Business Blog
Video offers how-to tips to explore FTC data
When people report scams, deceptive practices, or identity theft, the FTC and other members of the Consumer Sentinel Network regularly use that data for law enforcement purposes. But now we’re examining the information in innovative and interactive ways – and you can, too. The FTC just produced a video featuring Paul Witt, the Bureau of Consumer Protection’s Sultan of Stats. Give Paul two minutes and he’ll walk you through how to use the FTC’s Explore Data website.
Ever wonder about the top reported frauds in your state? How have they trended over time? Do consumers in certain age groups tend to report certain types of fraud? (An Explore Data spoiler alert: They do.) Explore Data allows you to customize the information you need and automatically create eye-catching infographics.
How can you use this information? We thought you’d never ask:
- Explore Data gives law enforcers, public officials, media outlets, and others up-to-date information about what people in their locale are reporting.
- If you work in social services or are active in community groups, scam stats and trends can help you help the people you serve. For example, an uptick in reports about a certain form of fraud in your state will allow you to tailor your educational messages.
- Giving a speech or presentation? Avoid the bullet point blahs by illustrating your insights with custom infographics.
And now a word from the FTC’s Paul Witt.
It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTC’s computer user records system. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTC’s Privacy Act system notices. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy.
The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.
We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.