Federal regulators must do more to protect servicemembers from unscrupulous colleges seeking to get their hands on their education benefits. That’s the message eight states want to get across to the secretary of Veteran Affairs following reports that some for-profit colleges target military personnel using predatory practices. [More]
attorney general
MoneyGram To Pay $13M, Revamp Policies To Protect Against Wire Transfer Fraud
By 2.11.16
While advances in technology now allow us to zap money from our bank accounts to our friends and family members with the touch of a button, some people continue to rely on money transfer services. But as we’ve reported several times in the past, these companies are often the service of choice for scammers looking to get their hands on your hard-earned money. One such outfit, MoneyGram, today agreed to revamp its policies and provide $13 million in restitution to consumers who were harmed by fraudsters using the service. [More]
Settlement Between New York, Tobacco Companies Provides $550M For Smoking-Related Health Costs
By 10.20.15
A decades-long dispute between the New York Attorney General’s Office and major tobacco firms over payments the companies were required to make for smoking-related public-health costs, but refused to dish out, has come to an end. A new settlement between the parties directs the tobacco companies to deliver $550 million to the state, New York City and other counties. [More]
Missouri Attorney General Suing Walgreens Over Pricing Practices… Again
By 9.22.15
Barely a year after Walgreens reached a deal with the Missouri attorney general to close the state’s investigation into allegations of overcharging and deceptive advertising, the state’s top prosecutor is taking the drugstore chain back to court. [More]
Comcast Must Pay $33M To Settle Charges It Listed 75,000 Unlisted Phone Numbers
By 9.18.15
Nearly a year after the California Public Utilities Commission held a hearing to determine if Comcast should be held liable for a screwup that published more than 75,000 phone numbers, names, and addresses that were supposed to be unlisted, the cable and Internet giant has reached a $33 million deal that puts an end to the matter. [More]
University Of Phoenix Faces Probe Into Military Recruiting Practices
By 8.10.15
A little more than a week after federal regulators set their sights on the University of Phoenix for possible deceptive and unfair business practices, the California Attorney General’s office is joining the investigation party by opening a probe into the for-profit college’s military recruitment practices. [More]
Two For-Profit Schools Must Pay Students $2.3M Over Unfair Practices
By 7.31.15
Hundreds of former students at Kaplan Career Institute and Lincoln Technical Institute in Massachusetts will receive redress from the for-profit colleges after the schools settled charges they engaged in unfair practices with the state’s Attorney General’s office. [More]
There’s Still $43 Million In Outstanding RadioShack Gift Cards, And Texas Wants To Rescue It
By 6.19.15
When a retailer looks like it might be in danger of going out of business, we warn gift card holders to use their cards soon, before the company declares bankruptcy and the cards lose their value. Not everyone has the good sense to read Consumerist, though, and that’s why the Texas Attorney General wants the smoldering remains of RadioShack to put aside some money for gift card holders. [More]
Nevada’s Attorney General Is Investigating Cash4Laptops/Cash4iPhones
By 5.19.15
Last year, we shared two readers’ crappy experiences with the brand that does business under the names Cash4iPhones and Cash4Laptops. One had his offer for three phones cut by more than $900, and another received an offer of $263 for his phone and a check for $41. Our readers aren’t alone, of course, and the attorney general in the state of Nevada, where the company is based, is investigating them. [More]
ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66 Must Pay $11.5M To Settle Hazardous Waste Violations
By 5.8.15
Two Texas-based companies have been ordered to pay a total of $11.5 million to close the book on allegations that hundreds of their gas stations may have put local water supplies in California at risk.
[More]
Senators Call For Attorney General Investigation Into Executives Of Corinthian Colleges
By 5.6.15
Bankrupt for-profit college chain Corinthian Colleges Inc. is already party to a number of state and federal investigations related to the alleged deceptive recruiting practices at its Heald College, WyoTech and Everest University campuses. Now, a group of senators are hoping to add another investigation to the roster. [More]
RadioShack Agrees To Mediation After Auction Of Customer Mailing Lists
By 4.28.15
In bankruptcy court this morning in Delaware, there was a hearing regarding RadioShack’s plan to offer tens of millions of pieces of customer data in its bankruptcy auction. The attorney general of the Shack’s home state of Texas objected to this sale, mostly because the company’s original privacy policy didn’t allow the company to sell customer data to just anyone. Now RadioShack has agreed to mediation after its intellectual property, including those mailing lists, is auctioned on May 11. [More]
Feds & NY Attorney General Team Up To Sue Abusive Debt Collectors
By 2.26.15
Just like one of those action movies where a federal agent gets paired up with a small-town sheriff who knows all the bad guys in the area, the Federal Trade Commission has brought its crackdown on abusive debt collectors to New York and partnered with the Empire State’s attorney general to shut down a pair of unsavory operators. [More]
Customer: Fry's Wouldn't Replace My Laptop Until I Dropped Complaint
By 5.10.12
If you file a complaint against a company with your state’s attorney general, and then that problem gets resolved, you might understand it if that company asked you to update the AG’s office. But a woman in California says Fry’s Electronics would not replace her broken laptop until after she dropped her complaint to the AG. [More]
BP Faces Audit Over Spill Compensation
By 7.21.11
The prizes keep flowing for reigning Worst Company in America champ BP, which not only received the Golden Poo for its spilleriffic efforts, but now gets the pleasure of an independent audit to verify it’s on the up-and-up in terms of distributing the $20 billion oil spill victim compensation fund. [More]
Attorney General Forms Team To Look Into Oil Price Manipulation
By 4.21.11
Someone at the Attorney General’s office must have finally looked at how high gasoline prices are right now and thought, “Maybe there’s something more than meets the eye here,” because President Obama announced earlier today that the AG is gathering his forces to see what, if any, behind-the-scenes shenanigans are going on to keep prices so high. [More]
How To Call Your State's Attorney General
By 4.1.11
Need to report an unscrupulous business practice to your state’s attorney general? Here’s all of their phone numbers, listed by state, so you can look them up and file your complaint. [More]
Texas Sues Bally Total Fitness Over Fake Past Due Billing
By 6.9.10
Texas’ Attorney General Greg Abbott is going after Bally Total Fitness for the fraudulent “past due” scheme it was using to trick former customers into re-upping with the gym. The AG office says that the gym mailed more than 11,000 fake notices to former customers between last summer and March 2010, and at least 1,000 Texans fell for it and paid the fees. [More]
