That is not to say that scams are new societal phenomena, of course. However, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2020 Internet Crime Report reported that overall internet crime complaints increased from 467,361 in 2019 to 791,790 in 2020. According to the 2020 Internet Crime Report, scams made up 2 of the top 3 reported internet crimes in 2020. More information about the FBI’s 2020 Internet Crime Report can be found here.
I sometimes talk to victims of various scams in my practice. Indeed, the very first bankruptcy case I ever took involved the victim of a business investment scam who had been swindled out of their entire life savings. As a result, my client was left to survive on their credit cards and other forms of high-interest credit products. While there was nothing that I could do to help this client recover the funds that they had lost in this business investment scam, I was able to provide a lot of debt relief for this client while protecting their home.
Helping my first bankruptcy client sparked a passion for helping people that have gone into debt either subsequent to falling victim to a scam (as my first bankruptcy client had), or as a direct result of the scam.
After assuring the scam victims that I talk to that the scam is only a small (albeit traumatic) part of their story, I love building a plan of attack designed to help them rebuild their life utilizing the bankruptcy tools available to them.
When you are ready, reach out to one of our experienced bankruptcy attorneys by going to www.lifebacklaw.com. Your future self will thank you!