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Do you worry about being a victim of misrepresentation or credit fraud? The good news is you won’t be liable for debts incurred as a result of fraudulent activity. To combat this growing problem, state and Federal agencies have enacted laws to punish businesses that cheat or deceive consumers. These laws, called unfair and deceptive acts and practices (UDAP), are legislated for the protection of you as a consumer. If a business is privately operated, most likely it will be subjected to these laws.

In order to fully protect the consumer, additional laws have been passed directed particularly to special types of businesses and services such as health clubs and warranty services. If you run into a problem where you can’t locate a specific law that addresses your particular issue, try researching the UDAP laws for help. The UDAP regulations outlaw the deceptive practice of unfair terms in financial contracts, oral and written claims meant to intentionally defraud the general public and incorrect statements about the final condition of a product when a flaw still exists.

Sometimes a business can be so polished in the art of deception; you may not discover it until it’s too late. It’s important to be aware of these red flags when undergoing a transaction:

1) You’re up trying to read a document in the presence of an agent and he or she keeps pressuring you to sign everywhere without adequate time to go over the contract at your own pace.

2) A representative who skirts your questions about what your total contract costs are and what happens when you default-but continues to hammer in the point of how low your beginning payments and interest rate will be.

3) The agent dismisses any legally required government disclosures as something unimportant, a waste of time, and something you won’t be interested in hearing about.

4) The representative offers you an unclear interpretation of the paperwork.

5) Contract discussions seem to go round and round and never end. Also, they’ll fight hard to keep you from going home to think about it.

6) You can’t seem to get a straight answer from the business concerning your total costs with their financing terms.

7) You get an employee who claims they’re on your side or state they’re an expert in the field.
You observe a business taking advantage of helpless people such as young children, consumers where English isn’t their native language, foreigners with limited knowledge or education, people who haven’t completed much schooling, individuals suffering from physical or mental disabilities, and senior citizens. Just remember, if an offer seems unbelievable, it probably is.

Struggling to find answers to your debt problems as a Christian? Get relief through Christian debt advice or by using these powerful Christian debt help resources.