Last Updated on February 6, 2024 8:22 am
Recently, the North Carolina Department of Justice published our 2023 annual report and shared the top 10 consumer complaints we received in 2023. Our office’s Consumer Protection Division works hard to educate the people of North Carolina about ways to protect themselves from scams, fraud, unfair business practices, and bad actors. When a person files a complaint, our Consumer Protection specialists respond and investigate to help address the issue. Last year, our office received 21,544 consumer complaints and recovered more than $1.4 million for North Carolina consumers. As we start the new year, make sure you are keeping the below tips in mind to protect your hard-earned money.
- Never give out your Social Security Number, credit card or bank account number, or other personal information to anyone you don’t know who contacts you.
- If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And if someone is trying to pressure you to act quickly or hand over information in a crunch, it is likely a scam, and best to walk away.
- Always read contracts carefully before you sign them, and make sure all written documents match what you’ve been promised. Never sign a document that you don’t understand or that has blanks to be filled in later.
- If you are looking to do business with someone, do your research before you hire them. Ask friends and neighbors for their recommendations. Look for reputable companies online through the Better Business Bureau and check if a business has complaints against them by calling our office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.
- Check your accounts regularly. Keeping an eye on your bank accounts helps to prevent scammers before it’s too late.
If you think that you or someone you know has been scammed, contact our office’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or file a complaint online at https://ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint/. You can read our 2023 annual report here.
