It is National Consumer Protection Week and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum invites Oregonians to take advantage of state government resources available to help avoid scam artists and unscrupulous businesses.
Protecting Oregonians’ financial security is a key part of our mission at the Oregon Department of Justice, and the Financial Fraud and Consumer Protection Section has a number of effective tools.
• Toll-Free Consumer Complaint Hotline, 877-877-9392. Ask a question or make a complaint. Over 35,000 calls came in during 2013. The hotline is staffed by volunteers trained to ensure that every complaint is reviewed. Live in the Salem area and interested in volunteering? Send an email to help@oregonconsumer.gov letting us know.
• Our Website, www.oregonconsumer.gov. File a consumer complaint online. Learn our top ten tips to avoid becoming a victim of fraud. Peruse resources and suggestions in categories like elder care, veterans’ rights, online safety, credit & finance and more.
• Scam Alert Network. We’ll let you know about the latest scams as soon as we hear about them. Sign up on our website to receive email alerts, and follow us on Twitter: @oregonscamalert.
• Be InfORmed Database, www.justice.oregon.gov/complaints. Look up businesses to see whether our office has received complaints about them and whether they were resolved satisfactorily. Make informed decisions about whom to trust with your hard-earned money.
To learn more about the Department of Justice Consumer Protection and Financial Fraud Section’s work to protect Oregonians, and to find out about resources offered by other government agencies, by advocacy organizations and by private sector groups, please stop by our booth at the Consumer Protection Fair, Tuesday, March 11 at the main Portland Post Office, 715 NW Hoyt Street.
