This page contains a collection of primary sources useful for research on anti-fraud regulation in the United States, and will be updated and expanded periodically.

Anti-fraud agency annual reports

Federal Trade Commission Annual Reports

Links to all FTC annual reports issued to Congress from 1916-1998. These reports furnish overviews of FTC activities to combat deceptive practices in interstate commerce, typically including statistics about investigations and enforcement actions, discussion of new congressional legislation in this area, overviews of big enforcement campaigns, and brief summaries of selected cases.

Securities and Exchange Commission Annual Reports

Links to all SEC annual reports issues from 1935-2016. These reports provide overviews of the SEC’s history, structure, and objectives. The report also furnishes in-depth an in-depth financial statement and a section highlighting challenges facing the SEC and the SEC’s progress in addressing these challenges. Aside from these three main sections, the report also offers a list of SEC divisions and offices within the SEC and a summary of the agency’s major enforcement cases during that fiscal year.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Annual Reports

Links to the tenth Semi-Annual CFPB Report to Congress and the President, which is part of a series of Semi-Annual Reports that offer updates on the Bureau’s efforts to protect consumers in the financial marketplace. Reports discuss common consumer challengers and resources, supervisory activities, enforcement actions, financial information, and internal reports.

 

Illustrative state and local consumer protection agency annual reports

Kansas

Links to all Annual Reports produced by the Kansas Consumer Protection and Antitrust Division from 1974-2015. These reports typically provide summaries of the organization’s activities and consumer trends “by the numbers,” along with litigation overview, a list of antitrust investigations and enforcement actions, and information regarding specific acts and criminal prosecutions.

New York

Links to the last four Annual Reports produced by the New York State Department of Financial Services’ Financial Frauds and Consumer Protection Division (FFCPD). Each report provides overview of the organization, the Division’s civil/criminal investigations and enforcement activities, operations and efforts of specific programs, and statistics of annual fraud reports.

 

Collection of BBB and CBBB annual reports

Better Business Bureau (Metro New York)

Links to the 2015 annual report published by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Metropolitan New York. The report begins with a letter from the President of the BBB serving Metro NY which sums up the organization’s year in statistics, along with key accomplishments. The report highlights the BBB’s mission, programs, investigations, conferences, foundation, and other opportunities/activities. A Network of Trust Services is also outlined to demonstrate the various ways that assistance from the Metro NY BBB is accessible for consumers, such as via telephone or online assistance. The report concludes with the organization’s annual financial statement, its board of directors, and contact information for a variety of BBBs across New York.

Council of Better Business Bureaus

Links to the 2015 annual report of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB). The CBBB was established as the national network hub for Better Business Bureaus in North America. The report begins by detailing the CBBB’s mission, the influence of BBB’s across the United States and Canada, and the CBBB’s year in statistics. National programs and partners are also listed as resources for consumers. The report concludes with consolidated financial statements and the organization’s 2015 Board of Directors and Officers.

 

Annual reports of association of certified fraud examiners

ACFE Report to the Nations

Links to the 2016 Report to the Nations, a report published annually by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Since 1996, the ACFE’s Report to the Nations has analyzed case information provided by their network of nearly 80,000 Certified Fraud Examiners. Each report presents statistical data on the varieties and costs of occupational fraud, along with resources on how to identify perpetrators of fraud. The report also details case results from victim organizations.

 

Other primary sources and relevant oral history collections

SEC Historical Society Oral Histories

Created by the Securities and Exchange Commission, this public selection of over 100 oral histories contains interviews conducted with former SEC officials and employees. Interviews often delve deep into details of SEC operations, including information about all phases of the regulatory process, particularly rule-making, monitoring, and enforcement. The majority of interviews occur after 2000, but oral history dates range from 1964 to the present.

Green Hornet radio episodes

Green Hornet was a series of radio episodes originating from Detroit WXZY in 1936. The episodes chronicled the adventures of the Green Hornet, a superhero of sorts who fought crime by infiltrating criminal operations. The Green Hornet occasionally dealt with cases of consumer fraud in the episodes, including “Classified Ads,” which detailed a scheme in which fake diamond rings were sold to unsuspecting consumers through newspaper classified ads.

Hello Sucker episodes

Hello Sucker was produced in cooperation with the Chicago BBB in 1952 to protect Chicago consumers and home owners from scam/fraud. Each episode involves reenactments of popular schemes, such as the “Castles in the Air” episode which details a demonstration home scheme, and ends with a word of advice for consumers.

Fine Art of Fraud video

An educational video produced in 1966 by the New York Department of Law detailing the problem of consumer fraud and ways to avoid it.