consumerprotection

Freedom Debt Relief, the largest company of its type in the nation, has agreed to pay nearly $2 million in restitution to resolve allegations it misled consumers in two states. More than 570 Washington state consumers who signed up for Freedom Debt Relief's services will be eligible for about...

In the latest efforts by states to curb the problem of unqualified people offering immigration services, six notary publics in Texas have been accused of attracting customers by falsely claiming they had the skill or knowledge to handle immigration cases. The action is part of the state's ongoing...

Unrest in the Middle East is spawning a flood of emails from scammers seeking to fool consumers into sending them money. Two scams are coming from Egypt, both variations on time-tested themes. In the first, a Mohammed Hammad, claiming to be a "consultant" to the Egyptian Past-President Muhammad...

A chain of tanning salons that generated hundreds of complaints about deceptive sales tactics and misleading contracts has agreed to pay $350,000 and change the way it does business. The agreement settles charges lodged against the company At The Beach by the Colorado Attorney General's office. At...

The founder of two charities that were supposed to help veterans is accused of pocketing $690,000 in donations and improperly using money given to the charities to make unreported political contributions. The lawsuit was filed by the Oregon Attorney General's office against Gregory Warnock and...

Consumer confidence was up in January, according to The Conference Board. It's Consumer Confidence Index climbed to 60.6, up from 53.3 in December. Consumer spending is also rising and all this may translate into a better 2011 for many businesses. In all this good news, customer service expert...

This is no April Fool's joke. Starting on Friday, any credit-card service that promises to offer you a free credit report will have to state in plain English if the product they're offering isn't really free. This ruling by the Federal Trade Commission takes aim squarely at Experian's...

We told you about the debt collection hassles endured by people shouldering a large amount of credit-card debt. Then we invited debt collectors to tell their side of the story. Both sides had a lot to say about just what goes on in the debt collection industry, but one assertion -- by the head of a...

If you've bought a wonderfully smooth, silky feeling piece of clothing supposedly made from environmentally-friendly bamboo -- chances are you've been duped. More than six dozen companies -- including some of the nation's biggest retailers -- are being warned by the Federal Trade Commission to...

It's not law yet, but it's come a long way. On Friday, Dec. 11, the House of Representatives passed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009, which includes a provision for creating a new agency aimed at protecting ordinary Americans from predatory lending practices. The new...