These are FTC consumer feature articles
from 2003. These articles can be reprinted in your newspaper,
magazine or newsletter; some articles have also been distributed
by the North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS).
| Holiday Shopping
on the Internet |
November
2003 |
|
[PDF] |
| Whether
you’re looking for a toy, a trinket or a travel
deal, doing your holiday shopping on the Internet can
be fun, easy, and practical. At the same time, viewing
a product on the screen can present different challenges
than seeing it in the store. The FTC offers recommendations
to help you have a successful experience when buying from
an online retailer or an auction Web site. |
| Partnership Continues
to Educate Consumers Seeking Authentic Alaska Native
Art |
July 2003 |
[TEXT] |
[PDF] |
| As
the popularity of items produced by Alaska Native artisans
has surged, so has the production and sale of fraudulently-labeled
items. The FTC has partnered with the Alaska State Council
on the Arts, the Indian Arts and Crafts Board of the
U.S. Department of Interior, and the Alaska Attorney
General's Office to offer tips to help tourists distinguish
between arts and crafts produced by Alaska Natives and
those that are actually imitations. |
| Protecting
Yourself from Fund Raising Fraud |
July 2003 |
[TEXT] |
[PDF] |
| If
you’re thinking about donating to one of the more
than 700,000 federally recognized charities soliciting
for contributions, the Federal Trade Commission offers
tips to make sure your donation dollars benefit the
people and organizations you want to help. |
|
The National Do Not Call
Registry: Reducing Volume of Calls from Telemarketers
|
June 2003
|
[TEXT] |
[PDF] |
It’s
now possible to cut down the number of telemarketing
calls you receive. The federal government has created
the National Do Not Call Registry, which puts consumers
in charge of the telemarketing calls they get at home.
You can register for free by phone or on the Web.
|
| International
Driver’s Licenses: A Dead End? |
June 2003 |
[TEXT] |
[PDF] |
| Despite
what some marketers might have you believe, international
driver’s licenses and permits (IDLs and IDPs)
are useless unless you’re planning to drive while
in a foreign country. The Federal Trade Commission is
warning U.S. consumers about Web sites offering and
promoting IDLs and IDPs as substitutes for state-issued
driver’s licenses. |
Protecting
America’s Protectors: New Program Protects
Military from Fraud
|
April 2003
|
[TEXT] |
[PDF] |
|
The Department of Defense (DoD) and
the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have created Military
Sentinel – a Web site designed to identify and
target consumer protection issues that affect members
of the United States Armed Forces and their families.
Consumer complaints can be entered into a database
that is immediately accessible by over 500 law enforcement
organizations throughout the United States, Canada,
and Australia.
|
| Going, Going,
Gone... When Online Auction Users Lose Out To Phony
Payment and Escrow Services |
April 2003 |
[TEXT] |
[PDF] |
| Among
the thousands of fraud complaints the FTC receives
yearly, those dealing with online auction fraud consistently
rank at or near the top. While many complaints deal
with late shipments, no shipments, or shipments that
aren't of the quality advertised, an increasing number
involve bogus online payment and escrow services.
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