They call it helping veterans.
“They” are scammers, and Pennsylvania Attorney General-Elect Josh Shapiro says that, rather than being helpful, their actions are flatly “disgusting.”
And unlawful.
Shapiro’s focus on unscrupulous individuals and companies that prey upon consumers is somewhat high-profile, with the state’s top-ranking legal official purposefully engaging in a number of events recently that seek to prominently spotlight consumer fraud and the many schemes that perpetuate it. Shapiro’s specific reference to Pennsylvania vets was in the context of for-profit educational companies that rip off former military members with bogus promises and illusory program-related benefits.
And the attorney general’s probe encompasses much more than that. In fact, Shapiro is seeking to broadly disseminate fraud-related information encompassing every type of consumer scam to state residents.
His central goal in doing so is to make the identification and reporting of wrongdoing easier, thus empowering consumers — especially particularly vulnerable groups, like the elderly — by enabling them to note and respond to scams more quickly and effectively.
Shapiro is on a frenetic campaign trail of sorts prior to his official assumption of office next week. As noted in one Pennsylvania media outlet, he has held multiple “input” sessions recently regarding a number of important topics.
Clearly, consumer fraud — its prevalence, ramifications and prevention — is at the top of the list.
No reasonable person would argue against such an agenda, given the undisputed and sheer dimension of the problem.
Many bad-faith actors prey upon the public, in matters ranging from debt collection to shady auto-dealership practices. Any person with questions or concerns regarding consumer fraud might reasonably want to timely contact a proven attorney whose practice focuses solely on providing diligent legal representation to fraud victims.