As Part of National Consumer Protection Week
What: Press conference to announce top national, state, and city consumer frauds and complaints.
Who: Leonard Gordon, Regional Director, FTC, Northeast Region
Claire Rosenzweig, President & CEO, Better Business Bureau Serving Metropolitan New York
Glen McKechnie, Postal Inspector, U.S. Postal Inspection Service
Jeffrey K. Powell, Deputy Bureau Chief, Bureau of Consumer Frauds & Protection, N.Y.S. Attorney General's Office
Gary S. Brown, Director, Communications & Policy Research, N.Y.S. Consumer Protection Board
Jonathan Mintz, Commissioner, N.Y.C. Department of Consumer Affairs
Michael Olender, Associate State Director, AARP New York
Representatives from NeighborWorks America and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
Consumer guests t/b/a with personal stories
Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Time: 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. (light breakfast 10:00 to 10:30 a.m.)
Location: Meeting Room 1, Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
1 Bowling Green, Basement Level
New York, NY (MTA: 4/5 to Bowling Green; R to Whitehall)
New York, NY -- During National Consumer Protection Week, the Federal Trade Commission's Northeast Regional Office, the Better Business Bureau Serving Metropolitan New York, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the New York Attorney General's Office, the New York State Consumer Protection Board, the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, and AARP are holding a press conference to alert New York area consumers to the top consumer complaints of the past year and to educate them on how to avoid becoming victims of these and other scams in 2011. Representatives from NeighborWorks America and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law will also be available to speak with the press. Consumers will be on hand to discuss their personal experiences with these scams.
At 11:00 a.m., representatives from the participating agencies and organizations will address the Spanish media on the top frauds. Local Spanish-speaking consumers will be available for interviews.
The New York Department of State's Division of Consumer Protection serves as the state's top watchdog and think tank on a wide range of consumer related issues. Among the services it provides, the Division investigates and resolves consumer complaints, educates the public about product recalls, and represents consumers before public utilities and other state and federal agencies.