Sadly, the usual end result of these scams is that the consumer loses money or suffers damage to his or her credit. Even worse, the consumer may end up being sued over the transaction, sometimes by the same individuals or companies who perpetrated the scam on them. Fortunately for consumers, there are many state and federal laws that have been enacted that provide protection to consumers and allow them to bring lawsuits to recover their losses. The key is having an attorney capable of helping you take advantage of these laws.
The field of consumer protection law is very broad and complex. It encompasses many industries and types of transactions and includes topics such as Fair Credit Reporting, Truth in Lending, Real Estate Settlement Practices, Automobile Dealer Fraud, Lemon Law, Warranty Law, Unfair Trade Practices and so forth. Because of the breadth of the field of consumer protection, most law firms focus only on a limited area of consumer law.
Steve Watrel, P.A. focuses on representing victims of the following types of consumer law cases:
- Hospital or doctor “balance-billing”
- Real estate transactions involving fraud and misrepresentation by mortgage companies, mortgage brokers and/or others
- Damage to credit history because of reporting false, obsolete or inaccurate information
- Unauthorized use of a consumer’s credit report
- Fraud and financial exploitation of the elderly or disabled
Hospital or doctor “balance-billing”.
H.M.O.’s, P.P.O.’s and Medicare usually have written contracts with hospitals, doctors and other medical providers that state how much will be paid for a particular “covered service.” For example, a knee surgery may cost $ 20,000 to an uninsured patient, but only $ 5,000 to a patient covered under an H.M.O., P.P.O. or Medicare. “Balance-billing” occurs when a patient is covered under an H.M.O., P.P.O. or Medicare at the time a covered service is rendered and the provider tries to charge the patient for what they are required to “write-off” because of a contractual discount. Under the above example, the doctor cannot contractually send the patient a bill for $15,000 more than the specified contract amount. However, some medical providers do just that. It occurs very often. When the people involved are caught, they plead ignorance or use “strong-arm” tactics to get patients to pay. Many patients, fearing damage to their credit or being sued, will simply pay the bill. Medical providers and their collection agencies know this all too well and it is why they still continue this practice.
Real estate transactions involving fraud and misrepresentation by mortgage companies, mortgage brokers and/or others.
With the Florida real estate boom has come numerous scams. These scams usually involve the sale of overvalued property to unsophisticated “investors.” These schemes involve many parties, usually mortgage brokers, mortgage companies, and real estate appraisers. As long as everyone plays along, everyone makes money except the consumer “investor” who is left paying a hefty, high-interest rate mortgage on property that is worth a fraction of what was paid. Consumers should be able to trust and rely on the expertise of licensed professionals when purchasing property. This is just one of many reasons hardworking people need an attorney for matters involving real estate.
If you need help in this area, click here for our FREE on-line contact form.
Damage to credit history because of reporting false, obsolete or inaccurate information
Credit agencies are generally required to remove false, obsolete or inaccurate information from a consumer’s credit report. Creditors generally may not report false, obsolete or inaccurate information about consumers to credit agencies.
If you need help in this area, click here for our FREE on-line contact form.
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Unauthorized use of a consumer’s credit report.
Companies and individuals generally may obtain a consumer credit report for certain permissible purposes including court-ordered access, access on written approval of the consumer, extension of credit, application for insurance, and other purposes. Examples of obtaining consumer reports for unauthorized purposes include accessing the report for purposes of litigation, accessing the report of a political rival, accessing the report of a boyfriend or girlfriend, and accessing the report for use in support proceedings prior to the entry of a judgment.
If you need help in this area, click here for our FREE on-line contact form.
Fraud and financial exploitation of the elderly or disabled.
Nothing is more shameful than when a company exploits an elderly or disabled person for financial gain. At Steve Watrel, P.A., we handle many types of cases against companies who use their bargaining power to exploit the elderly and infirm.
If you or a loved one is a victim of consumer fraud, please call us today at (904) 723-0030 or toll-free at (800) 792-8735, for a free, no-obligation consultation. Or, you may contact us through our “Online Consumer Law Contact Form.”
