State AGs Endorse Legislation to Combat Illegal Robocalls

Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is endorsing federal legislation known as the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED).   The TRACED Act would assist in combating illegal robocalls by prioritizing industry-wide implementation of call authentication protocols. Also known as STIR/SHAKEN, this framework would allow voice providers to adopt call-blocking technology and prevent spoofed…

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NAGTRI’s Center for Consumer Protection Launches Consumer-Focused Website

Washington, D.C. — The National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute’s (NAGTRI) Center for Consumer Protection (CCP) is kicking-off National Consumer Protection Week by launching its new consumer-focused website, which is designed to be a national hub of consumer protection information and resources for consumers from state and territory attorneys general.  NAGTRI is the training and research arm…

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AGs Request the Social Security Administration Implement New Database to Prevent Identity Theft

Washington, D.C. — In an effort to combat synthetic identity theft, NAAG sent a letter to the Social Security Administration (SSA) asking the acting commissioner to prioritize the implementation of a new database system that meets requirements in a law recently passed by Congress. “We ask you to evaluate and make necessary modifications to the Social…

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Protecting Veterans’ Access to Housing

Once the Washington Attorney General’s Office heard that landlords were turning veterans away from housing because they were using Veterans Affairs Supporting Housing vouchers to pay rent, the office’s Civil Rights Unit sent investigators out to determine the extent of the problem and ensure that such discriminatory conduct ceased. A new Washington law specifically prohibiting such discrimination gives the Civil Rights Unit the authority to insist that recalcitrant landlords come into compliance and end discriminatory practices.

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How the Oregon Attorney General’s Office Tackles Elder Abuse

The year-long presidential initiative for Attorney General Derek Schmidt has been a focus on innovative techniques that attorney general offices can use to serve their senior constituents. This article provides a road map as to how one state, the Oregon Department of Justice, is working to protect their citizens against elder fraud and abuse.

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Compliance Monitoring and State Attorney General Investigations: Issues in Appointment and Operation

With increasing use of compliance monitors by state attorneys general and federal law enforcement in corporate settlement agreements, this article describes the significant advantages that monitors provide in enforcing complex injunctive relief and overseeing systemic corporate changes, and discusses key practices and standards to consider in selecting monitors and defining their roles.

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Identifying Methods Prosecutors May Use to Help Reduce the Infiltration of Counterfeit and Dangerous Products and Practices from Entering the Marketplace

Sandra Arenas, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General of Connecticut; Christine Johnson Spence, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Jamaica; John Moreira, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General of Rhode Island; Paul Singer, Chief, Consumer Protection Bureau, Office of the Attorney General of Texas; Setha…

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Do Not Call: The History of Do Not Call and How Telemarketing Has Evolved

The Do Not Call service has come a long way since its inception, yet the Federal Trade Commission still received 3.5 million complaints about unwanted calls in fiscal year 2015. Thirty-one states have adopted the National Do Not Call Registry. This article addresses the challenges in stopping unwelcome calls.

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Consumer Testimony: How to Prepare and Present Effectively and Ethically at Trial

A senior deputy attorney general from the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office highlights the importance of striking a balance ethically and effectively in what can be the most powerful piece of evidence in certain cases.

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