Financial exploitation

Wesley Ward, an Illinois State University alum from Bloomington-Normal, worked at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for seven months before leaving voluntarily. He says a lack of enforcement at the CFPB leaves consumers vulnerable, and gives companies an opportunity to get away with breaking federal law.

A 58-year-old Farmer City man has pleaded guilty to swindling boat owners and banks out of about $4.7 million.

The deception may start with a phone call and an offer to invest money that sounds too good to be true, or a seemingly believable plea for money to rescue…