Arizona's top lawyer warns of predatory scams ahead of Consumer Protection Week

(The Center Square) – Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is prepping for Consumer Protection Week by schooling residents about the best steps to protect themselves from becoming victims.

“Fraudsters and scammers take advantage of Arizonans, especially seniors,” Mayes said in a news release where she also pointed to deceptive car sales practices, predatory real estate or mortgage issues, cyber hacking, incessant robocalls and unauthorized fees as being some of the most common scams perpetrated in 2022.

“The attorney general’s office has a dedicated team that works every day to protect consumers and return funds or provide other remedies for fraud victims,” she added. “It’s important for every Arizonan to understand best practices when it comes to your personal information, either online or on the telephone.”

The Attorney General’s Consumer Information and Complaints Unit received more than 15,000 complaints in 2022 while also answering 35,000 phone calls and probing upwards of 22,000 emails that played a role in CIC’s recovery of more than $5 million on behalf of consumers formally lodging complaints.

In stressing the overall importance of protecting one’s personal and financial information, Hayes’ office added such tips as when buying a vehicle, make sure to get the salesperson or business to make all terms and any promises in writing, getting complete copies of all paperwork and in all mortgage and real estate transactions making sure that you read all documents and fully understand all the terms before signing.

Regarding computer web pages and safeguarding against online fraud and cyberscams, staffers advise creating strong passwords (10 characters with letters, both upper case and lower case, numbers, and symbols, without personal information) and often changing passwords so hackers won’t get into your webpages.

As for telemarketing, phone scams and unsolicited text messages, staffers advise “never give money, gift cards, or cryptocurrency in response to an unsolicited phone call or text message,” adding “government agencies will not threaten you or demand that you pay a debt or fee immediately or take payment in gift cards.”