Accessible public information is the most effective weapon in our fight to free our market from unfair and deceptive business practices. In our attempt to increase consumer awareness, the Attorney General’s Office has created an assortment of informational services to meet the needs of our diverse audience.
We strive to provide the most accurate information, in the most convenient formats, to Washington’s businesses and consumers. Traditional news releases, alerts, blogs, tweets, brochures, and special training opportunities all take center stage in our efforts to improve Washington’s economy.
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It's National Consumer Protection Week! Arm yourself with Information
Consumer protection advocates across the country are celebrating National Consumer Protection Week
this week—spotlighting information available to help people and their
families protect themselves against scams, fraud and other financial
problems.
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Spoofers strike again
Today, the Attorney General’s Office learned people are receiving
e-mails that appear to be from the AGO Webmaster or other “@atg.wa.gov”
e-mail addresses with the following subject lines:
• New Pick Coming! But First I need your help, details inside
• Pick Of The Week
• This Stock is another monster week ahead
• DON’T MISS TODAY’S TRADING IDEA
• Your Mind Blowing Monster Pick!
• News Out & Must Read Inside.
Let us assure you. These are spoofs.
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Free shred events starting again
/Shredathon/id_theft.jpg?n=9103 "Shredded_paper") Thankfully, the shred event season has begun and I won’t have to spend
hours catching up on my shredding, and neither will you. We can bring
our boxes to a free community shredding event to keep our personal
information out of the hands of crooks. The first shred event of the season was last week, and events are scheduled through October. Check our calendar for dates and locations across Washington state.
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The Attorney General’s Office and the Better Business Bureau are
warning Washington residents to read the fine print before responding to
letters from businesses offering to sell them copies of records easily
accessible from local government offices for a much lower price.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s High-Tech Unit has secured a $97,000
settlement with ZookaWare, an Arizona-based software company, and its
owner for engaging in unfair and deceptive practices against consumers
over the last several years.
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson and the Better Business
Bureau are teaming up to remind consumers that scammers never take a
vacation. Both the AGO and the BBB have seen a recent spike in
“Timeshare Reseller” scams. Together both agencies have received more
than 20 complaints since the start of the year.
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has ordered T-Mobile to
correct deceptive advertising that promised consumers no annual
contracts while carrying hidden charges for early termination of phone
plans. Today, the Attorney General's Office filed a court order
signed by T-Mobile and effective nationwide that will ensure the company
clearly communicates the limitations of its new “no-contract” wireless
service plans and allows customers duped by the deceptive ads to exit
their contracts with no penalty.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Secretary of State Kim Wyman
today expressed their condolences to the victims of the horrific
violence at the 2013 Boston Marathon—and warned people not to fall
victim to fake fundraisers using the tragedy to scam people into making
bogus contributions.
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