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Mass Consumer Affairs Blog
The Official Blog of the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation
Legislation recently signed by the President repeals rules created by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that would have required internet service providers (ISPs), such as Comcast, Charter, and Verizon, to receive permission before collecting your data. Proponents of the bill say the FCC’s definition …Continue Reading Internet Privacy
It’s only natural that so many people enjoy working at home. Making your own hours, working in a comfortable setting and being your own boss can seem appealing to almost anyone, which might explain why in 2015 24 per cent of employed people did …Continue Reading Work-at-Home Scams
College students at Boston University have been targeted by scammers while using ATMs along Commonwealth Avenue. The students report being approached by individuals who offer a check in exchange for cash. The scammer claims that he is having trouble accessing his bank account (or …Continue Reading Warning for College Students
Consumers often consider buying from a private seller as an alternative to buying from a used car dealer. An increasingly common scam involves dealers posing as private sellers and posting vehicles under the “for sale by-owner” section of Craigslist or on social media sites …Continue Reading Buying a car on Craigslist? Know who you are buying from!
Massachusetts law requires any contractor performing certain home improvement work to an existing, one-to-four unit, owner-occupied home to register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. The law regulates the practices of home improvement contractors and provides …Continue Reading Bringing Down the Hammer on Bad Contractors
Budget slip-ups are easily made but they can be embarrassing when they result in a debit card or ATM transaction rejection. That’s why many consumers rely on the overdraft protections provided by their financial institution. As this is Financial Literacy Month, the Division of …Continue Reading Overdraft Protections
Con artists routinely steal thousands of dollars, usually without ever needing to leave their homes. Their scams, whether they involve vacation home rentals or fake kidnappings, usually have one key component in common: they get their victims to send money through money wiring transfer …Continue Reading Western Union Settlement
Whether you need someone to fix the torsion strings or install a brand new garage door, you want the help of a company that you can trust, especially when repairing a part of your home that usually provides access inside. Our Office has recently …Continue Reading Garage Door Scams are on the Rise
Americans receive more than 2.4 billion unwanted robocalls each month. To remedy this consumer nuisance, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed rules that would allow phone companies to prevent spammy robocallers from using a number that has not been assigned to them or has a …Continue Reading Hate robocalls? Read this!
By this point, most consumers have a chip card, or a card with EMV technology. Chip cards are preferred by the payment card industry as they contain stronger security measures which make it more difficult for thieves to fraudulently copy card information. The switch …Continue Reading Confusion at Check Out?
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2017