Published By Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.
Criminals think of the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity. These thieves and scammers are ready to play on the fears and anxieties of people stuck in their houses during the quarantine. They have become creative in how they use fraud and price gouging to take what little money a person has, and these felons could not care less about the damage they cause. Group legal plans must provide pre-paid legal services to prevent honest people from being deceived.
Some of the More Common Frauds
There are billions of dollars of stimulus money floating around and swindlers want a piece of the action. A common scam is to be contacted by a so-called authority who claims that he or she can get your stimulus money to you faster. It all requires a small fee on your part. The government does not charge any processing fee, but that does not deter some people. A professional thief has operated similar frauds in the past.
Robocalls are dangerous. The message on the other end is a high-pressure sales pitch that encourages you to respond now to the possibility of getting money, medicine, or work at supposedly profitable home-based schemes.
Robocalls will often ask for private information such as Social Security numbers, credit card information, or even bank account data. A consumer should never provide that information over the telephone and the best idea is to hang up. Nevertheless, people who are lonely and cannot get out may respond and become victims of a smooth operator.
Price gouging is something which always surfaces during a crisis. Merchants will deliberately inflate the cost of a product, seeking profit to practices that are consumer protection violations.
People become victims because they do not know quite what to do. It is important to have information and a little education on how to handle scams and frauds. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a group legal plan benefit that addresses consumer protection.
We Provide Consumer Protection Advice
Countrywide works with a nationwide network of lawyers who deal with everyday legal problems. These professionals also help with consumer protection. A Countrywide lawyer is practicing in the community of our client organizations. It is easy to get in contact with them and the lawyers practice social distancing while providing expert advice.
Our attorneys are alert to the fraudulent behavior of some people during the quarantines. They can quickly point out to a group legal plan member whether he or she is a possible victim of fraud. They will educate plan members on what to look for in a potential offer and what sends up a red flag.
When group legal plan members think they are victims of price gouging, the Countrywide attorney is indispensable. The lawyer can help with a consumer protection complaint and advise on how to process all the paperwork. Our lawyers are also able to write letters and make telephone calls on behalf of a plan member. Sometimes having an attorney involved forces an unethical merchant to refund a payment.
Employers Can Benefit
Employees value the help received from an employer during these times. Being able to help someone avoid being scammed is an excellent service to hard-working people. We ask our clients to look at all our pre-paid legal services and decide which ones will be part of their group legal plan document. It enables Countrywide to give the kind of assistance that members of the workforce need. Our administration is streamlined to provide the best service as quickly as possible.
The pandemic is an opportunity for employers to enhance the loyalty and dedication of their workforce. Helping staff deal with potential consumer fraud is appreciated by people who are trying to watch every penny. Our pre-paid legal services are intended to be a real benefit to plan members. If you have any questions about Countrywide, please feel free to contact us at your earliest convenience. We would welcome the chance to speak with you