Welcome to WalletPop's Consumer Ally, where our team of writers is here to help inform you about issues affecting consumers and help you, the consumer, better navigate your way through the perils we all encounter. Consumer Ally is the 2010 winner of the New York Press Club award for best consumer reporting online. Turn here first when looking for stories on scams, food and product safety (see our special page on cribs).

Mitch Lipka, who coordinates the team, has 25 years of news experience writing for publications including The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Consumer Reports.
Here's what you can find on Consumer Ally.

• A new and improved Help Me, WalletPop! written by Today Show personal finance editor Jean Chatzky, who started writing for WalletPop earlier this year. If you've run into a brick wall, just email Help Me, WalletPop!
• More columns on dangers for consumers on the Web by Beau Brendler, former director of Consumer Reports WebWatch.
• Insightful columns by noted environmental writers Jim Motavalli and Sally Deneen on how companies and industries are "greenwashing," or pretending their products are environmentally friendly.
• A weekly review of As Seen on TV products by veteran journalist Lisa Kaplan Gordon.

Meanwhile, we'll continue to help grow and add to our resources that you can use to be the most educated consumer you can be, including our primer on deciphering food label claims, tips on how to avoid getting ripped off when you're moving and our 50-state guide to finding the help you need.

Please email us at ConsumerAlly@walletpop.com if you have a consumer issue you think we should tackle. We're here to help.