Consumer Advocate 

With 147 million Americans’ information compromised in the Equifax data breach, learn what a recent agreement between the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and state attorneys general means for you.

Before you agree to genetic testing, understand how a recent scam is convincing older adults to hand out their personal information.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office offers consumer protection tips ahead of Thanksgiving weekend, one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

Peer-to-peer services give consumers the ability to transfer funds online or through an app directly from their bank account. Scammers are taking advantage of these payment services by accepting money for products such as popular event tickets and then failing to deliver the tickets.

With our aging population, it’s important for family members and friends to provide guidance, education and support to older adults who may be vulnerable to financial fraud and exploitation.

As the summer season wraps up, some Ohioans will be looking for great places to rent. Before sending any money, make sure your new landlord isn’t a con artist. Learn how to detect a phony rental posting designed to steal your money.

As consumers prepare for Ohio’s sales tax holiday and the upcoming school year, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is offering back-to-school shopping consumer protection tips.

A password manager stores your login and password information for all the websites you use and helps you log into those websites automatically.

Searching for a job can be stressful. Scammers often advertise in the same places where legitimate job placement services advertise.

A money mule is someone who – often unwittingly – is recruited to launder money.

Consumers should beware of travel scams during spring and summer vacation months.

If you’ve recently received a call from someone claiming to be with the Social Security Administration, you’re not alone. The current Social Security scam is a version of the impostor scam, which involves scammers representing themselves as government employees in order to access your personal and/or financial information.

Consumers throughout the country are receiving emails claiming that their computers have been hacked and that their online activity will be made public unless they pay money. What is so alarming to unsuspecting consumers is that scammers often provide an actual password previously used by the victim as “proof” that the account is hacked.  

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the winners of the 2018 Take Action Video Contest, which was open to Ohio high school students.

With warm and stormy weather comes less-than-reputable home improvement contractors who go door to door seeking your business. They may tell you they have extra materials from a nearby job and can offer a special deal because they’re already in the neighborhood. Although a few of these stories may check out, others are ploys to take your money and do little or no work.

Valentine’s Day can be a time to seek out that special someone, and con artists know it. Fake online romance, or “sweetheart,” scams are prevalent, so it is important to avoid them and protect your hard-earned money.

As Ohioans enter the tax season, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office encourages consumers to file as early as possible and to use any refund wisely.

The Attorney General’s Office works every day to protect Ohio families from unfair and deceptive business practices and scams. The office accepts and handles consumer complaints through an informal dispute-resolution process to assist consumers and businesses in reaching a mutual agreement to resolve issues. In 2018, the office received 22,877 complaints.

On January 14, 2019, Dave Yost was sworn in as Ohio’s 51st attorney general.  Attorney General Yost brings to the office his extensive experience rooting out fraud, holding the corrupt accountable and reforming government. While serving as prosecuting attorney in Delaware County during a building boom, Yost pursued criminal cases involving contractors who provided shoddy workmanship.

To protect older adults, a new Ohio law expands the definition of elder abuse and the groups of individuals — including pharmacists, first responders, and bankers — required to report suspicions of it. 

Gift cards are a popular present to give and receive, especially for last-minute shoppers and for people without a wish list, but not all gift cards are alike. From expiration dates to potential scams, know the basics about gift cards before making your purchase.

While there are many worthy causes to support, there are also some charity scams that waste donors’ contributions. Learn to be a wise donor by recognizing charitable giving scams and researching organizations you would like to support this holiday season.

If you’re shopping online this holiday season, you’re not alone. Each year, more consumers go online to buy gifts for their friends and family. To help you avoid scams and make the most of your money, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office is offering 10 tips for smart online shopping.

Scammers use a variety of tactics to make their offers seem legitimate. Their initial contact may be by telephone, mail, door-to-door, flyers, emails, or phony websites. Be aware of ten signs that these initial contacts may be part of a bigger a scam.

Your smartphone holds your favorite pictures, videos, and apps, but it also contains some of your most personal information. Hackers know this. During October’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, learn several tips to make your smartphone more secure. 

Are you an Ohio high school student looking to earn scholarship money for college? Do you enjoy shooting and editing short videos? If so, put your creativity and consumer knowledge to the test for a chance to win up to $2,500 in college scholarships!

Consumers often wonder how to best prevent identity theft before it happens.  As of September 21, 2018, initial fraud alerts now last for one year and security freezes are free and available to adults and children.  

It can be frustrating to answer the phone and hear an automated telemarketing message, especially when your phone number is on the national Do Not Call Registry. Learning more about robocalls is the first step to controlling unwanted calls.