The Relentless Battle to Eliminate Robocalls
As attorneys general, we have made it our mission to protect the residents of Michigan and Ohio from illegal robocallers. Robocallers are like a plague of locusts, except these locusts use 21st century technology to swarm through the international telecommunications landscape where they strike in overwhelming numbers, working to scam and defraud…
Consumer Chief of the Month: Steve Kaufmann, Colorado Attorney General’s Office
Just before I walk (or log) out of meetings, I often tell my colleagues “I love my job.” Why? First, my consumer protection teammates are incredibly dedicated and committed to working together. Second, the problems that we tackle tangibly impact the lives of the people of Colorado. And third, we deal with interesting, often cutting-edge…
Federal Consumer Protection News: September 2021
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) settled with student lender Better Future Forward, Inc., an income share agreement (ISA) provider for mispresenting its product and failing to comply with federal consumer financial law that governs private student loans. Under ISAs, students agree to pay a percentage of their income for a…
Highlights from the Center for International Partnerships and Strategic Collaboration’s Child Forensic Interview Training Program
This summer, NAAG’s Center for International Partnership’s and Strategic Collaboration (CIPS-C) facilitated a training program for an international team of investigators on how to conduct forensic interviews with children. Evidence from children is critical in cases involving child abuse, human trafficking, and, in the international context, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Unfortunately, aggressive and…
Federal Consumer Protection News: August 2021
Federal Trade Commission Online lender LendingClub Corporation agreed to pay $18 million to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that the company deceived consumers about hidden fees that it charged and whether their loan applications were approved. In addition, the settlement bars LendingClub from making misrepresentations to loan applicants and requires that the company clearly…
Attorney General Consumer Protection News: August 2021
Multistate Actions Led by Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fight back against the scourge of illegal robocalls by moving up the deadline for smaller telephone companies to implement caller ID…
Consumer Protection During COVID-19: What We’ve Learned So Far
Protecting people from scams is a challenging mission even without the overlay of a global pandemic. But as the past 18 months have demonstrated, con artists view every breaking news story about COVID-19 as an opportunity for a new fraud or flimflam. Consumer protection agencies – including the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general…
Consumer Chief of the Month: Scott L. Barnhart, Indiana Attorney General’s Office
As a Consumer Protection Chief, I am reminded daily just how much of an impact, either positive or negative, business practices have on consumers’ day-to-day lives. Whether it is a data breach of personal information or a bad customer experience, citizens have dozens of experiences as consumers every week. As a private practice litigator, I…
National Association of Attorneys General Announces Winners for 2021 Supreme Court Best Brief Awards
Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) has announced the winners of the 2021 Supreme Court Best Brief Awards. The Best Brief Awards are given annually to honor appellate practitioners from state attorney general offices who have exhibited superb work in representing their states before the U.S. Supreme Court. The winners were…
A Review of CPSC and NHTSA Safety Information Transparency and Recall Authority
The free market has an incredible ability to regulate itself; businesses have incentives to make their products safe and reliable or risk that consumers will shop elsewhere. However, potentially dangerous products still reach the market despite such incentives. Both the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) work to…
