National Consumer Protection Week

As our hearts go out to Japan, scammers are likely going for our wallets.

Spokane drivers may not feel like they’re getting much of a bargain on gas these days – but the $3.35/gallon they’re paying on average makes them one of the cities with the lowest prices in the nation. Here are a few online resources to help you find the lowest prices in your community.

In a sluggish economy when every dollar saved counts, the Attorney General’s four Consumer Resource Centers are a valuable ally. Helping consumers and businesses resolve disputes, at no cost and without picking sides, the program’s volunteers and staff handled complaints from more than 22,000 people last year and helped recover $4.8 million those individuals said they were owed.

What are consumers complaining about? The Attorney General's Office and the Federal Trade Commission released their lists of top 2010 gripes.

It’s National Consumer Protection Week and in a short while, our office will release our list of industries that received the most consumer complaints in 2010. I’ll give you a hint – there’s a good reason why today’s tip focuses on dealing with collection agencies and debt.

The Department of Revenue is touting its Web site, www.suspectfraud.com, as part of a campaign to help prevent consumer fraud and give people an easy way to check if a business is registered and paying taxes.