being victimized by consumer fraud perpetrated through a telephone boiler room operation, how victims are impacted by fraud, and what victims can do to prevent their becoming victims. In March 1993, Professor Biegelman concluded a six-month investigation of an advance fee loan scheme with the arrests of three defendants and the execution of two search warrants to gather additional evidence of the fraud. The defendants were charged with violations of the Mail and Wire Fraud Statutes. The Complaint and Affidavit in Support of the Search and Arrest Warrants is provided as a reading assignment for this Discussion and contains the details of this investigation. In reading this document, you will gain an understanding of the case, how the defendants perpetrated their scheme, and how the victims were defrauded while in the pursuit of loans.

1. Put yourself in the shoes of the victims of this advance fee loan scheme and discuss how a consumer in need of a loan can be victimized financially and emotionally by this scheme.
2. Discuss what red flags of fraud the victims missed.
3. Discuss prevention tips that consumers could use to lessen being victimized by advance fee loan schemes