Business First Family Business, Accounting, Finance, Investing, Marketing And Management
Everyone should conduct business with a sense of morale code and ethics. Looking at some of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in history, they tend to operate by the golden rule – doing onto others as they would have done to themselves. If everyone were to follow this rule, there would be much less conflict when doing business. As a business owner, you probably have dealt with an unfair supplier, vendor or private wealth manager. If you were purchasing raw materials, inventory or services, you might have gotten scammed one or twice before. This can be a tough part of the learning process. To help rectify the situation, we’ll show you several places to report scammer activities from other businesses or individuals.
Reporting Phone Scammers
Especially on a business line, you probably receive several sales calls per day. While many of these telemarketing companies are legit, there are quite a few that are business scammers. They purposefully try to sound authoritative and scary, claiming they are calling on behalf of the IRS or a legal department. Sometimes, you might get worried about the call and want to report the phone number. You can report these types of live person or robocalls to the FTC online complaints department. While you are there, you can report scammer calls and add your phone number to the national do not call list.
Internet Fraud And Scam Reports
In addition to business phone scams, the level of internet fraud has been felt by many companies. In fact, offline and online businesses are buying additional policy coverage to protect against cyberattacks. If you have been affected by an online scam, you can report themt o the Internet Crime Complain Center (ICCC). They investigate reported scammers that do various types of online extortion, hacking, identity theft and other crimes.
Submit Scams To Review Sites
There are some popular business review sites that track business scammer reports. If another business has scammed you, consider filing a report that will have an agency investigate the company. As a result, the rating of the company will fall on credible review sites. When people look up that company’s reputation online, are likely to find your scammer report and avoid going through the same problems that you did. By taking the time to submit a business scam to major platforms, you could help stop criminals while preventing others from getting taken advantage of.
International Scam Complaints
Additionally, your scammer reporting doesn’t have to stop within US borders. With the internet being so accessible, many scammers are working online from foreign nations. You might have tried to buy products from China or raw materials from Africa. Starting your international business, you send the money and the seller disappears. The International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) is a partnership between international agencies to work together across borders. You can file a complaint with them in several different languages to report scammers abroad too.
Report Scammers In Financial Industries
Of course, businesses also need to working with merchants, money lenders, cash advances, banks and investors. Along the way, you might have taken out a loan or credit that isn’t meeting financial regulations. If you have been involved in a financial scam for business, it can be reported to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). They will forward your complaint to the financing institution and push to have the case resolved in a reasonable time frame. This is a great option for business owners who have had to take on loans that come with unfair terms or agreements.
There are many types of business scams out there. You should be prepared to protect your business and report scammer businesses whenever possible. Start with the simple reports for phone scams and internet fraud. If matters are more serious, you should consider a special agency that regularly reviews cases, deals with international entities or financial institutions. Now that you have a number of places to report scammers, you can help keep your business and others’ safe.
