FTC ‘Fotonovela’ Warns Latino Community About Notario Scams

Notarios aren’t attorneys, and they can’t help with the immigration process.

To warn Spanish-speaking consumers about notario scams, the Federal Trade Commission has created a Spanish-language graphic novel, Cómo se enteraron Myriam y Pedro de las estafas de notario. It describes the warning signs of a notario scam, where to find help with the immigration process, and how to report scams to the FTC.

This is the latest in the FTC’s fotonovela series, a campaign to promote consumer education and protection in the Latino community and part of the agency’s initiative to prevent fraud in every community. Previous issues focused on debt collectors, government imposters and income scams. Consumers can order all four free publications at ftc.gov/bulkorder, or read and download them at consumer.ftc.gov.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.