News / Alerts

Joe Doyle, Administrator of the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs, encouraged Georgians and other consumers to monitor their credit statements to ensure their personal information is not compromised as a result of a data breach that impacted Wyndham Hotels & Resorts last year.

Deceptive solicitations for extended vehicle warranties are rampant. They may take the form of telemarketing calls or postcards that appear to come from the vehicle manufacturer warning that your warranty is on the verge of expiring.

Georgia consumers who buy or lease a new car after January 1, 2009 will have greater protections against recurring problems with their vehicle, thanks to an update of the Georgia Lemon Law. The revised law offers broader protections, a more streamlined process and is more consumer-friendly.

The Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs is warning consumers about an email phishing scam designed to look like an alert from Capital One. The email informs customers that their account may have been accessed from an unauthorized computer.

The tough economic conditions in our country are putting a strain on numerous Georgia households.  Many consumers are weighed down by enormous amounts of debt and are struggling just to keep their heads above water. 

Thinking about trading in a car that you still owe money on?  Think very carefully, because buying a car when you haven’t paid off the loan on your current vehicle can put you in serious financial jeopardy. 

A new survey conducted by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA), and North American Consumer Protection Investigators (NACPI) identified the top ten consumer complaints in the nation for 2007.

Today at a bill signing event held at GBI headquarters, Governor Sonny Perdue signed three pieces of legislation to protect Georgia’s consumers and prosecute identity thieves: House Bill 130, Senate Bill 388 and Senate Bill 24.

Joe Doyle, Administrator of the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs, announced a settlement with National City Commercial Capital Company, LLC, in connection with an alleged widespread telecommunications fraud involving NorVergence, Inc., a bankrupt New Jersey-based telephone equipment and service company.

Sent under the heading “Internal Revenue Service Tax Notification”, the email informs the recipient he can get his tax refund as a credit applied to his VISA or MasterCard. 

The State of Georgia’s Price Gouging Statutes were activated upon Governor Perdue signing the State of Emergency declaration on Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 2:35 PM.  The enforcement of the statute is restricted to the city limits of Atlanta within Fulton County. 

The Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs has joined a group of federal, state, and local government agencies and national consumer advocacy organizations to launch the 10th annual National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), March 2-8, 2008. 

Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the filing of legislation to establish an identity theft task force within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).  This legislation is being carried by Senator Joseph Carter (R – Tifton).

Joe Doyle, Administrator of the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA), announced today that the agency has entered into a settlement with Shay Zvi Lahav, individually, and his companies Easy Sale 4U, L.L.C. d/b/a iPod World and Accessories 2000, L.L.C., over allegations that they passed off counterfeit merchandise as Apple products.