The Law Offices of Chaikin and Sherman, P.C.
Toll Free - 800.229.8384
Phone - 202.659.8600
Fax - 202.659.8680
Frequently Asked Consumer Fraud Questions
Washington, D.C., Maryland & Virginia
- What is consumer fraud?
- What should I do if I have been a victim of fraud?
- What is a class action lawsuit?
- What benefits do class actions provide?
- How much will my consumer fraud lawyer cost?
- What are some of the more common scenarios where consumer fraud is present?
Fraud occurs when a person gives up some kind of property or legal right because they were intentionally deceived. Consumer fraud occurs when the deception involves the advertising, sale, marketing, or provision of goods, services, or property.
Consumer fraud can occur as a result of any number of different scenarios. If you feel that you have been deceived out of your money, bring your claim to the law offices of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel P.C. During your free consultation, one of the experienced consumer fraud lawyers at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel P.C. will evaluate your case and determine what course of action might be best for you.
What should I do if I have been a victim of fraud?
If you believe you have been deceived, first contact the company that deceived you. If the person you speak to refuses to return your money, ask to speak to their supervisor. Often times a lower level employee will not be able to return your money, but a supervisor will.
If the company will not work with you and will not return your money, it may be time to get a lawyer.
A consumer fraud lawyer will be able to determine if you have indeed been the victim of fraud, and they will work with you to get your money back. If you are just one of many people, it may be better to join or form a class action lawsuit against the company who defrauded you.
What is a class action lawsuit?
If there is more than one person who is suing a company for fraud, they can form a class action. In order to form a class action, all of the representatives who are suing must share commonalities about the fraud. The representatives do not all need to have the identical fraud case, but it must be proven that the same company defrauded them all.
Also, there must be numerous members of the class. In order to have a class action, it must be determined that here are enough members in the class that it would be impractical to have individual cases for all of them.
Contact the law offices of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel P.C. if you have any questions about consumer fraud or filing a class action lawsuit. The consumer fraud lawyers at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel P.C. will provide you with a free case consultation and evaluation.
What benefits do class actions provide?
If you have been the victim of consumer fraud, but the amount of money you were defrauded from is less than the amount of a lawsuit, then you may not want to file the lawsuit at all. In this case, the company that defrauded you would be able to keep your money. A class action lawsuit provides a solution for this.
In a class action lawsuit there are numerous representatives; which means the damages of all of the representatives added up could justify the lawsuit. Also, since there are numerous people suing the company in a class action lawsuit, the company will have to take the lawsuit more seriously because the liability is greater.
How much will my consumer fraud lawyer cost?
The consumer fraud lawyers at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel P.C. work on a contingency basis; this means that you don’t have to pay them until you win your case. If you have been deceived and defrauded out of your money in Washington DC, Maryland, or Virginia, then you should contact one of the experienced consumer fraud lawyers at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel P.C.
What are some of the more common scenarios where consumer fraud is present?
Consumer fraud can present itself anywhere advertising, marketing, provision, or sale of goods or property occurs. This means that there are thousands of scenarios that can present consumer fraud issues. Some scenarios that you should be wary of are:
- Once in a lifetime investment opportunities
- Products that are “bargain priced”
- Contest representatives that ask you to send them money to claim your prize
- Unsolicited emails or letters from foreign governments asking assistance in transferring excess money into your account
- Unsolicited emails or letters offering unrealistic prices for expensive or rare products
- Phone calls from police claiming that friend or loved one has been arrested and they need you to transfer them money
The consumer fraud lawyers at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel P.C. believe that you should never be deceived or defrauded out of your money. If you have been the victim of consumer fraud, contact an experienced consumer fraud lawyer at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel P.C. for a free case examination and consultation.
