Consumer law

The following are international government sources of free information on the Internet. Use them to perform background checks, due diligence, on business opportunities so as to avoid frauds and scams.

Who regulates what is confusing. For example, in the US there are 12 states in which the business opportunity seller is regulated by the state agency responsible for regulation state securities or investments. While other states leave the job to either the attorney general or a consumer protection agency.

In Canada, there is no agency which regulates business opportunity sellers, although the Canadian Federal Competition Bureau is responsible for overseeing misleading advertising.

Please contact us to report broken links.

Select a country:

Australia

• Ministry of Fair Trading
• Slam a Scam Form
• The Fair Trading Act: A guide for Consumers

Brazil

• Home Page do Ministério da Justiça do Brasil ...
• Links de Defesa do Consumidor

Canada

• Court Decisions (Canada and Provinces, free but generally only the last 5 years.)

Consumer affairs - Federal

• Directory of Resources - Who does what? in Canada A good introduction to who does what in Canada with respect to consumer protection.
• Office of Consumer Affairs - Scams A nice online test you can take. There is also a huge 9.3 meg movie on this about fraud. A very long load.
• Office of Consumer Affairs - Laws and Codes These are mostly consumer protection laws, but some may be relevant.

Competition Bureau - Federal

• Competition Tribunal Home Page - The Canadian counterpart to the Federal Trade Commission, but the Competition Bureau only regulates misleading advertising and not franchises or business opportunities. This is the judicial body, see below for the investigation body.
• Competition Bureau - These are the folks that you should complain to about miseleading advertising, telemarketing, or pyramid schemes.
• Competition Act - This is the Canadian law which governs misleading advertising, multilevel marketing and pyramid schemes.

Industry Canada - Federal

• Industry Canada's Scam Page - Try the Scam quiz, it is rather entertaining. A number of good links also.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Federal

• RCMP Regina Commercial Crime Section
• Economic Crime
• Economic Crime Prevention Web Page
• Phone Busters
• RCMP Links Page

Ontario - Provincial

• Ministry of Finance & Corporate Relations
• Ministry of Finance & Corporate Relations (additional site)

New Zealand

• Consumer Scams & Rip-offs - A-Z of scams
• Scam alert

United Kingdom

• Consumer Protection
• DTI - Direct Access to Regulations
• Office of Fair Trading - Home page
• The Advertising Standards Authority - Home Page

United States

• Complaints Against Businesses
• Economic Crimes

Federal Overview

• Gov Spot - federal, state and local government...

Department of Justice

• INTERPOL-USNCB Homepage
• What's the Department of Justice Doing About Telemarketing Fraud?

Federal Bureau of Investigation

• FBI
• Internet Fraud Complaint Center

Food and Drug Administration

• Food and Drug Administration - Home page
• Federal Consumer Information Center - Links main page

Federal Trade Commission

• Commission Actions - 1996-2000
• FOIA Reading Room
• Links to Other Sites
• 'Net-Based Business Opportunities: Beware of Flop-portunities
• Business Opportunity Disclose Laws
• Commission Actions: February 2000
• Commission Actions: March 2000
• Credit
• Easy Credit? Not So Fast
• Federal Trade Commission Home Page
• FTC: Operation Missed Fortune - List of Law Enforcement Actions
• International Internet Sweep Day
• Just When You Thought It Was Safe... Advance-Fee Loan "Sharks"
• NCP Week
• State-Federal Crackdown on Phony Business Opportunities Intensifies
• Talk To Us - Complaint Form
• Thinking of Buying a Business Opportunity?
• FTC Search Engine/search

NASAA

• Get-Rich-Quick Self Employment Scams
• Investor Education Index
• Locate your local securities regulator
• SBA: Small Business Administration - Home Page

SEC

• Internet Fraud: How to Avoid Internet Investment Scams
• Internet Fraud: Seen a Fraud ...?
• Investor Education and Assistance
• Litigation Releases
• US Department of Commerce (DOC)

United States Postal Services

• Distributorship and Franchise Fraud
• Mail Fraud and Misrepresentation
• Postal Inspection Service Locator

State of Illinois

• IL Securities Dept.

State of California

• California Department of Corporations - Top Ten Investment Frauds for Investors to Avoid
• California Dept. of Justice - Office of the Attorney General
• Welcome to the California Department of Corporations

State of Connecticut

• Understanding Business Opportunity Investments

State of Florida

• Florida Attorney General

State of Massachusetts

• Commonwealth of Massachusetts - Laws / Regulations / Rulings
• Direct Access Service
• Mass Office of Consumer Affairs
• Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General

State of Maryland

• Maryland Attorney General - Securities

State of Maine

• Welcome to the State of Maine
• State of Maine: Department of Professional an...

State of Michigan

• Michigan Attorney General

State of Minnesota

• Fraud

State of Oklahoma

• Oklahoma Business Opportunity Sales Act
• Sooner Search - Oklahoma Government-Wide Search Page

State of Texas

• Business and Commerce Code - Chapter 41
• How to Protect Yourself

State of Utah

• Utah Department of Commerce

State of Vermont

• Consumer
• Telemarketing fraud

State of Washington State

• Corporations Registration Data Lookup
• Corporations Registration Data Search Results
• Securities Division Publications

International

• English Flag Page
• IMSN/RICC Home Page