Consumer Law

Cyber education and the next generation of cyber leaders

Posted on October 14, 2013
This week?s internet safety theme is Cyber Education and the Next Generation of Cyber Leaders. We?re raising awareness about the importance of cyber education and workforce development, including the advancement and opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education...

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2013

Posted on October 14, 2013
During October, the AGO will be promoting National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM); visit the AGO?s Internet Safety page for more cyber security information.

Watch out for scammers calling to say you won the lottery

Posted on August 20, 2013
Thanks to Washington's Lottery for drafting this consumer alert Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Officials from Washington's Lottery are bringing attention to lottery scams. Individuals and groups are calling and emailing victims on a more regular basis with the goal of tricking people into thinking they?ve won a lottery prize...

Don?t apply for bogus jobs and have your personal information stolen

Posted on August 19, 2013
Scammers are posing as recruiters for National Outdoor Media with the intent of stealing personal information.

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Chinese ?Blessing Scams? are causing more Distress than Peace

Posted on July 29, 2013
The ?Chinese Blessing Scam? has become an epidemic in Chinatowns across the country. Chinese elderly women are the targeted victims. One scammer approaches the victim trying to find a spiritual doctor. The original scammer is joined by more scammers, claiming that they know this doctor and that he had helped them in some miraculous way...

The Art of Timeshare Scamming

Posted on July 15, 2013
Timeshare owners across the country should be cautious when it comes to selling their unwanted timeshares. A timeshare representative would state they have a buyer and all the consumer needs to pay upfront are the closing costs, which normally range from $1500 to $2500...

Don?t Fall for ?Too Good to be True? Paving Jobs

Posted on July 15, 2013
With summer and warm weather fast approaching in Washington State, the Washington State Attorney General's Office wants to warn consumers of asphalt scamming companies. Scammers usually prey on people who have gravel driveways but everyone should be alert...

Flood Vehicles Trickling into Washington

Posted on July 15, 2013
Hurricane Sandy was the second-costliest hurricane in United States history, surpassed only by Hurricane Katrina. Scam artists are now trying to sell Sandy flood damaged vehicles here in Washington State. A flood damaged car may look normal, but almost always will have serious problems including mildew and corroded wires which can result in an electrical failure...

Fake Court Calls Demand Money

Posted on July 15, 2013
Scammers have started calling Washington residents claiming to represent various courts demanding residents to wire money by 10 a.m. Most recently, the scammers are using the Des Moines Municipal Court's phone number. The Attorney General's Office (AGO) believes these scammers are spoofing the courts phone numbers so when they call you, it looks like a court is calling...

Free Airline Tickets? Don't Pack Your Bags Yet!

Posted on July 15, 2013
Washington residents have been receiving letters through the mail saying they have "qualified for an award of two roundtrip airline tickets" through US Airlines. These scammers want you to call their toll-free number in order to get your personal information-not to give you free airline tickets...

Military Consumer Protection Day July 17, 2013

Posted on July 08, 2013
The first annual Military Consumer Protection day is July 17, 2013. Military families are consumers too and with all of the hardships a military family goes through such as separation from family members makes them prime victims for scammers.

Business Beware the Yellow Page Scammers

Posted on June 24, 2013
The Washington State Attorney General's Office has received well over 250 complaints against scammers with the word "yellow page" and other variations of the word in their names. A business will receive a phone call or a written solicitation along the lines of "You had a free listing, would you like to renew it?" However, there is actually nothing to renew...

It's National Consumer Protection Week! Arm yourself with Information

Posted on March 07, 2013
Consumer protection advocates across the country are celebrating National Consumer Protection Week this week?spotlighting information available to help people and their families protect themselves against scams, fraud and other financial problems.

Spoofers strike again

Posted on March 07, 2013
Today, the Attorney General?s Office learned people are receiving e-mails that appear to be from the AGO Webmaster or other ?@atg.wa.gov? e-mail addresses with the following subject lines: ?    New Pick Coming! But First I need your help, details inside?    Pick Of The Week?    This Stock is another monster week ahead?    DON?T MISS TODAY?S TRADING IDEA?    Your Mind Blowing Monster Pick!?    News Out & Must Read Inside...

Free shred events starting again

Posted on February 20, 2013
Thankfully, the shred event season has begun and I won?t have to spend hours catching up on my shredding, and neither will you. We can bring our boxes to a free community shredding event to keep our personal information out of the hands of crooks. The first shred event of the season was last week, and events are scheduled through October...

Respecting Privacy. Safeguarding Data. Enabling Trust.

Posted on January 28, 2013
January 28 is Data Privacy Day. To mark the occasion, the Online Trust Alliance (OTA) announced a series of town hall meetings and the release of the OTA 2013 Data Protection & Breach Readiness Guide. Attorney General Bob Ferguson is the keynote for the Seattle event on January 30...

E-Receipts: Love them or hate them?

Posted on January 23, 2013
Like many of you, I was introduced to e-receipts during the frantic holiday shopping season. Frustrated and tired at the end of a long day, I was barely listening when the cashier asked me if I wanted a paper receipt, email receipt or both. Working at the AGO, I know better than to agree to something before looking into the details...

Stop sneaky Scrooges from sidelining your support

Posted on December 20, 2012
With the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy fresh in our minds during the holiday season, many of us are seeking ways to share our blessings with those in need.

Nationwide Insurance data breach affects 20,000 Washingtonians

Posted on December 05, 2012
<p><img alt="CyberC" border="5" height="156" src="https://agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploadedImages/Home/News/Pres... style="border-width: 5px; border-style: solid; width: 225px; height: 156px;" title="CyberC" width="225" />On October 3, 2012, a portion of our computer network that is used by Nationwide Insurance and Allied Insurance was criminally intruded upon by an unidentified perpetrator...

Attorney General?s Office holiday shopping tips revealed

Posted on November 21, 2012

Stethoscope seller?s sales practices make consumers? blood boil

Posted on March 31, 2011
The Washington Attorney General?s Office is suing an online seller of stethoscopes for sales practices that caused consumers substantial heartache. 

Scammers preying on immigrants

Posted on March 30, 2011
From sea to shining sea, scammers are preying on those pursuing the American dream. Cons, businesses and even unscrupulous attorneys are ogling the wallets of immigrants seeking green cards. For those seeking the right to live in the United States, the path to citizenship can be blocked by bad legal advice or blatant fraud ...

Tax scam targets seniors

Posted on March 29, 2011
KING 5 has a warning today about a tax scam targeting seniors.

Consumer news you can use ? storage insurance, military ID theft, worthless ring tones

Posted on March 25, 2011
On today?s menu of consumer news you can use ? a warning about storage insurance policy exemptions, a tip to protect soldiers from ID theft, and a heads up on ring tones that don't ... you know ... ring.

New Web site lets you report on unsafe products

Posted on March 23, 2011
A controversial new government Web site, www.saferproducts.gov allows anyone to post information about a product believed to be hazardous. Those reports are shared with manufacturers and can also be searched by the public.

Free calls and texts to Japan

Posted on March 17, 2011
Reach out to your loved ones in Japan -- for free. Responding to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint are providing free phone calls and texts to the country, as well as access to Japanese news broadcasts.

Glue-toting thieves 'stick up' ATM users

Posted on March 17, 2011
Thieves are using glue to disable ATM keys.

Want to buy a chunk of Facebook?

Posted on March 16, 2011
Want to own a piece of Facebook or Twitter? There are plenty of scammers who would love to you sell you non-existent shares of well-known social media companies.

Nearly 40,000 Washington residents affected by Health Net data breach

Posted on March 15, 2011
Health Net Inc., informed the Washington Attorney General?s Office on Monday that ?approximately 39,877 Washington residents? may be affected by its latest data breach.

Oodles of shredding events in Western Washington

Posted on March 14, 2011
A few weeks ago, there were only four shredding events on our calendar at www.atg.wa.gov/shredathon.aspx. Add a zero to that. 

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