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Alerts

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

Content

Consumer Alerts

• Payday rule helps protect consumers from debt traps (Oct 09, 2017)
  

  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced a groundbreaking rule that reins in short-term…

• Shopping guide helps you choose the right bulb (Oct 05, 2017)
  

  Confused by some of the new lightbulb products? A new guide is available to help narrow your choices. The

• Steps to protect your personal data after the Equifax data breach (Sep 26, 2017)
  

  While we still don’t know the full ramifications of the Equifax data breach that exposed the personal data of 143…

( View More Consumer Alerts )  

California Legislative Alerts

• Autos (Sep 26, 2013)
  

  NEW: SB 686 Gets Dealers to Fix Recalled Vehicles

  Most car buyers would not expect that a car…

• Housing (Sep 25, 2013)
  

  NEW: SB 603 Protects Renters' Security Deposits

  15 million renters live in California, and improper withholding of security…

• Consumer Protection (Mar 29, 2013)
  

   

  NEW: AB 329 Would Preserve Fans' Ticket Rights

  A new consumer-unfriendly kind of ticket is being…

( View More California Legislative Alerts )  

Class Actions

• Class action lawsuits (Jan 29, 2014)
  

  PLEASE NOTE: Consumer Action has moved its listing of current class actions. Click here to view the listing.

  …

( View More Class Actions )  

Scam Alerts

• Guard your Medicare number well! (Apr 24, 2017)
  

  Consumer Action reminds seniors to safeguard their Medicare numbers. Scammers use victims' Medicare numbers to commit fraud and steal benefits. Unauthorized…

• Marketers looking to make a buck off student loan borrowers (Feb 08, 2017)
  

  Consumer Action is warning consumers about mail solicitations on student loan consolidation and payment plans. The letters appear to be from…

• Radio ads prey on immigrants’ worst fears (Jan 12, 2017)
  

  Consumer Action warns that hiring an immigration attorney may be unnecessary until one receives a deportation notice

  Editor's note: Click…

( View More Scam Alerts )  

California Alerts

• 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 stay afloat when a…

• Covered California issues in-language scam alerts (Dec 09, 2013)
  

  Covered California—the state health care insurance marketplace—recently issued these health care alerts in several languages. Print the PDF files…

• July 2012 brings new protections for California car buyers (Sep 27, 2011)
  

  AB 1215 (Blumenfield) has been signed by Governor Brown. Once it takes effect, it will offer important new protections to…

( View More California Alerts )  

Fee Of The Month

• 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…

• 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 can’t…

• Gift Card Fees (Nov 29, 2006)
  Gift cards are the chicken entrée of Christmas presents: an uninspired but inoffensive middle ground that…

( View More Fee of the Month )  

P2p Lending

• 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…

( View More p2p lending )  

Consumer Opinion Polls

• 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…

• Credit Limit Survey (Jun 24, 2008)
  

  This survey closed on July 15, 2008. Click here to see the results…

( View More Consumer Opinion Polls )