How to Recognize a Class Action Lawsuit Scam

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By Diane Cass
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Class Action Lawsuit

A class action lawsuit is serious business. Most people recognize that being part of one, means MONEY! So do the scammers trying to GET money from you. Don't be duped. Watch out for the latest in email fraud, Class Action Lawsuit scams

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

BE SKEPTICAL OF EMAILS - If you have received a class action lawsuit notice by email, like I did, treat it as suspicious. Do not fill out any information or click on any links that it provides. If you are truly considered to be a person who could possibly be a claimant in this type of lawsuit, you are generally notified by mail, NOT email.
Step 2

RESEARCH ONLINE - Do a little research online to determine if it is legitimate. Don't do a general Google search using the names mentioned in the lawsuit. You will get lots of other scammers trying to capitalize on this idea to take your money.
Step 3

CHECK FOR SECURITIES CLASS ACTIONS: To look up the information for a Class Action Lawsuit involving investors and stocks or bonds, go to The Stanford Law School Securities Class Action Clearinghouse. There is a link below under RESOURCES. You can look up currently pending, and settled lawsuits. Just enter the name of the company in the Litigation Name box, and search. If nothing comes up, then your email is very possibly a scam.
Step 4

INVESTIGATE OTHER CLASS ACTIONS: Other types of Class Actions do not involve investors, but customers who used or purchased a product from a company. To find out if your email is legitimate, go to the website for Class Action World. The link is below under resources. You can look up to see if there are any current, pending, or settled lawsuits. They are listed in alphabetical order by company name. They also have a list of dangerous or defective products. If the lawsuit you were notified of is not there, it is probably not legitimate.
Step 5

REPORT SCAMMERS - If you suspect that a Class Action Lawsuit email that was sent to you is a scam, report it to your email provider. Do not act on anything that the scammers send you. Report it and Delete it.