By: Jeffrey Lapin
As the holiday season is upon us consumers are decorating and buying gifts for family and friends. At the same time, scammers are preparing their holiday scams to “deck their halls” with your money, privacy or identity. Below are 12 common holiday scams as well as ways to make sure the scammers, and not you, end up with a bag of coal. […]
By: Jeffrey Lapin
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regulates consumer financial products and services, such as mortgages and credit cards. Here are some of the more noteworthy actions and announcements by the CFPB from November 2012: […]
By: Jeffrey Lapin
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it pulled the plug on five companies allegedly responsible for millions of illegal robocalls calls from “Rachel” and others from “Cardholder Services.” The FTC estimates that five companies collected approximately $30 million from “Rachel” robocalls by “allegedly deceived consumers” by making phony claims that they could reduce credit card interest rates in return for an upfront fee. After collecting an up-front fee they did little, if anything, to help the consumer. […]
By: Jeffrey Lapin
On October 18, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it will be launching a challenge, the FTC Robocall Challenge, with a $50,000 cash prize for the best technical solution. The Challenge is free and open to the public. The FTC is offering the Challenge as part of its ongoing campaign to stop illegal, prerecorded telemarketing calls.
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By: Jeffrey Lapin
The Consumer Federation of America (CFA), with assistance from the North American Consumer Protection Investigators (NACPI), has issued its 2011 Consumer Complaint Survey Report, which, among other things, lists the top 10, actually 12, consumer complaints from 2011. In addition, the Report identifies the fastest growing complaints, worst complaints, and newer types of consumer problems. Finally, it offers suggestions for new consumer protection laws and tips for consumers for dealing with many of these consumer problems. […]
By: Jeffrey Lapin
Lapin Law Offices has updated its website (lapinlawoffices.com) to include definitions of some commonly used consumer protection and other financial words and phrases. It includes words and phrases involving the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). […]
By: Jeffrey Lapin
Consumers beware: scammers are lurking everywhere trying to separate you from your money or to steal your identity. With some simple precautions you can prevent yourself from being their next victim. Below are 11 ways you can protect yourself. […]
By: Jeffrey Lapin
Consumers beware: scammers are working overtime to separate you from your money and identity. Their techniques are becoming more sophisticated as many consumers have become more wary. Not only are scammers targeting your money they are also trying to steal your identity, which can be more profitable than just getting a single payment from you. These scams are taking place by telephone, online, email, text and regular mail. […]
By: Jeffrey Lapin
FCC’S NEW RULES
On February 15, 2012, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) announced new consumer protections against telemarketing robocalls. A “robocall”, also called an “autodialed call”, is a call which has a pre-recorded message made using an automatic telephone dialing system. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) already places limits on unsolicited prerecorded calls to landline home telephones, and all autodialed or prerecorded calls to wireless numbers. For more information about the TCPA, check out our website here . The FCC’s new rules further restrict robocalls and are intended to make it easier for a consumer to stop receiving them. […]
Consumers will hopefully receive more protection from the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which was created as a part of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4173) has recently opened its doors. The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is assuming responsibility for rules and regulating the business of debt collection that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had been primarily handling. […]
