Consumer Information Blog - for 2014-May

Talk about a bumpy ride for consumers!

When you get vehicle financing through a dealership, you and the dealer enter into a contract: you buy a vehicle and agree to pay, over a period of time, the amount financed plus a finance charge. The dealer may hold onto the contract, but typically, it's sold to a bank, finance company or credit union. This “assignee” is responsible for the day-to-day management of your account, including collecting and crediting your monthly payments. But sometimes, things don't go exactly as they should.

The FTC sues companies that make deceptive claims about their products or services. When we settle a case we try to get refunds for consumers who lost money, if that’s possible.

May 25 – 31, 2014 is National Hurricane Preparedness Week — a good time to prepare your family, pets, and property for extreme weather situations. Hurricane hazards come in many forms, including storm surge, heavy rainfall, inland flooding, high winds, tornadoes, and rip currents. The FTC has information to help you prepare for, deal with, and recover from different aspects of a weather emergency.

As news about the eBay hack hits the media, you may be wondering what you can do to protect yourself from fraud. First, change your eBay password. When you create your new password, keep these tips in mind.

If you used your eBay ID or password for other accounts, change them, too. Hackers sometimes try stolen IDs and passwords on different websites to gain control of other accounts. 

Don’t confirm or provide personal information in response to an email or text, and don’t click on links in unexpected messages.