|
Consumer Products |
Personal Finance |
|
Avoiding Work
at Home Scams – The latest news and information from the U.S. Postal
Service on protecting yourself from scams.
www.usps.com/postalinspectors/
Recalls - Are the products
you use around the home safe? Check the U.S. Consumer Products Safety
Commission web site to learn more.
www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/topic.html
Cable TV Complaints – The
Federal Communications Commission can help you if you have questions about
cable home wiring, equipment compatibility, commercial limits on children’s
programming, and indecency and obscenity. If you object to programming, find
out what action you can take.
www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/complain.html
Telephone Complaints – If
you have a complaint about telecommunications issues, cable, broadcasting
and telecommunications accessibility issues, contact the Federal
Communications Commission.
www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html
National Do Not Call Registry
- Are you bothered by unwanted telemarketing calls during dinner, while
playing with the kids or reading, or just while you're completing that last
project around the home? Register at the Federal Trade Commission's National
Do Not Call web site.
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/donotcall/index.html
Complaint Against a Specific
Company or Organization - Your complaint helps the Federal Trade
Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection, to investigate fraud that can
lead to law enforcement action. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing,
identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel,
a secure online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law
enforcement agencies worldwide.
https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?
Z_ORG_CODE=PU01
Consumer Tips from the Federal
Trade Commission - Education is a key tool to prevent consumer injury.
In this section of the Federal Trade Commission’s website, you’ll find
publications with advice on avoiding scams and rip-offs, as well as tips on
other consumer topics.
www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer.htm
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Safety
– Take a look at the Food and Drug Administration’s A to Z Information for
Consumers. They have information on such hot topics as Mad Cow Disease,
tattoos and permanent make-up, the flu, buying medicines online, and much
more.
www.fda.gov/
Household Product Health and
Safety - What's under your kitchen sink, in your garage, in your
bathroom, and on the shelves in your laundry room? Do these household
products pose a potential health risk to you and your family? Find out
what's in these products and what are the potential health effects, and
other safety and handling information from the National Institutes of
Health.
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/
Household Product Publications
- You can get household product publications from the U.S. Consumer Products
Safety Commission.
www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/house.html
Medical Products – Have you
or a family member had a serious reaction or a problem with a drug or
medical device? MedWatch is the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) program
for reporting serious reactions and problems with medical products.
www.fda.gov/medwatch/how.htm
Report Product Related Injury or
Death - You can report any injury or death involving consumer products
or report an unsafe product to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission.
www.cpsc.gov/incident.html
|
Avoid Predatory Lending –
Don’t be a victim of predatory lending. Check out HUD’s web site for tips.
www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/buying/loanfraud.cfm
Consumer information
www.hud.gov/consumer/index.cfm
Identity Theft - Between
January and December 2003, the Federal Trade Commission received over
214,000 identify theft complaints reporting a total loss of over $400
Million. Learn how to protect yourself from identify theft predators.
www.consumer.gov/idtheft/index.html
Bank Complaints - If you
have a complaint about a bank or other financial institution, the Federal
Reserve System might be able to help you.
www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/complaints/
Credit Union Concerns –
Credit union accounts are insured to a minimum of $100,000. Check the
National Credit Union Administration’s web site to calculate your coverage
and learn more about insurance protection.
www.ncua.gov/
Financial Crimes –The
Financial Crimes Division of the U.S. Secret Service investigates bank
fraud, access device fraud involving credit and debit cards,
telecommunications and computer crimes, fraudulent identification,
fraudulent government and commercial securities, and electronic funds
transfer fraud.
www.secretservice.gov/financial_crimes.shtml
Investor Complaints – The
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission welcomes hearing from you because
your information may alert them to a bad broker or firm, unfair practices in
the securities industry that need to be changed, or the latest fraud.
www.sec.gov/complaint.shtml
Student Scholarship Scams -
Need Money for College? Doesn't everybody? Unfortunately, in their efforts
to pay the bills, many students and their families are falling prey to
scholarship scams. The Federal Trade Commission has information that can
help.
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/
scholarship/index.html
Tax Scams – If it sounds too
good to be true, it probably is! Seek expert advice before you subscribe to
any scheme that offers instant wealth or exemption from your obligation as a
United States Citizen to pay taxes. Buying into a tax evasion scheme can be
very costly. The IRS wants you to know about schemes, scams and cons.
www.treas.gov/irs/ci/tax_fraud/index.htm
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,
id=120803,00.html
Housing Counseling – Become
a savvy consumer when buying a home. Take advantage of free housing
counseling at a HUD-approved housing counseling agency.
www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/states/ohio.txt
|
|
Internet Fraud |
Food |
|
E-Commerce Complaints –
Econsumer.gov is a joint project of consumer protection agencies of 17
nations. Your complaint will allow the government agencies to spot current
fraudulent activities. By reporting your complaint, you may also help
prevent other consumers from having the same problem.
www.econsumer.gov/english/
Internet Fraud Complaints –
The best way to fight Internet fraud is to learn how to avoid becoming a
victim. However, if you become a victim, there is help available at the
Internet Fraud Complaint Center.
www1.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp
Spam E-Mail - The Federal
Trade Commission’s website has information about recent law enforcement
actions against deceptive commercial email and spammers who don’t honor
their “remove me” claims. In the "Consumer Info" section, you’ll find tips
on how to reduce the amount of spam email in your in-box.
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/spam/index.html
|
Reporting
Food-Borne Illnesses – If you think you or others became ill from eating
the same food, report this outbreak to your local health department. For
more information, check out the Centers for Disease Control’s web site.
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/reportfi.htm
Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products - Does your prepared food contain some
object that clearly doesn’t belong in food? Contact the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service.
www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/illness.htm
Bottled Water, Seafood, Fruits, Vegetables, & Other
Non-Meat Food Products - Consumers can play an important public health
role by reporting to the Food and Drug Administration any adverse reactions
or other problems with products the agency regulates.
www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/problem.html
Advertising and Fraud Complaints – If you have
encountered false or fraudulent advertising, contact the Bureau of Consumer
Protection at the Federal Trade Commission.
https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.
startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01
Dietary Supplements – Confused about all those
dietary supplements on the market today? The Food and Drug Administration
has some “Tips for the Savvy Supplement User.”
www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2002/202_supp.html
Drinking & Ground Water Safety – Learn where
drinking water comes from and how it is treated. Learn about contaminants
and how you can help protect drinking water. This and more from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
www.epa.gov/safewater/dwhealth.html
|
|
Vehicle Safety |
Workplace Safety |
|
Automobile Safety and Recall
– How did that new car test for safety? Want to see if your vehicle has been
recalled? This and more can be found at the U.S. Department of
Transportation, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s web
site.
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/
Buying a Safer Car – Want to
buy a safer car for your child passengers? Would you like to see how your
van, car, truck, or SUV did in crash tests? The U.S. Department of
Transportation, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration can
help.
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/
Highway Safety – Want a
child safety seat that’s easy to use? Concerned about the safety of the
school bus your child rides every day? Need more information on driver
distraction while using in-vehicle technologies that allow drivers to phone,
fax, email, obtain route guidance, and use the Internet? You can find out
about these and more from the U.S. Department of Transportation, National
Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
|
Workplace Health and Safety
Education – The Centers for Disease Control provide guidance and
information to prevent work-related illnesses and injuries.
www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html
Workplace Safety Policies and
Regulations - The mission of the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) is to save lives, prevent injuries and protect the
health of America's workers. See how we all benefit from their efforts.
www.osha.gov/
Workplace Safety Complaints
– File an online workplace safety complaint with the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA).
www.osha.gov/pls/osha7/eComplaintForm.html
|
|
Other Resources |
State & Federal Government Web sites |
|
GovBenefits.gov - This is a
FREE, confidential tool that helps you find government benefits you may be
eligible to receive.
www.govbenefits.gov/index.jsp
U.S. Consumer Gateway
– Your resource for consumer
information from the Federal government.
www.consumer.gov/
Federal Consumer Information
Center
www.pueblo.gsa.gov/
National Fraud Information Center
www.fraud.org/
|
State of Ohio
www.ohio.gov
U.S. Government’s Official Web Portal
http://firstgov.gov/
U.S. Department of Agriculture
www.usda.gov/EOutreach.html
U.S. Department of Commerce
www.commerce.gov
U.S. Department of Defense
www.defenselink.mil/
U.S. Department of
Education
www.ed.gov/help/site/index/topics_az.jsp?src=gu
U.S. Department of Energy
www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?
BT_CODE=CONSUMERS
Environmental Protection Agency
www.epa.gov
General Services Administration
www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/customize.do
Government Printing Office
www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html
Department of Health and Human Services
www.hhs.gov
Department of Homeland Security
www.dhs.gov/dhspublic
House of Representatives
www.house.gov
Department of
Housing and Urban Development
www.hud.gov/consumer/index.cfm
Department of the Interior
www.doi.gov
Internal Revenue Service
www.irs.gov
Department of Justice
www.usdoj.gov
Department of Labor
www.dol.gov
U.S. Senate
www.senate.gov
Small Business Administration
www.sbaonline.sba.gov
Social Security Administration
www.socialsecurity.gov
U.S. Department of State
www.state.gov
Department of Transportation
www.dot.gov/citizen_services/index.html
Department of the Treasury
www.ustreas.gov
Department of Veterans Affairs
www.va.gov
|
|
