Consumer Action

Alerts

Consumer Action’s Alerts highlight trends in consumer complaints, scams, outrageous fees and other notable consumer information.

Jan. 31 is Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day (Jan 30, 2020)
Today, Jan. 31, is Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day. Created in 1975, the EITC is a tax credit designed to
Housing counselors: Get certified (Nov 22, 2019)
Housing counselors who assist consumers with pre-purchase, foreclosure prevention and rental counseling must be certified by August 1, 2020. For those intending
When private companies collect taxes for the IRS (Nov 20, 2019)
Does the collection company calling really work for the IRS? If you know you are current on your taxes and

Autos (Sep 26, 2013)
NEW: SB 686 Gets Dealers to Fix Recalled Vehicles Most car buyers would not expect that a car they bought through
Housing (Sep 25, 2013)
NEW: SB 603 Protects Renters' Security Deposits 15 million renters live in California, and improper withholding of security deposits is a troublingly
Consumer Protection (Mar 29, 2013)
NEW: AB 329 Would Preserve Fans' Ticket Rights A new consumer-unfriendly kind of ticket is being pushed by Ticketmaster, known

Class action lawsuits (Jan 29, 2014)
PLEASE NOTE: Consumer Action has moved its listing of current class actions. Click here to view the listing. We invite

Scammers demand money for their dirty deeds (Jan 21, 2020)
Consumer Action is warning homeowners that scammers are sending mailings “offering” to sell them copies of their own
Beware of offers of 'free money' from the government (Sep 20, 2018)
The federal government grant scam has been around for years. But now, scammers are finding targets through social media. This
Protect yourself from door-to-door home repair scams (Sep 20, 2018)
From our friends at the AARP Fraud Watch Network. The summer months are prime time for home repair scams. This

Changes to California law protect consumers who owe time-barred debts (Oct 31, 2018)
A recent change to California law significantly limits the ability of debt collectors to collect a time-barred debt from a
Protecting yourself from predatory towing (Dec 17, 2017)
From Consumer Connection, a publication of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. Tow truck drivers risk their lives every day
New privacy protections for CalFresh and CalWORKs beneficiaries (Sep 22, 2016)
CalFresh (California’s food stamp program) and CalWORKs (the state’s welfare to work program) help disadvantaged families

Airlines' second-bag fee (Mar 04, 2008)
Two major airlines, United Airlines and US Airways, have recently announced a new baggage policy that will require consumers traveling
Insurance Premium Installment Fees (Jan 17, 2008)
We often hear the phrase, “The poor pay more,” and here’s a couple concrete examples of how people who
Gift Card Fees (Nov 29, 2006)
Gift cards are the chicken entrée of Christmas presents: an uninspired but inoffensive middle ground that often is the

How to find credit-builder loan programs (May 30, 2012)
Because a strong credit history is so important to financial prosperity, some non-profit organizations offer special loan programs that enable
Survey compares rates, fees and more for major P2P lending sites (May 30, 2012)
Despite the worst of the financial crisis supposedly having passed, even consumers with a decent credit history are having a

Consumer Action Insurance Survey (Sep 25, 2008)
Update: The survey closed on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008. Please watch for the results in our Fall 2008 issue of Consumer Action News.
Credit Limit Survey (Jun 24, 2008)
This survey closed on July 15, 2008. Click here to see the results in our Summer 2008 issue of Consumer Action News.