Your Ticket to National Consumer Protection Week 2010

Posts Tagged ‘Federal Trade Commission’

What Have You Got to Complain About?

February 25th, 2010
by Amy

One of my favorite things about online shopping is reading user reviews, whether it’s for a pair of jeans or a digital camera. I still read articles and talk to friends, but it can be useful to see if a lot of people have the same kinds of complaints about the product I’m pondering. While there are obvious differences, I think filing a complaint with the FTC is similar — you’re helping the FTC and the 1,700 other federal, state and local law enforcement partners that have access to the information spot patterns and identify not only the scams and frauds that are happening, but the people behind them.

So what do you complain to the FTC about? And how do you do it? The FTC has a new animated video (also in Spanish and at the FTC’s YouTube channel) that shows just that, including examples of the kinds of experiences you might share with the FTC. Complaints can help stop scams, rip-offs and fraudsters, so I hope you’ll share this video and encourage people you know who’ve been ripped off or spotted a scam to file a complaint with the FTC.

On a related note, check out the FTC’s just-released top complaints from consumers for 2009.

Tags: complain, Federal Trade Commission, Money, scams
Posted in Scam Watch | 19 Comments »

Welcome to the NCPW Blog

December 22nd, 2009
by David Vladeck, Guest Blogger

Welcome to the blog that will help us launch the 12th annual National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW). The Internet is littered with countless blogs that quickly and quietly fade into oblivion. This will not be such a blog. Much like a carton of milk, this blog has a clear and defined expiration date, but we promise in the interim to provide a lot of helpful information and tips before that time arrives.

So what is National Consumer Protection Week and what exactly are you guys celebrating?
At the FTC, every day is consumer protection day, but once a year, a Presidential proclamation decrees a week in March to be NCPW. For us, NCPW is a time to shine a particularly bright light on consumer protection outreach and education activities that many organizations undertake. This coming year, we will celebrate March 7-13, 2010 as NCPW, and our theme will be Dollars and Sense: Rated A for All Ages. We will highlight the importance of using good consumer sense at every stage of life — from grade school to retirement.

Why a blog?
Through a blog, we can be a little bit less formal than a traditional government website and hopefully, quicker and more responsive. On this blog – for FTC people and NCPW participants – we plan to promote helpful consumer resources, provide examples of successful partnerships and campaigns, explore new outreach ideas, and get feedback from our readers. Many of our blog posts will respond to events in the news and seasonal concerns—like holiday shopping. And it will be a great place for consumers to get helpful tips about how to protect their privacy, manage money and debt, avoid identity theft, understand credit and mortgages, and steer clear of frauds and scams.

How can I help you guys plan an outstanding National Consumer Protection Week?
Our real hope is that the blog will launch an exchange of ideas on how readers use the materials and how they do outreach on consumer protection subjects. We want your comments and we want you to help us create a lively online community for those interested in consumer education. So please, let us know what you think. How can we best prepare for NCPW? What would you like to see in future NCPW blog posts?

Tags: Federal Trade Commission, NCPW Blog, NCPW Partners
Posted in NCPW | 20 Comments »