As Illinois consumer attorneys we were pleased to see that the Illinois Attorney General has a very informative website highlighting the protections provided by Illinois and Federal Law against abusive debt collection practices. You can link to the website here. The Attorney General’s website describes how the Fair Debt…
A very informative brochure just published by the Federal Trade Commission contains the following very useful questions and answers regarding the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: What debts are covered? Personal, family, and household debts are covered under the Act. This includes money owed for the purchase of an automobile,…
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) website provides useful information regarding recognizing telephone and telemarketing frauds. A full copy of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is also linked to the site and you can view it here. The FTC website states: Debt Collection FAQs: A Guide for Consumers If…
In a consumer protection and debt collection case, the Seventh Circuit has decided that a Wisconsin trial court was correct to grant summary judgment to a class of Cingular Wireless customers. Seeger v. AFNI, Inc., No. 07-4083 (7th Cir. December 8, 2008). The Cingular (now AT&T) customers had sued AFNI,…
If you believe you are the victim of a consumer fraud or scam that is harming many other individuals you should file a report with the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC maintains a Consumer Sentinel database which can be used by law enforcement authorities all over the world to…
One of the best websites to learn about consumer law issues and to find lawyers who focus on consumer rights issues is the website of the National Association of Consumer Advocates. The website contains numerous links to sections on Auto Fraud, Lemon Law, Predatory Lending Practices, Credit Reporting…
The National Consumers League’s Fraud Center is one of the best informational websites on the internet to learn about consumer rights and protection issues. Informed consumers are best armed to protect themselves from consumer scams and consumer frauds. The website contains sections for Telemarketing Fraud, Internet Fraud, Scams Against…
One of the best websites to obtain information about consumer law topics and purchase consumer and lawyer oriented publications and books about consumer rights issues is the website of the National Consumer Law Center. A particularly well done book offered by the National Consumer Law Center is called Surviving…
We have watched with dismay as report after report rolls in with bad financial news. Just like other Americans, many individuals and families here in the Chicago area are having more trouble making ends meet right now and may be at risk of losing their homes. Because our consumer…
Given all of the more recent high-profile financial failures, it might be easy to forget the fall of Bear Stearns, the first investment bank to go down in our current economic downturn. But we were interested to read recently that the firm recently settled charges that it violated the…