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Beyond the Byline: Mom would have been 91 Sunday; I miss her every day

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Jump, Jive an’ Jazz event at Scranton Cultural Center

<p>Especially in an election season, you&#8217;ll hear certain people whine about the inefficiency of the U.S. government and &#8220;the bums&#8221; who hold office.</p><p>But when caught in a consumer-related bind, your Uncle Sam could be your best ally for resolving the situation. Plus, by getting familiar with the services of the Federal Trade Commission &#8211; which bills itself as &#8220;the nation&#8217;s consumer protection agency&#8221; &#8211; you might be able to dodge common scams and other troubles in the first place.</p><p>By visiting the commission&#8217;s website, at <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/" target="_blank">consumer.ftc.gov</a>, you can:</p><p>&#8226; <strong>Report identity theft</strong> and get help with a recovery plan via <a href="https://www.identitytheft.gov/" target="_blank">IdentityTheft.gov</a>. You will find sample letters to use, for instance, when disputing debit card or ATM transactions, and stopping persistent calls from debt collectors who are trying to extract money that you don&#8217;t owe. There&#8217;s also a helpful roundup of contact information (phone numbers and web addresses) for the three credit reporting agencies, as well as national companies with which you might have accounts such as Citibank, Comcast, Paypal and Verizon Wireless.</p><p>&#8226; <strong>File a consumer complaint</strong>. Don&#8217;t expect the Feds to rush to your house to investigate a suspected shyster contractor or other bad business experience. However, the commission&#8217;s staffers do analyze consumers&#8217; reports for trends, which in some cases will result in investigations by federal, state or local law enforcement agencies. The commission also can supply guidelines on what to do so that your grievance with a business is more likely to get handled to your satisfaction.</p><p>Complaints also can be made by phone. Call 1-877-FTC-HELP (or 1-877-382-4357).</p><p>&#8226; <strong>Discourage telemarketers&#8217; robocalls</strong>. Add your cellphone or home phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry, which also is accessible directly at <a href="https://donotcall.gov/" target="_blank">DoNotCall.gov</a>. Legitimate businesses should cease calling that number with their recorded solicitations within about 31 days; if not, you can file a complaint. Remember, the ban does not apply to callers such as charitable organizations, political groups and pollsters/surveyors. Regrettably, you also will continue to be contacted by scam artists. Hang up and report the unwanted call.</p><p>&#8226; <strong>Receive scam alerts</strong>. Sign up to receive scam alerts by email. Or simply browse the commission&#8217;s most recent online posts. Regular readers of the alerts would have seen, for instance, these headlines: &#8220;Protect your organization from directory scams&#8221; (Sept. 20), &#8220;Voicemail from an IRS imposter?&#8221; (Sept. 1), and &#8220;How to spot a car wrap scam&#8221; (Aug. 3).</p><p>&#8226; <strong>Find helpful consumer information</strong> on a range of topics. Do you plan to soon buy a car? Shop for a mortgage? The commission offers advice for those and other transactions. Its tips are organized by subject, which include &#8220;money and credit,&#8221; &#8220;homes and mortgages,&#8221; &#8220;health and fitness,&#8221; and &#8220;jobs and making money.&#8221;</p><p>Learn the steps that you can take to limit your run-ins with rip-off artists.</p><p>And if you do happen to get tricked or flat-out cheated, promptly report it to the FTC.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Consumer Watchdog</p><p>Mark Jones</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Mark Jones is the Times Leader&#8217;s opinion page editor. Reach him at 570-991-6122 or mjones@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Consumer Watchdog: FTC tools can help cheated consumers