LIVE CHAT: National Consumer Protection Week
WEWS NewsChannel 5 Consumer Advocate Jonathan Walsh will host a live chat from 5-6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 2. Others participating in the live chat include experts from the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau, the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs, and the Ohio Attorney General's Office.
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Welcome to Nat'l Consumer Protection Week and to our Consumer chat. Thanks to Channel 5 for letting us crash the party! -
Hello. My name is Jon Miller Steiger, and I am Director of the Cleveland office of the Federal Trade Commission. The opinions that I'll be sharing today do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission or any of its Commissioners.
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Having said that, we're here and eager to chat about consumer issues!
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Hello. My name is Fil de Banate, and I'm an attorney at the Cleveland office of the Federal Trade Commission. The opinions that I will share with you do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission or any of its Commissioners.
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Want to join our Consumer Protection LIVE CHAT thru Twitter? Just use hashtag #ConsumerChat! on.wews.com/1GbJQtW http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_H-KG9XIAAIR4g.jpg
by WEWS NewsChannel5 via twitter 3/2/2015 10:05:25 PM -
More than 100 people are in our Consumer Protection LIVE CHAT right now. Start asking those questions! #ConsumerChat on.wews.com/1GbJQtWby WEWS NewsChannel5 via twitter 3/2/2015 10:09:13 PM
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FTC just released the top 10 complaints it received in 2014, including the top 10 from Ohio consumers. Can you guess?
These views are mine and not those of the Commission or any Commissioner. -
Live tweeting a consumer chat at @WEWS w/reps from #FTCcleveland til 6:30 Tweet Ur Q's w/the #ConsumerChatby Mark Wiseman via twitter 3/2/2015 10:18:02 PM -
After Identity Theft (the # 1 complaint received by the FTC), the top 10 fraud complaints in Ohio for 2014 are:
These views are mine and not those of the Commission or any Commissioner -
Bored during the #JoshMccown conf call? Tweet your #ConsumerChat Q's.by Mark Wiseman via twitter 3/2/2015 10:22:18 PM
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1. Debt Collection
2. Impostor Scams
3. Phone and mobile issues
These views are mine and not those of the Commission or any Commissioner -
4. Banks and lending
5. auto-related complaints
These views are mine and not those of the Commission or any Commissioner -
6. Prizes, sweepstakes, and lotteries
7. Television and electronic media
8. Shop-at-home and catalog sales
These views are mine and not those of the Commission or any Commissioner. -
What are the odds that I get a Twitter scam while we are on a Consumer Chat? Word to the wise: Don't click on any links that are sent to U on Twitter if you don't know the sender
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RT WEWS "More than 100 people are in our Consumer Protection LIVE CHAT right now. Start asking those questions! #ConsumerChat …by bobarcher1 via twitter 3/2/2015 10:28:06 PM -
RT WEWS "Want to join our Consumer Protection LIVE CHAT thru Twitter? Just use hashtag #ConsumerChat! on.wews.com/1GbJQtW …by bobarcher1 via twitter 3/2/2015 10:28:06 PM
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9. Health care
10. Internet services
These views are mine and not those of the Commission or any of the Commissioners. -
Do you have a complaint that's in one of these Top 10 categories? Or maybe something different? Let the @FTC know. File a complaint by calling 877.FTC.HELP (877.382.4357) or visiting ftc.gov/complaint.
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Don't be shy. More than 140 ppl in our Consumer Protection LIVE CHAT right now. Ask a question! on.wews.com/1GbJQtW #ConsumerChatby WEWS NewsChannel5 via twitter 3/2/2015 10:41:43 PM
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Hi, folks in the chat room! Ever wonder how often you should get your free credit report?
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On the Ch. 5 text line, someone asked about home loans and selling an SUV. Here's my response: Be careful when applying for a home loan: know who you're giving your info to. Some scammers offer mortgage deals online just to collect your info and sell it. And when you sell the SUV, be careful of money wire scams where they send you more money than you need: www.consumer.gov
These views are mine and not the views of the Commission or Commissioners. -
#ConsumerChat: On social, join the convo by using hashtag #ConsumerChat. You can also call 216-241-7678 or text helpnow216@gmail.com.by WEWS NewsChannel5 via twitter 3/2/2015 10:45:47 PM
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Every 12 months, you get 1, free credit report from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. If you haven't checked your credit report in a long time, you should order all 3 at the same time and review them carefully.
These views are mine and not those of the Commission or any of the Commissioners. -
If you have checked your credit report more recently, you might want to space out when you get your free reports. For example, you can get your Equifax report in January, your Experian report in May, and your TransUnion report in September. This way you get 3 snapshots of your credit report throughout the year.
These views are mine and not those of the Commission or any of the Commissioners. -
Question from Toledo: My husband and I in our 50s and recently married want to know best way to apply for home loan and we bought a suv we are not happy with would like to sell or trade for less expensive car. Need advice . Thx
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My response to Toledo:
Hello,
For the Home Loan question: Any loan should start with you pulling your credit report and taking 3 - 6 months to clean it up from past-due bills, unpaid balances, closing low-balance accounts. If you're a first-time home buyer, you might want to contact a non-profit housing counseling agency to see if they have classes. If not, find a bank that is willing to help you with your credit, etc. The better shape your credit is, the better the loan will be. You should also save money for a down-payment. Ten thousand dollars is an amount to shoot for.
Saving money does two things for you: 1) it helps you have cash for costs that you'll need at the beginning. 2) it'll show you how hard it is to put aside a mortgage payment every month.
Good luck,
Mark Wiseman,Director
NHS Consumer Law Center
Cleveland -
For several years now, the top complaint in the nation has been Identity Theft. 2014 is no different. Do you know the red flags of identity theft?
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Red Flags of ID theft: getting medical bills for procedures that you did NOT have; Collections calls for bills that are NOT yours; Items on your credit report that are NOT yours.
Even if you don't see any Red Flags of ID theft, you should obtain a copy of your credit report every year and go through it to make sure that everything is A-OK.
Mark Wiseman, Director
NHS Consumer Law Center, Cleveland -
After ID Theft and debt collection, impostor scams are among the biggest problems that we get complaints about. Do you know what to look for and how to protect yourself?
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Thanks, Mark!
Other Red Flags of ID theft: notice from the IRS that someone used your Social Security number; businesses turn down your checks; you are turned down unexpectedly for a loan or a job. -
Are you a victim of identity theft? Here are the three steps you need to take immediately:
1. Put a fraud alert with at least one of the credit reporting agencies
2. Order your credit reports from all 3 agencies AND review them carefully for any suspicious activity
3. Create an Identity Theft Report.
For more information on Identity Theft, check out www.ftc.gov/idtheft.
These views are mine and not those of the Commission or any of the Commissioners. -
One version of impostor scam is tech support scam where a caller tells you to go to a website that shows your computer is infected. They then either sell you a product to fix the fake problem or install malware that hijacks your computer until you pay the "ransom"!
These views are mine and not those of the Commission or any of the Commissioners. -
Hi I met a man on eharmony, and I think he has hacked into my yahoo account through a photo he sent me. I called Experian, and had my credit cards put on a 90 day fraud alert, I called my bank alerted them, I changed all my passwords, and I reported him to i3C.gov. I traced his IP address to Quincy Wash. and alerted police there. But some of his emails trace to Lockport NY. I keep checking my email account and every few days it's logged onto from another country.
What can I do? -
Microsoft or legit virus protection companies won't monitor your computer for infection. Don't believe it if someone says that's what they're doing.
These views are mine and not those of the Commission or any of the Commissioners. -
Chardonnay: Thanks for sharing your story! It's a good reminder that computer viruses or hacking can be spread by clicking on attachments. . . .
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Chardonnay: And it sounds like you're taking the right steps to protect yourself. It's a drag, but you should strongly consider closing your email account, too. If he got access, he can keep at you and your contacts for a long time. www.consumer.ftc.gov
Good luck!
These views are mine and not those of the Commission or any of the Commissioners -
Thank you Jon. I fear that's what I'm going to have to do.