Horsham Township Library HTL Homepage » Fact Bytes » Consumer Protection	Fact Byte Research
"Fact Bytes" are handy reference guides about timely, useful subjects. Each "Fact Byte" lists publications, websites, and organizations that can give you authoritative information. Topic: Consumer Protection

Publications

Books:

Articles:

Audio-Visual Materials

Cassettes & Compact Discs:

Videos and DVDs:

Websites & Electronic Resources

FirstGov for Consumers: a "one-stop" link to a broad range of federal consumer information resources available online.

Federal Trade Commission: an agency of the US government that deals with antitrust and competition, consumer fraud, misleading advertising, credit cards, or other consumer protection matters.

U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. The primary mission of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is to protect investors and maintain the integrity of the securities (stock & bond) markets. Visit the EDGAR section of the SEC website for registration statements, periodic reports, and other forms domestic and foreign companies are required to file electronically with the SEC.

Sound Money: a nationally distributed public radio program produced by Minnesota Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International, focusing on the topics of personal finance and the economy. Its website contains a wealth of useful information.

Right on the Money: a 26-part television series produced by TPT/Twin Cities Public Television, St. Paul/Minneapolis focusing on "lifestyle economics." The program and its website provide viewers with the financial building blocks they need for their families, their careers, their money and their future.

Internet Fraud Complaint Center: a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). For victims of Internet fraud, IFCC provides a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of a suspected criminal or civil violation.

National Fraud Information Center / Internet Fraud Watch: established in 1992 by the National Consumers League, the oldest nonprofit consumer organization in the United States, to fight the growing menace of telemarketing fraud by improving prevention and enforcement. In 1996, the Internet Fraud Watch was created, enabling the NFIC to offer consumers advice about promotions in cyberspace and route reports of suspected online and Internet fraud to the appropriate government agencies.

Consumer Reports, published by Consumers Union, an organization founded 1936, dedicated to providing information on products and services, educating the public, and helping to "maintain decent living standards for ultimate consumers." The bedrock of the organization is the scientific testing of products, to sort out the shoddy and the unsafe from the solid and the excellent.

Internet Scambusters ™: dedicated to exposing online fraud, email scams and other schemes that use the Internet and computer technology to cheat consumers.

Charitable Giving:

Give.Org: Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance reports on nationally soliciting charitable organizations that are the subject of donor inquiries. These reports include an evaluation of the subject charity in relation to the voluntary BBB charity standards.

Charity Navigator. This resource is available only on-line. The website provides information on about 2,800 charities and gives each one a rating of one to four stars based on certain financial criteria.

American Institute of Philanthropy charity rating guide. The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) is a nationally prominent charity watchdog service whose purpose is to help donors make informed giving decisions.

GuideStar the national database of U.S. charitable organizations, gathers and distributes data on more than 850,000 IRS-recognized nonprofits. The GuideStar Web site is produced by Philanthropic Research, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1994.

Organizations

Better Business Bureau: dedicated to the idea that the majority of marketplace problems can be solved fairly through the use of voluntary self-regulation and consumer education.

National headquarters address: 4200 Wilson Blvd, Suite 800, Arlington, VA 22203-1838.
Tel: (703) 276-0100; Fax: (703) 525-8277.
Local address: BBB of Metro Washington DC and Eastern Pennsylvania, 1608 Walnut Street, Suite 600, Philadelphia, PA 19103-0297.
Tel: (215) 985-9313; Fax: (215) 893-9312. Email: info@philadelphia.bbb.org

Consumer Product Safety Commission: the U.S. government agency in charge of product recalls and receiving reports about unsafe products.

Mailing address: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, D.C. 20207-0001.
Tel. (301) 504-6816; Toll-free consumer hotline: 800-638-2772 (TTY 800-638-8270). Fax (301) 504-0124 and (301) 504-0025. Email: info@cpsc.gov

Bureau of Consumer Protection, Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office is charged with investigating commercial and trade practices in the distribution, financing and furnishing of goods and services for the use of consumers.

address: Bureau of Consumer Protection, 14th Floor Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, PA 17120.
Tel: (717) 787-9707; Fax: (717) 787-1190. Consumer Protection Hotline, Toll-Free Within Pennsylvania: 1-800-441-2555

Montgomery County Dept. of Consumer Affairs: provides free assistance and education to Montgomery County consumers against economic loses resulting from unethical business practices in the marketplace.

address: Department of Consumer Affairs, Human Services Center, 1430 DeKalb Street, P.O. Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404-0311.
Tel: (610) 278-3565; Fax: (610) 278-5228. Email: consumerarrairs@mail.montcopa.org.

Pennsylvania PIRG (Public Interest Research Group)

address: 1334 Walnut Street, 6th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
Tel: (215) 732-3747. Email:info@pennpirg.org.

National Consumers League: the nation's oldest consumer organization whose mission is to identify, protect, represent, and advance the economic and social interests of consumers and workers. The National Consumers League is a private, nonprofit advocacy group representing consumers on marketplace and workplace issues.

address: 1701 K Street, N.W., Suite 1200, Washington, D.C. 20006
Tel: (202) 835-3323; Fax: (202) 835-0747.

National Foundation for Credit Counseling. Founded in 1951, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC)™, Inc., through its Member agencies, sets the national standard for quality credit counseling, debt reduction services and education for financial wellness.

address: National Foundation for Credit Counseling, 801 Roeder Road, Suite 900, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.
Tel: (301) 589-5600; Fax: (301) 495-5623.

The Direct Marketing Association: the trade association for businesses interested in direct, database, and interactive global marketing. Members include catalog companies, direct mailers, teleservices firms, Internet marketers, and other at-distance marketers from every consumer and business-to-business segment - both commercial and nonprofit - as well as companies that provide supplies and services to marketers.

address: 1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036-6700.
Tel: (212) 768-7277; Fax: (212) 302-6714.

Consumer Protection Association of America: provides a third-party mechanism for resolving disputes between consumers and businesses that subscripe to the associations Code of Standards & Ethics.

address: Consumer Protection Association of America, P.O. Box 271097, Fort Collins, CO 80527-1097.
Tel: (970) 484-9008.