Wage theft occurs when an employer fails to comply with wage and overtime laws. These include a guaranteed minimum wage, breaks, and overtime pay when employees work long hours. An employer’s failure to abide by these laws is the same thing as stealing from its employees. Unfortunately, some employers who choose to violate their employees’ wage and overtime rights are good at disguising their misconduct. This makes it difficult for employees to know whey they are getting ripped off. Regardless of whether an employee is classified as “exempt” or makes commissions, California laws are very specific in how much an employee must make in salary, or must make overall with commissions; but for our purposes, know that no employee should be making less than the minimum wage per hour. And this is where employees get trapped: because some employers work these employees such long hours that their average hourly rate per hour comes out to…Read More
Having a retirement plan can help you address the expenses that will come along in life after you no longer go to work to generate income. Because these funds will play a crucial role in your ability to provide for yourself after retirement, you undoubtedly hope that your employer or other entity handling your plan manages the account with your best interests in mind. Unfortunately, some individuals may think that they can defraud you by misusing your account. Luckily, ways exist that could help you protect yourself from fraudulent activity. If, in the end, you do believe that someone has carried out such actions against you, you also have legal options for addressing the matter. Do Your Research One of the easiest ways in which individuals get taken advantage of revolves around a lack of knowledge. If you hope to make an investment in order to build your retirement savings, having information on the company or…Read More
If you are typically generous and trusting, you may also be susceptible to the most common types of consumer fraud. However, even people who are naturally cautious or even suspicious may fall victim to a scam. Because some people feel embarrassed at their vulnerability, they don’t always report cases of fraud to authorities. That’s why it is difficult for federal agencies and consumer protection groups to accurately report how many people are defrauded each year. However, if you have recently been victimized by a consumer scam, you are in the company of thousands. Playing To Your Human Nature Common scams involve fake charities and lotteries. These are highly lucrative because they appeal to your generosity and your desire to be successful. Lotteries often begin with a person contacting you about an award you have won. The person then requests money to pay the taxes on the prize. After you send funds, the person may demand…Read More