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Q&A
DCWP's approach to investigating fraud on social media platforms
0:28:04
·
3 min
Council Member Alexa Avilés inquires about DCWP's methods for investigating fraud occurring on social media platforms like WhatsApp and WeChat. DCWP representatives explain their approach to handling such cases and the challenges they face.
- DCWP relies heavily on information provided by consumers to identify individuals behind fraudulent social media accounts
- The agency encourages reporting from various sources, including friends, relatives, and community organizations
- DCWP focuses on preventative measures and education to combat fraud on social media platforms
- The 'fly-by-night' nature of social media fraud exacerbates challenges in investigation and enforcement
Alexa Avilés
0:28:04
Right.
0:28:04
And your testimony also noted social media, the use of WhatsApp and WeChat, which we see as a significant proliferator of fraudulent scams.
0:28:16
We'll talk more about that later.
0:28:18
But so how does DCWP investigate fraud that is rampant in a specific immigrant community, such as the fraud on WhatsApp or WeChat?
0:28:29
Right.
0:28:30
No, thank you.
Vilda Vera Mayuga
0:28:31
So I mean, like I said right in my testimony, we're part of the work that we do that is for everybody regardless of immigration status.
0:28:37
So I think we have different cases that we've done that may not be specifically about immigration services but have a focus on the immigrant community.
0:28:45
I gave the example of ASA College that basically was promising regularizing your immigration status simply by becoming a student at that institution.
0:28:54
We have other cases that, again, they just will target the immigrant community because they feel they might not be as knowledgeable about their rights.
0:29:03
So that is something that we do see.
0:29:06
But generally, when somebody files a complaint, we will definitely be looking at it.
0:29:11
In the case specific of immigration service providers, our consumer services unit will definitely flag it for our attorneys because we recognize that this type of industry requires a different approach than trying to contact a business and try to mediate because then they're just going to disappear.
0:29:29
Once they obtain people's money, they might engage them a little longer.
0:29:32
But once they find out that a government agency is looking into them, they might disappear.
0:29:36
So we make a little bit of a different assessment and take a different approach with that industry by having an attorney's review and determine if you know what information, additional information we may need for a complainant to get more data and be able to decide on the next steps.
0:29:53
And General Counsel oversees that unit.
0:29:56
Is there anything else to add?
Michael Tiger
0:29:58
No, I think you covered sort of how we handle in a general sense.
Alexa Avilés
0:30:02
Okay.
0:30:03
And then for something such as where it's happening on social media, where is it necessary, well I guess there's an entity behind an account, but not necessarily a brick and mortar entity.
0:30:17
How does the agency handle that type of investigation?
Vilda Vera Mayuga
0:30:22
It's gonna depend.
0:30:23
Mean we would we rely a lot obviously on the consumers that are giving us the information on any more details that may help us identify the individual behind the account.
0:30:34
I think it's important to stress that we recognize how difficult it could be for an individual to come forward and report an issue that's happening where they feel that they've been targeted and scammed.
0:30:47
And we do want people to know that it doesn't have to be the individual to file the complaint either.
0:30:53
It could also be a friend or a relative.
0:30:55
A community based organization could bridge that gap with us to provide the information if there's fear.
0:31:01
But when it comes to, yeah, using WhatsApp, it is a challenge that we encounter.
0:31:05
We're still going to be depending on information coming from the complainant.
Carlos Ortiz
0:31:11
I think to add into that point, know the industry of immigration providers historically has had challenges because of its fly by night aspect.
0:31:25
I think WeChat and WhatsApp, social media only exacerbate that issue, and part of the communication we do on the education side is very much focused on preventative measures.
0:31:36
Ensuring that you're going to a brick and mortar business, ensuring that a business has proper surety bond signage up, ensuring that you're receiving contracts, that they're not taking originals.
0:31:45
These preventative measures to ensure that you're not falling into deception from a business operating off of WhatsApp.