August 2020 • Issue 2, Volume 11 • www.consumer-action.org
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What people are saying
Thank you for your invitation to attend the COVID-19 Scams and Healthcare Fraud webinar. The webinar was outstanding and very much needed. I would [like to place] an electronic copy of the handouts...on our website for veterans, their family members and caregivers nationwide and overseas.
-Constance A. Burns, National Association of American Veterans, Inc. CEO and Founder
Did you know?
Facebook users who have encountered situations where they've wanted to solve a problem or give feedback about an issue on the platform often find themselves mired in an incomprehensible web of "help" options. This is when they learn that they cannot pick up the phone and simply call Facebook. How frustrating! Fortunately, we've found a helpful guide titled "How to Contact Facebook and Get Support When You Need It," with links to the myriad online forms one can use to contact the social media giant in various situations--from reporting imposter accounts to questions and complaints pertaining to lost logins, underage users, data use, memorializing a deceased person's account, billing errors for boosted posts, and much more. Facebook users, bookmark this under "useful resources."
You shared health info with a 'wellness' app. Now who has it?
Consumers are giving more of their once-private health information to health, mental health and wellness apps, leading the Federal Trade Commission to focus on the privacy ramifications at this year's annual
PrivacyCon event. Read more...
Protecting yourself from cons in the age of COVID
Unscrupulous scammers pose a huge threat to a public operating out of fear of the pandemic. Consumer Action hosted a much-needed webinar to outline the latest trends in scams and frauds impacting targeted populations (such as seniors with Medicare). Hundreds of advocates from across the country attended and learned how to fight back against fraud! Read more...
Hotline Chronicles: Timeshares lose luster during travel restrictions
Timeshare owners are facing tough decisions over whether to attempt to use (or not use) their shares during the pandemic. Researching the many cons of staying in a timeshare now, when vacationing is risky and cancellation policies are complex, made us ask: Are timeshares a good way to spend vacation dollars, even in the best of times? Read more...
Appreciate our work? Tell the world at Great Nonprofits!
Non-profit organizations like Consumer Action benefit greatly when third-party supporters (like you) tout their good work! One of the easiest ways to do so? Through positive online reviews. Take a second to write one letting everyone know that Consumer Action is a great non-profit! Read more...
Coalition Efforts: Big businesses doing bad things
Consumer Action often joins its allies in letters, comments and complaints calling for change, standing up for consumer rights, supporting or opposing proposed laws, and objecting to corporate misbehavior, among other activities. We collect these in the Coalition Efforts section of our website. Each month in the INSIDER we highlight some recent activities. Read more...
CFPB Watch: A decade of defense; hidden complaint details?
In this regular feature, we detail recent actions taken by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). This month, we report on the 10th anniversary of the Dodd-Frank Act (which created the Consumer Bureau); updates to the CFPB's complaint database (which help--and hinder--consumers looking to learn about financial companies' business practices); the record number of coronavirus-related complaints; and the fact that, yes, the CFPB is (still) constitutional! Read more...
Class Action Database: This will be on Experian's public record
Consumer Action maintains a database of class actions so that interested consumers can learn more, join a pending action or make a claim. Class action lawsuits are an important element of consumer protection and can force changes to anti-consumer business practices and make bad actors return ill-gotten gains to consumers. Read more...
About Consumer Action
Consumer Action has been a champion of underrepresented consumers nationwide since 1971. A non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, Consumer Action focuses on consumer education that empowers low- and moderate-income and limited-English-speaking consumers to financially prosper. It also advocates for consumers in the media and before lawmakers to advance consumer rights and promote industry-wide change.
By providing consumer education materials in multiple languages, a free national hotline, a comprehensive website (www.consumer-action.org) and annual surveys of financial and consumer services, Consumer Action helps consumers assert their rights in the marketplace and make financially savvy choices. More than 6,000 community and grassroots organizations benefit annually from its extensive outreach programs, training materials and support.
Consumer Action ©2020
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