The Federal Trade Commission announced a crackdown on companies that allegedly have used the economic downturn to prey on consumers desperate for work or needing relief from debt.

Along with the FTC, the Department of Justice, 13 states and the District of Columbia were involved in the sweep called “Operation Short Change.”

The FTC’s David Vladeck said in a news conference today: “Thousands of people have been swindled out of millions of dollars by scammers who are exploiting the economic downturn. Their scams may promise job placement, access to free government grant money, or the chance to work at home. In fact, the scams have one thing in common--they raise people’s hopes and then drive them deeper into a hole.”

Read more about the crackdown and the schemes the FTC says it has uncovered.