Submtiited by Dan Buchta and Veronica Craker
Consumers are encouraged to get the most out of National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) by participating with Better Business Bureau Northwest & Pacific. National Consumer Protection Week runs from March 4-10. It is a coordinated campaign designed to help the public understand their consumer rights and educate them on free consumer-related resources to help them make better-informed decisions. During this week, BBB will share consumer-related resources to help consumers use their money wisely.
As a part of NCPW, BBB offers the following advice to make well-informed consumer decisions:
Always do your research. Before purchasing something or donating money, thoroughly research the business or organization. Start at bbb.org.
Get everything in writing. Always get verbal promises in writing and read the fine print. This way consumers can fully understand their rights and what they’re agreeing to.
Monitor your financial accounts. This way, you can quickly detect suspicious activity and protect yourself from identity theft.
Be wary of wiring money. Many scams require that the victim wire money via MoneyGram, Western Union or Green Dot MoneyPak because they know that once the payment is made, it is extremely difficult to get it back.
Know where to complain. If you’ve been a victim of a scam or treated unfairly by a business, there are many organizations and government agencies you can turn to for help. You can file a complaint with BBB at bbb.org, the Federal Trade Commission and your local Attorney General’s office.
To get involved in National Consumer Protection Week, consumers are encouraged to share these BBB tips and other articles on social media by using the hashtag #NCPW2018. Other resources can be found at ncpw.gov or bbb.org/cpweek.