National Consumer Protection Week observed by Carr, agencies
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr joined a group of federal, state and local government agencies and national consumer advocacy organizations in recognizing National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), March 1-7.
“Scammers are always looking for ways to defraud consumers, and it is our job to protect them,” said Attorney General Chris
Carr. “Part of that mission includes educating consumers about the latest scams and how to keep their money and personal information safe from fraudsters and identity thieves.”
“National Consumer Protection Week gives us an opportunity to remind consumers about the many resources our Consumer Protection Division has to offer them,” he said. “We encourage consumers to take a look through our websites, guides and social media channels or call our office to see how we can help them.”
The Department of Law’s Consumer Protection Division (CPD) receives hundreds of consumer complaints a month about unlawful business practices and investigates those businesses that demonstrate a pattern or practice of bad behavior.
In 2019 CPD helped over 5.4 million people and was responsible for obtaining $123,276,873 for consumers and the state – $36,263,388 for consumers under Georgia’s Lemon Law program, $66,698,510 in consumer restitution and $20,314,974 in penalties and judgments.
In addition, the office reached over 398,000 individuals with its consumer education efforts, which are carried out through a variety of methods, including presentations across the state, distribution of educational literature and two dedicated web sites:
♦ Consumer.ga.gov, where you can file a complaint against a business, find information on a wide variety of consumer topics and read the office’s latest press releases.
♦ ConsumerEd.ga.gov, which helps consumers make wise decisions about their homes, cars, credit and finances and responds to consumer questions via the bi-weekly “Ask Consumer Ed” blog. Consumers can subscribe to the blog by visiting ConsumerEd.ga.gov.
CPD also works proactively to provide comprehensive resources that help inform and educate all Georgia citizens including publications like the Georgia Consumer Protection Guide for Older Adults and Cybersecurity in Georgia: A Guide for Small Businesses, Non-Profits and Places of Worship, which are available at consumer. ga.gov. The Consumer Protection Division is available to host Mobile Office Hours in individual communities which can be requested at consumer.ga.gov.