FRAUD DISCUSSION

Paper instructions:
Week 3: FRAUD DISCUSSION

Post your answers to the following questions in the Fraud Discussion on Carmen Discussions. Please post your
answers in the actual discussion and NOT in an attached document (2 points will be deducted for posting
answers in an attached document). Also, for ease of reading for other students, please use the name of the
dishonest seller/business/person as your post title (ex. Madoff).
Before completing this assignment, students are expected to read the assigned articles for Week 3 and
view/listen to the lecture for Week 3 (Content section of Carmen).
1) Provide a summary (approximately 250-350 words) of an instance of fraud or a rip-off that you have
experienced, know about, or have researched. Please read through each of the items below before
deciding an example. Provide website links for your research. Include the following information in
your summary:
a. State the name of the seller and explain in detail how the scheme works. If you do not know the
name of the seller/business/person, please choose a different example.
b. Is this a fraud or rip-off? Explain. Note: The weekly lecture provides definitions for fraud and rip-off.
c. Does the seller have a website? If so, what tactics have been employed to make the seller appear
more legitimate?
? Example: Pictures of the president and American flag on the website
d. What marketing techniques has the seller used?
? Examples: Email, direct mail, referrals, etc.
e. Does this scheme target a certain group of people?
? Examples: Elderly, baby boomers, teens, religious group, ethnic group, socioeconomic
group, etc.
f. Has the seller had any complaints or legal actions taken against them? If so, provide a summary.
Consider using the following resources (if applicable) to research your answer:
? Google
? Better Business Bureau website (http://www.bbb.org/)
? U.S. Food & Drug Administration website
(http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ProtectYourself/HealthFraud/default.htm)
? NASD’s BrokerCheck service (http://www.finra.org/index.htm)
? Federal Trade Commission website (http://ftc.gov/)

Week 3: FRAUD DISCUSSION
Post your answers to the following questions in the Fraud Discussion on Carmen Discussions. Please post your
answers in the actual discussion and NOT in an attached document (2 points will be deducted for posting
answers in an attached document). Also, for ease of reading for other students, please use the name of the
dishonest seller/business/person as your post title (ex. Madoff).
Before completing this assignment, students are expected to read the assigned articles for Week 3 and
view/listen to the lecture for Week 3 (Content section of Carmen).
1)  Provide a summary (approximately 250-350 words) of an instance of fraud or a rip-off that you have
experienced, know about, or have researched.  Please read through each of the items below before
deciding an example.  Provide website links for your research.  Include the following information in
your summary:
a.  State the name of the seller and explain in detail how the scheme works.  If you do not know the
name of the seller/business/person, please choose a different example.
b.  Is this a fraud or rip-off? Explain. Note: The weekly  lecture provides definitions for fraud and rip-off.
c.  Does the seller have a website?  If so, what tactics have been employed to make the seller appear
more legitimate?
?  Example: Pictures of the president and American flag on the website
d.  What marketing techniques has the seller used?
?  Examples: Email, direct mail, referrals, etc.
e.  Does this scheme target a certain group of people?
?  Examples: Elderly, baby boomers, teens, religious group, ethnic group, socioeconomic
group, etc.
f.  Has the seller had any complaints or legal actions taken against them? If so, provide a summary.
Consider using the following resources (if applicable) to research your answer:
?  Google
?  Better Business Bureau website (http://www.bbb.org/)
?  U.S. Food & Drug Administration website
(http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ProtectYourself/HealthFraud/default.htm )
?  NASD’s BrokerCheck service (http://www.finra.org/index.htm)
?  Federal Trade Commission website (http://ftc.gov/)
Fraud Discussion Post: Grading Criteria
10 points  ?  Post contains appropriate content for given assignment and is thoughtful, analytical, and
original. Post meets or exceeds word count for assignment. Well structured, logically
sequenced sentences, written in formal language. Free of grammatical/spelling errors.
Post references website links for the information provided.
7 points  ?  Post contains appropriate content for given assignment. Demonstrates key concepts but
analysis is not fully developed. Post meets or almost meets word count. Sentence
structure is present but organization of ideas is somewhat sporadic. A few
grammatical/spelling errors. Post references website links for most of the information
provided.
4 points  ?  Post is short and lacks insight or depth. Lacks sentence structure and/or flow. Written in
informal language (using abbreviations or text lingo). Poor spelling and many
grammatical/spelling errors. Post lacks references for information provided.
Extra Credit*: Respond to another student’s posting.
Reply Post
1)  Provide some reasons why you think this type of rip-off or fraud exists in the marketplace.
2)  What kind of effect has it had on consumers and/or society (monetary, emotional, etc.)?
3)  Provide realistic and reasonable solutions to help thwart or eliminate this type of fraud or rip-off.
Reply Post: Grading Criteria
2 points
extra credit
?  Reply post shows a high level of insight, depth, and understanding relevant to topic.
Personal opinion is expressed in a respectful manner and is clearly related to the original
post. Free of grammatical/spelling errors.
1 points
extra credit
?  Reply post shows some insight and understanding relevant to topic. Personal opinion is
expressed in a respectful manner but relationship to original post is somewhat weak.
Some grammatical/spelling errors.
0.5 points
extra credit
?  Reply post shows little understanding of the original post. Written in informal language
(using abbreviations or text lingo). Poor spelling and many grammatical/spelling errors.
*Review syllabus policy for extra credit:
Extra credit: Students may earn extra credit points for responding thoughtfully to other students in Carmen discussion assignments.
Points earned range from 0.50 – 2 points per Carmen discussion topic. Since there are a total of 4 discussions over semester, students
have the opportunity to earn a total of 8 extra credit points. Due dates for discussions are listed in the syllabus. Original posts and
responses must be posted before discussion due date.