It’s National Consumer Protection Week.
Government agencies, consumer
organizations, and advocacy groups are joining forces March 3 to 9 with
shopping strategies and consumer tips to empower you to make better buying
decisions and protect your rights in the marketplace.
Sales pitches and financial advice come
at you from every direction – by phone, by mail, and every time you read an ad,
go online, or turn on your TV.
Here are six tips from the USA.gov
blog to help you sort through all the pitches:
- A free
mobile app can help you check any product or vehicle, new or used, to see if it’s
been recalled or has safety complaints. Keep up with recent recalls of things
you may have around the house or check on that great thrift shop bargain before
you buy. Use the Recalls.gov
app and mobile site to search by product type and brand name
- When
your wallet is lost or stolen, there are eight steps you
need to take right away. A thief won’t waste time trying to cash in on your
loss. Learn now so you’ll be ready to protect your identity and your credit as
soon as your wallet goes missing.
- A new
federal agency is working to eliminate deceptive and unfair lending practices.
Established in 2010, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau works to make
sure providers of mortgages, credit cards, student loans, and banking services
market their products honestly, clearly, and legally. Learn more about their
work, and their simple tips
for protecting yourself.
- Scammers
see tough economic times as an opportunity. Job scams
are abundant, as swindlers “guarantee” you an unadvertised job, try to get you
to pay for their placement services, or tell you that you can get rich by
working from home. Learn more about financial scams and saving money at the
Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer.gov.
- There’s
a formula for complaining effectively. If you’re not satisfied with a product
or service, use the Consumer Action Handbook’s sample
complaint letter to let the company know where they went wrong and how you
want them to fix it. To get the free Handbook or its Spanish counterpart, la Guía
del Consumidor, visit the consumer protection sections of USA.gov or GobiernoUSA.gov.
You can get consumer questions answered
during a special National Consumer Protection Week online Q&A session.
USA.gov will connect you with
government resources to answer your questions during a live event on Wednesday,
March 6 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST. You can find out about the latest scams, how
to protect your family from identity theft, and more.
To participate, submit your questions
during the event on Twitter using the hashtag #NCPW.
