Credit problems, phishing scams, car issues top list of consumer complaints to Attorney General’s Office
The Attorney General’s Office has released its Top 10 list of consumer complaints for 2008, and it has a familiar look. Complaints about financing, credit and debt collection were the number one category of complaints filed, as they were in 2007. The Consumer Protection Division this year received more than 120,000 calls, letters, e-mails and online complaints in 2008.
The second-highest category of complaints was scams and fraud, phishing attacks and foreign lotteries. Category number three involved car issues - new and used car buying, title problems and car repairs.
The complete Top 10 list of complaints for 2008, along with examples of legal action, includes:
• Financing, credit and debt collection (5,491 complaints). The Attorney General’s Office launched Operation Stealing Home in July, a series of lawsuits alleging mortgage fraud and other scams that claimed to help homeowners facing foreclosure. In a separate action, a lawsuit filed against JK Harris Company accused the business of failing to help consumers trying to negotiate down their debt owed to the Internal Revenue Service. According to the lawsuit, JK Harris claimed it could negotiate the amount of money taxpayers owed to the IRS, and consumers paid as much as $4,500, but Harris did not provide the services or the refunds to consumers who requested them.
• Financial fraud, lotteries and general scams (4,465). In July, the Attorney General filed criminal charges against a Kansas City man who allegedly defrauded investors out of more than $500,000 in a trucking investment. The nine counts of securities fraud against Steve Brownell accuse him of taking investments from three people, promising them profits in a dump truck business then delivering little or no return.
• Auto sales, repair, odometer, title and towing (3,989). As a result of Operation Taken for a Ride, filed in March, the Consumer Protection Division shut down...
Read the complete story in the January 8th edition.