Unwanted Telephone Calls Tops List of Consumer Complaints
DENVER (CBS4) - Scammers are always looking for new ways to get their hands on your money, but they often rely on simple ways to gain access to you; telephone, email and Internet shopping.
The Colorado Attorney General released a list of the Top 10 consumer complaints for 2012, and all of those were on it. No. 1 on the list was fraudulent or unwanted telephone calls. Over the years 4 On Your Side Consumer Investigator Jodi Brooks has heard from dozens of people plagued by unwanted and fraudulent phone calls.
"But it drives you crazy," Brooks said to Frank Horvath.
"Well, yeah ... when you're getting four or five of them," Horvath replied describing the robocalls he was getting to lower his credit card rates in a story CBS4 did last May.
Putting your phone number on the Colorado No Call List and the National No Call Registry will curb the number of calls, but won't stop them completely.
The complete list of consumer complaints fielded by the Attorney General's Office in 2012 is as follows:
- Fraudulent or unwanted telephone calls
- Utility company complaints (cable, telephone and satellite)
- Financial planning – management consultants
- Internet shopping services
- Telephone (cell phones and equipment)
- Schools – academic colleges & universities
- Automobile dealers – new & used
- Fraudulent or unwanted/spam e-mails
- Roofing and guttering contractors
- Health and medical services
"Seeing an uptick in the number of complaints Coloradans file with us highlights our gains towards educating consumers about various types of scams that exist and what to do about reporting and ultimately stopping them," Attorney General John Suthers said in a press release.
Reporting your consumer complaints to the Attorney General's Office is an important step, because the Consumer Fraud Unit tracks trends in the market place and then focuses resources on areas that get the most complaints.
RELATED RESOURCE: Attorney General's Office Consumer Complaint Form
RELATED: More Reports By 4 On Your Side Consumer Investigator Jodi Brooks
- Written for the Web by CBS4 Special Projects Producer Libby Smith
