Step up your consumer game and find out how to avoid scams during National Consumer Protection Week
March 09, 2022
National Consumer Protection Week March 6-12 is a time to help people understand their consumer rights and avoid frauds and scams.
The Federal Trade Commission leads the national outreach for the week of events. It’s focusing on how fraud affects every community. In blog posts and events this week, the FTC is highlight scams that affect some of those communities, including older adults, college students, servicemembers, and LGBTQ+ communities.
In reviewing consumer complaints, the FTC found examples of the differences in communities:
- Fraud and bad business practices play out differently in different communities. The FTC’s reporting data showed that the top percentage of reports by people living in majority White and majority Latino communities were about impersonator scams. In majority Black communities, the top percentage of reports were about credit bureaus.
- Scammers tell people to pay in different ways. Reports from majority Black and Latino communities show that people are more likely to end up paying scammers in ways that have few, if any, fraud protections: cash, cryptocurrency, money orders, and debit cards. In contrast, reports from majority White communities show that people are more likely to pay scammers with credit cards.
Other agencies and organizations also are offering events and information during National Consumer Protection Week:
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Federal Deposit Insurance Commission
Federal Communications Commission
Most Attorney General’s Offices are also offering events and information for National Consumer Protection Week. Check this list to find the office in your state.
Join in the National Consumer Protection Week activities of these agencies and organizations and take the time share their information with others.
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