Help Stop Elder Abuse: Report It

Contributing Writer:  Crystal Baldwin I can’t tell you how sad the topic of elder abuse and neglect makes me.  Since I was a young girl, I loved the elders in my life and maintained such deep respect for them and their life experience.  Unfortunately, “each year, an estimated 5 million older adults are abused, neglected,… Continue reading Help Stop Elder Abuse: Report It

Extortion Email Scams

On April 27, 2020, our office issued a scam alert to warn about an email extortion scam that has been contacting Vermonters. The email threatens exposure of compromising home video and pictures, unless you pay, usually in Bitcoin. The email claims you have been hacked and may reference a current or former password you may… Continue reading Extortion Email Scams

Is price gouging in your community?

When I went to the pharmacy today, there was a handwritten sign on the entrance, “No more hand sanitizer and face masks.”  Like many of you, my email inbox has been flooded with precautionary warnings of the COVID-19 virus and advice as to what people can do to stay healthy.  With very few reports of… Continue reading Is price gouging in your community?

Gift Card Scams on the Rise in Vermont

The Consumer Assistance Program has recorded a 220% increase in gift card scams with loss reports since December. Gift card scams take many forms; however, all request a gift card as payment and for the numbers on the back of the card to be provided to the scammer. Be in the know:    Using gift cards… Continue reading Gift Card Scams on the Rise in Vermont

Smarter Than The Scammer

This week, during National Consumer Protection week, our staff members are opening up and sharing stories of when they were scammed. Because no one is invincible to being #scammed. Let’s keep the dialogue moving, share this post and your own scam stories and lessons learned. Entangling yourself in a scam to see where it goes,… Continue reading Smarter Than The Scammer