The Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department are going all Batman on scam artists who bilk unemployed people by offering phone jobs and money-making schemes with Operation Short Change, a crackdown that involves dozens of cases in at least 13 states, USA Today reports:.

These scams, said David Vladeck, head of the commission’s consumer protection bureau, “raise people’s hopes and then drive them deeper into a hole.”

Beverly Steward, 46, fell for one of the scams alleged by the FTC. The single mother of two in Washington, D.C. said she was bilked by a company – identified as Job Safety USA – that promised people certifications for a cleaning job.

“I wanted a job,” says Steward. “I was desperate.”

I guess that explains why the fine Nigerian gentleman who wanted some good faith money in exchange for his winning lottery ticket has been slow getting back to me. And why the wallet inspector hasn’t maintained his usual patrol lately.

‘Operation Short Change’ cracks down on scammers [USA Today]
(Photo: The GlassPeople)

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