In the News
Bill allows gas price increase in emergency
As posted on March 22, 2010 on www.ajc.com
Proposed legislation could make it hard to determine if price gouging has occurred...
Advertisers hit consumers with sneaky credit report fees
As posted on March 20, 2010 on www.ajc.com
Government, however, provides free access to reports once a year...
LifeLock Settles With F.T.C. Over Charges of Deception
As posted on March 9, 2010 on www.nytimes.com
Fraud-alert service pays $12 million settlement...
Preying on the desperate
As posted on March 7, 2010 on www.SundayPaper.com
Authorities report dramatic rise in scams targeting job seekers...
Why Pay For Health Insurance When You Can Steal It?
As posted on March 3, 2010 on www.npr.org
Medical identity theft can compromise victim's credit and safety...
GM recall: What to do if your Chevy or Pontiac is on the list?
As posted on March 2, 2010 on www.csmonitor.com
GM recalls 1.3 million vehicles over power steering problem...
Recalls to fix Nissan brake pedals, gas gauges
As posted on March 2, 2010 on www.ajc.com
Nissan recalls 540,000 vehicles...
Tax forms, other papers found at Smyrna recycling center
As posted on February 24, 2010 on www.ajc.com
Investigation underway regarding improper disposal of sensitive documents...
FTC Issues Report of 2009 Top Consumer Complaints
As posted on February 24, 2010 on www.ftc.gov
Identity theft has declined, but still tops the list...
Banks Apply Pressure to Keep Fees Rolling In
As posted on February 23, 2010 on www.nytimes.com
Banks are aggressively marketing to keep consumers enrolled in overdraft programs...
FTC Amends Free Credit Reports Rule To Help Consumers Steer Clear of 'Free' Offers that Cost Money
As posted on February 23, 2010 on www.ftc.gov
FTC to require new disclosures in advertisements for "free credit reports"...
What You Need to Know: New Overdraft Rules for Debit and ATM Cards
As posted on February 22, 2010 on www.federalreserve.gov
Consumers to have more choices about participation in overdraft plans...
FTC Cracks Down on Con Artists Who Target Jobless Americans
As posted on February 17, 2010 on www.ftc.gov
Scams Prey on Victims of the Recession With Bogus Job, Money-Making Schemes...
Government Moves to Rein in Debt Collectors
As posted on February 3, 2010 on www.kiplinger.com
Mistakes and harassment are cited as reasons for closer scrutiny from regulators. New laws could be next...
Catholic Pilgrimage Center Tours and Its Owner Ordered To Pay Over $420,000 For Violating Fair Business Practices Act
As posted on February 2, 2010 on www.law.ga.gov
Court orders tour booking company to pay restitution to consumers...
Toyota recall: What to do if your car's on the list
As posted on Is your Toyota part of the current recall for stuck accelerators? Find out more...
FBI warning of Haiti earthquake scams
As posted on January 13, 2010 on www.cnn.com
Appeals for charitable donations may be scams...
BBB Lists Top 10 Scams and Rip-Offs of 2009
As posted on January 6, 2010 on www.bbb.org
Free trial offers and scams that take advantage of tough economic times dominate the list...
IRS Proposes New Registration, Testing and Continuing Education Requirements for Tax Return Preparers Not Already Subject to Oversight
As posted on January 4, 2010 on www.irs.gov
Higher Standards to Boost Protections and Service for Taxpayers, Increase Confidence in System, Yield Greater Compliance with Tax Laws...
I-Team: Child Support Collection Firm
As posted on December 31, 2009 on www.myfoxatlanta.com
Federal government investing Child Support Services for alleged failure to disburse payments collected...
Scam Alert: 'Elder Law' Mailings Too Good to Be True
As posted on December 28, 2009 on http://bulletin.aarp.org
In the guise of government, senders try to sell investments and solicit personal information...
Scam Alert: A Very Wrong Number
As posted on December 14, 2009 on http://bulletin.aarp.org
Returning a call to some area codes can lead to a huge phone bill...
FTC Sues to Stop Robocalls With Deceptive Credit Card Interest-Rate Reduction Claims
As posted on December 8, 2009 on www.ftc.gov
FTC takes legal action against telemarketing fraud suspects...
Gift cards not the best stocking stuffers
As posted on December 5, 2009 on www.accessatlanta.com
Gift card fees and charges detract from their appeal...
Jury Convicts Twigg In Advance Fee Investment Scheme
As posted on December 4, 2009 on www.romenewsbywatson.com
Fraud convictions for fake investment scheme that raked in $3.7 million...
Shopping Smart: CFA's Latest Tips to Keep Holiday Shopping from Becoming a January Hangover
As posted on November 26, 2009 on www.consumerfed.org
Latest CFA/CUNA Survey Shows Consumers Increasing Their Holiday Spending...
Web scam alert: Don't shop online until you read this
As posted on November 23, 2009 on www.consumerreports.org
Web scam costs online shoppers over $1.4 billion...
Grifters cash in on stimulus aid
As posted on November 17, 2009 on www.usatoday.com
Scammers con thousands of Americans using promise of stimulus money...
New Rules Would Restrict Overdraft Fees on Debit Cards
From the November 13, 2009 edition, the New York Times, Page B3
Card issuers must get customers' permission before charging certain overdraft fees...
Credit Cards: Break Up, or Make Up?
From the November 4, 2009 edition, The Wall Street Journal, Page D1
Had enough of new fees, higher rates? Before you cancel the card, read this...
Wicked New Wrinkle: Scammers Impersonate FTC Officials
As posted on October 30, 2009 on http://redtape.msnbc.com
Con artists posing as FTC employees defraud consumers...
FTC slams MoneyGram with $18M charge to settle fraud complaints
As posted on October 20, 2009 on www.networkworld.com
FTC said MoneyGram knowingly let scammers use its money transfer system for scams...
Latest bank fee is for paying off credit card on time every month
As posted on October 19, 2009 on www.usatoday.com
Banks respond to new credit card legislation by charging new fees...
Don't Let the Storms Hurt You Twice: Be Wary of Fraudulent Contractors and Scam Artists
As posted on October 6, 2009 on www.fema.gov
Important tips on avoiding disaster-related fraud...
Toyota Recalls 3.8 Million Vehicles
As posted on September 30, 2009 on www.nytimes.com
Floor mat defect can cause accelerator to stick...
Chase to Revamp Overdraft Policies to Give Customers More Control
As posted on September 23,2009 on www.jpmorganchase.com
Chase debit-card customers won't pay big fees for small mistakes
Beware Bogus Advertising Slogans
As posted on August 29, 2009 on http://finance.yahoo.com
Consumers warned about deceptive automobile advertising tactics...
Ban on robocalls takes effect on Tuesday
As posted on August 28, 2009 on www.cnn.com
An FTC ban on automated telemarketing calls starts Tuesday...
EMCs Warn Consumers: Beware of Scam Artists
As posted on August 21, 2009 on www.georgiaemc.com
The Electric Membership Cooperatives (EMCs) are warning consumers of telephone scams aimed at stealing personal and financial information...
What to Expect As New Rules on Credit Cards Take Effect
As posted on August 18, 2009 on www.wsj.com
Credit Card Act of 2009 has positive and negative repercussions for consumers...
Online Degrees: Schools Scam Aspiring Students
As posted on August 17, 2009 on www.abc.com
Some Online Colleges Offer No-Brainer Test and Charge for Bogus Credentials
Don't get snookered trading in your clunker
As posted on August 13, 2009 on www.ConsumerReports.org
Helpful advice concerning "Cash for Clunkers" program...
Governor Announces New Design for Georgia Licenses, IDs
As posted on July 9, 2009 on http://gov.georgia.gov
More secure features; harder to fake; and vertical license for under 21...
FAQ: How to vanquish mobile spam
As posted on July 7, 2009 on www.cnet.com
How to block text messages...
Cybercrooks descend on Twitter with spam, attacks
As posted on July 6, 2009 on www.usatoday.com
Twitter users susceptible to spam, infectious URLs and stolen Twitter log-ons...
Credit Card Issuers Raising Rates Ahead of New Law
As posted on July 2, 2009 on www.washingtonpost.com
Banks hike credit card rates and fees before new credit card law takes effect...
FTC Cracks Down on Scammers Trying to Take Advantage of the Economic Downturn
As posted on July 1, 2009 on www.ftc.gov
FTC announces law enforcement crackdown on fraudsters and new consumer education effort...
Don't get hooked by fishy scare tactics
From the June 10, 2009 edition, USA Today, Page 1B
Pitches for fake Internet security show up in surprising places...
Reforms aimed at consumers
From the June 7, 2009 edition, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Financial reforms offer greater protections to consumers...
Debt-collection tactics under scrutiny
From the June 7, 2009 edition, The Christian-Science Monitor
At issue: Coercing debtors into waiving rights they don't know they have.
Dietary supplements can hurt health, wallet
As posted on May 31, 2009 on www.ajc.com
Scammers deceive consumers with false product claims and hidden charges...
Job scams take toll on the desperate
As posted on May 26, 2009 on www.ajc.com
Easy-money ploys flourish in recession. Be wary of any request for upfront payment, the experts warn.
What the New Credit Card Law Means For You
As posted on May 19, 2009 on www.cnbc.com
The new federal credit card law will provide more transparency and greater protections for consumers...
Swine flu scammers driving consumers to pharmacy Web sites
As posted on May 1, 2009 on www.bizjournals.com
Emails with "swine flu" in subject line may be scams...
Scams are feeding on desperation
From the April 20, 2009 edition, USA Today, Page 3B
People grasping for hope can fall victim...
Regulators struggle to contain foreclosure fraud
As posted on April 6, 2009 on www.msnbc.com
Distressed homeowners fall victim to scams promising to save their homes...
Government cracking down on mortgage scams
As posted on April 6, 2009 on http://news.yahoo.com
Con artists prey on struggling home owners by offering fraudulent loan modifications for up-front fees.
How to Blow Your Credit Limit -- Without Spending
As posted on www.smartmoney.com on March 12, 2009
Credit card companies create credit woes for consumers by cutting back credit limits to below customers' current balances...
Folding dealers shock car buyers with unpaid liens
As posted on February 1, 2009 on http://news.yahoo.com
Dealers that go under often leave consumers stuck with unpaid loans on their trade-ins...
Data-stealing scams have kicked into high gear since last fall
From the January 29, 2009 edition, USA Today, page 1A
Internet crime has sky-rocketed with worsening economic crisis...
Navigating disputes over credit card charges
From the January 26, 2009 edition, USA Today, page 3B
When you disagree with credit card charges, it pays to know the rules...
Liquidation sales: Big numbers - but are they bargains?
As posted on January 26, 2009 on www.jacksonville.com
Appeal of slashed prices is strong, but comparison shopping is crucial.
Circuit City, R.I.P.
As posted on January 16, 2009 on www.yahoo.com
Bankrupt Circuit City to liquidate merchandise in all remaining US stores.
Resolved: This Year, I'll Keep More Cash
From the January 2009 edition, Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine
Seven easy ways to save nearly $10,000 in 2009...
Mysterious credit card charge may have hit millions of users
As posted on January 11, 2009 on www.bostonglobe.com
Small, fraudulent credit card charges may pay off big for identity thieves...
The Debt Trap: Colleges Profit as Banks Market Credit Cards to Students
From the January 1, 2009 edition, New York Times, New York Edition, page B1
Colleges may be encouraging student credit card debt by selling students' addresses to banks...