consumer fraud can take place, there are common examples of consumer fraud cases. We happen to see many consumer fraud cases related to automobile purchases. Read the following instances of car consumer fraud. If something similar has happened to you, you should take a stand.
- Misrepresenting or concealing the fact that your vehicle had never been damaged before; when, in fact, it had been in a prior accident.
- Misrepresenting or concealing the ownership history to hide the fact that the vehicle was previously a rent-a-car.
- Concealing the fact that the vehicle was previously a rebuilt wreck, or was considered a total loss in a prior accident.
- Misrepresenting the actual mileage on the odometer.
- Forgery on loan documents to alter financing terms.
- Misrepresenting financing terms, or informing you that you were financed when you were not.
- Due to the many recent floods and storms, many vehicles become flooded and then placed back in the stream of commerce without any disclosure about the flooding.
Get a Free Consumer Fraud Case Review Now
If you suspect that you’ve been a victim of consumer fraud, we encourage you to think about taking legal action. You have consumer rights and they should not be violated. Learn more about your legal rights here.
There are many ways you can find out if you are a victim of consumer fraud. Contact one of our experienced consumer fraud attorneys for a free review of your case today.