The best way to stay protected is to stay educated.
Every week is Consumer Protection Week here at I’ve Tried That, but the FTC and President Obama have declared March 7th-13th as National Consumer Protection Week. The idea behind NCPW?
Every day, American consumers decide how and where to spend their money. Their decisions have far-reaching effects for both their financial well-being and our Nation’s economic stability. National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) gives all Americans an opportunity to become better-informed consumers.
This year, NCPW focuses on the importance of being a careful consumer at every stage of life, from grade school to retirement. To help our children grow into financially responsible adults and avoid frauds and scams, we must help them understand the marketplace. Parents and educators can play a role by teaching them about advertising and marketing, smart financial practices, and keeping personal information safe and secure.
So what exactly does the NCPW mean for you?
Well, the FTC has put together a rather nifty website breaking down several topics ranging from banking to health costs to mortgages and how you can protect yourself (and your wallet) from getting scammed.
There’s one particular section that I do insist you read over is the Scam Watch category. The FTC does a rather good job breaking down some of the most popular scams out there today. They cover topics like fake check scams, fake computer security warnings, job scams, and consumer scam prevention tips. I highly suggest you click here and read the scam watch page and forward this article along to your friends and family to help keep them protected as well.
The 2010 Consumer Action Handbook
In addition to NCPW, the Federal Citizen Information Center has issued the 2010 Consumer Action Handbook. The handbook is a lovely 172 page guide covering how to be a savvy consumer, to preventing identity theft, to filing a formal complaint. The guide is absolutely free for you to download and should answer all of your common consumer questions. Click here to look through the Consumer Action Handbook now.
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One Response
Thanks for the link to the FTC website–invaluable information and the FTC has a great deal of power. They are probably one of the most proactive government agencies and user friendly. This just went into my bookmarks.