November 2021 • Issue 5, Volume 12 • www.consumer-action.org Click here to view this email in a web browser What people are saying Consumer Action gives me access to information that I might not ot
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Complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about for-profit colleges surged roughly 70% between 2018 and 2020. Under federal law, the FTC can put companies on notice that it has found some of their practices to be unfair or deceptive. The FTC sent notices to the largest 70 for-profit colleges warning them that it will not stand for prohibited unfair or deceptive claims, which include unsubstantiated assertions about the career or earning prospects of their graduates, the percentage of graduates that get jobs in their chosen field, and whether the school can help a graduate get a job. Often, for-profit schools, including career colleges, encourage students to take out federal and private school loans that students will still owe despite not having been adequately prepared to seek related jobs. These colleges received notices.
For our 50th anniversary, we will recognize some supporters who have worked tirelessly to further our mission and are staunch allies in the consumer protection movement. These Special Recognition Certificates will be handed out at our awards reception on Nov. 16. Read more.
A woman said she has been trying to get identity theft-related collection items off her credit report, without success. We outline some steps to take. Read more.
Consumer Action outreach staff recently hosted a much-needed virtual training that brought together seven physicians and experts to report on COVID vaccination rates, describe their work to overcome vaccine hesitancy, and offer insights that webinar attendees from community-based organizations might benefit from in their own efforts to increase vaccinations close to home. Read more.
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.
In this regular feature, we detail recent actions taken by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). This month, hope runs high for the new CFPB director, and the Consumer Bureau cracks down on illegal card fees charged to former inmates. Read more.
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.
Consumer Action has been a champion of underrepresented consumers nationwide since 1971. A nonprofit 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 and special reports about 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. Read more.
