SURVEY OF CONSUMER FRAUD LAW FOR INTERVENTION

• NCJ Number: 43733
• Author(s): J SHELDON; G J ZWEIBEL
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 225 pages
• Grant Number(s): 76-NI-99-0122
• Contract Number(s): AIR/NCLC-76-11
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: American Institutes for Research; National Consumer Law Ctr
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS REPORT SURVEYS EXISTING CONSUMER FRAUD LAW AT THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS, OUTLINING THE FRAUDULENT PRACTICES THIS LEGISLATION IS TARGETED AGAINST AND THE ENFORCEMENT STRATEGIES UTILIZED.

Abstract

A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF CONSUMER FRAUD LAW IS PRESENTED, DELINEATING STATE, LOCAL, AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS' CONSUMER FRAUD CONCERNS AND THE METHODS THEY USE TO COMBAT THESE PERCEIVED PROBLEMS. PERSPECTIVE IS ADDED BY INCLUDING DESCRIPTIONS OF HISTORICAL AND FOREIGN APPROACHES TO CONSUMER FRAUD. PART I OF THE REPORT TRACES THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CONSUMER FRAUD LAWS. PART II PRESENTS AN ANALYSIS OF 67 CONSUMER FRAUD PRACTICES STATES HAVE TARGETED FOR REGULATION AND 33 STRATEGIES USED TO PREVENT THESE PROHIBITED PRACTICES. PART III DISCUSSES THE VARIOUS APPROACHES THAT MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTRIES TAKE IN POLICING CONSUMER TRANSACTIONS. BOTH THE FRAUD PRACTICES OF CONCERN TO FEDERAL AGENCIES AND THE STRATEGIES UTILIZED TO PREVENT THEM ARE DESCRIBED IN PART IV; ALSO CONTAINED IS AN AGENCY-BY-AGENCY ANALYSIS SUMMARIZING IMPORTANT CONSUMER FRAUD LAWS AND REMEDIES ADMINISTERED BY 28 FEDERAL AGENCIES. PART V SETS OUT INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES THAT FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS HAVE UTILIZED TO COMBAT FRAUD IN THE MARKETPLACE. THE APPENDIX DISCUSSES OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED).