A reoccurring trend in many of the social issues nowadays is this language barrier, hindering a organization from helping a minority group. The FTC too was a victim of this, however, they have mended their ways. FTC is committed to provide information in multiple languages, helping consumers and businesses spot, avoid, and report scams and business malpractices.

In a media briefing on November 21, hosted by Ethnic Media Services, a panel of experts discussed the importance of language access in fighting fraud.

Speakers

  • Monica Vaca, Deputy Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, Washington DC
  • Larissa Bungo, Senior Attorney, Division of Consumer & Business Education, Federal Trade Commission, Washington DC
  • Jongwon Lee, Testimonial about using FTC’s new multilingual services

Monica Vaca, speaking on the FTC’s behalf, excitedly shared the enhancements they made to their call centers. Addressing their largest complaint, they began supporting a multitude of languages at their call centers, making the reporting from minority communities far more accurate. Languages included now are English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese among others.

The next speaker, Larissa Bungo, discussed the importance of sharing materials and social media graphics in papers and online content. Print is going nowhere, According to Bungo many people rely on a print publication for their news, simply because of their challenges with language.

She encourages people to order publications, or to go online and explore for help, on how to avoid scams in different languages. She wants that “everyone has access to the information they need to protect themselves.” The publications are designed to educate people and businesses go about battling and reporting the scams, with the information they need in the language they need.

Jongwon Lee, a long-time reporter and editor in the Korean media field, emphasized the impact of language access availability, specifically in Korean. Lee emphasized that providing information in Korean builds trust between their communities and government agents. This sense of trust led to more accurate, more reliable reporting.

Overall, the FTC’s language access capabilities are a breakthrough in fighting fraud and protecting consumers, paving the way for even more advancement and representation of minority communities. The ability to report fraud in multiple languages will help ensure that all consumers have access to the resources needed to get from those pesky scammers to not steal your money.

Not only is this reporting of these scams beneficial for you, but the community as a whole, with fewer scammers roaming the corners of the internet out to catch their next prey. So let’s stay vigilant to keep us, our peers, and our wallets safe.