News/Events

In conjunction with National Consumer Protection Week, March 3-9, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the top 10 most common complaints the Attorney General’s office received in 2018.

National Consumer Protection Week is a partnership with attorneys general from across the country, along with many national organizations, including the Better Business Bureau, Federal Trade Commission and AARP, to encourage consumers to understand their rights and make educated consumer decisions.

“At the Attorney General’s Office, we take every complaint seriously and will work diligently to protect Arkansans and hold bad actors accountable,” said Attorney General Rutledge.

The 10 most common complaint categories from 2018 were:

• Automobile sales, service financing and repair
• Sales of goods and services
• Health care
• Home repair, construction and maintenance
• Landlord/tenant and real estate
• Satellite, cable and internet service providers
• Wireless and landline telephone services
• Scams and opportunities
• Credit repairs and other financial services
• Utilities

After falling to the number two most received complaint in 2017, automobile-related transactions returned to the most common type of complaint reports to the Attorney General’s office in 2018. Last year, automobile sales, service financing and repairs brought in 1,200 complaints. These types of complaints often involve consumers reporting financing errors; high-pressure tactics to buy add-on services at the time of purchase, such as gap insurance, extended warranties; and sales misrepresentations.

As springtime nears, the threat of severe weather increases. There are steps Arkansans can take to be better prepared heading into a potentially dangerous season, which often brings large amounts of rain, floods, severe storms and tornadoes.

“We often talk about what to do following a natural disaster, but there are steps Arkansans can take ahead of time to prepare for a potential disaster,” said Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “I urge Arkansans to take time to protect your finances and property in advance of the stormy season. These preparations prevent harm to families, promote financial security, and prevent loss of items that may become lost or damaged.”

Attorney General Rutledge released the following tips on how to prepare for potential storms:

• Create an emergency plan to share with friends, family and neighbors.
• Heed severe weather warnings. Once a warning is issued, go to a safe place.
• Secure personal belongings. It is a good idea to always keep an updated record of the descriptions and serial numbers of electronics and other valuables in case they need to be tracked down, replaced or reported to the insurance company after a disaster strikes.
• Review insurance policies and consult with a qualified agent or broker to assess insurance coverages.

Recent storms have pushed the capacity of the Cache River to major flood watch due to a threatened breach of the levee along the White River. Both Woodruff and Jackson county officials will continue to monitor and notify local residents of the rivers and levees status as wet weather will continue throughout spring.

Tax season is in full swing and scammers are posing as Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents and sending emails with fake tax bills and transcripts to Arkansans. These malicious emails often include an attachment that is not a document from the IRS but rather something harmful that will infect the user’s computer with vicious malware once it is opened. The email may even threaten Arkansans with arrest if payment is not received immediately using a gift card, prepaid debit card or wire transfer.

“The IRS will never send unsolicited emails or accept payment from a prepaid gift card or wire transfer,” said Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “This scam to dupe Arkansans out of their hard-earned money, or steal their personal information, is just one more shameful attempt by criminals to line their own pockets.”

Attorney General Rutledge issued the following tips for anyone who receives an email from someone claiming to be from the IRS:

· Do not reply to the email.

· Do not open any attachments which can contain malicious code that may infect computers or mobile phones.

· Do not click on any links.

· Delete the original email.

Valentine’s Day is another opportunity for scam artists to take advantage of Arkansans putting their heart and money on the line to find love. Con artists are using dating apps, often pretending to be someone they aren’t, with false pictures and information, to get the attention of others with the intent of stealing money from the kind-hearted people they meet on these sites.

“Arkansans should have the opportunity to meet new people without the fear of someone taking advantage of them and their wallets,” said Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “On dating sites, Arkansans must be cautious and keep personal information private. Con artists know how to play on emotions to convince people they need help when they are only wanting to steal money and identities to open credit accounts.”

Attorney General Rutledge released the following tips for social media users:

• It’s called personal information for a reason—keep it to yourself!
• Do not give out personal information such as addresses and telephone numbers.
• Consider speaking by telephone before meeting in person, and when meeting in person, make plans to meet new people in a public venue, or bring a friend.
• Don't post any information that would let someone know you are away on vacation or your house is empty. Posting about being out of town for a few days could make someone a likely target for thieves.
• Don't post any information that can lead hackers to passwords for online banking or other accounts. For example, common questions for those who have forgotten their passwords for financial or other sites include: “What’s your mother’s maiden name?” or “What’s your favorite pet?” Criminals may be able to find those answers easily on social networking sites.

Identity theft is a constant concern for Arkansans, but tax time brings additional anxiety over protecting personal information. Tax refund fraud occurs when a Social Security number is stolen and used to file a tax return and the resulting refund is claimed by the thief. Unfortunately, many people are unaware that this fraud has occurred until they attempt to file their own taxes and discover that a return has already been filed using their Social Security number.

“Tax-related fraud is the most common form of identity theft,” said Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “As we begin the process to file taxes, Arkansans must remain vigilant in protecting personal financial information to try to avoid falling victim to this type of scam.”

Attorney General Rutledge released the following steps to take if you fall victim to tax refund fraud: