AG’s Office Releases Top Ten Consumer Complaint List

It’s National Consumer Protection Week and the State Attorney General’s Office is out with its list of the Top Ten scams committed against New Yorkers.

Topping the list – internet-related scams.

Rounding out the top five are COVID-19 price gouging, landlord-tenant disputes, health clubs, and automobiles.

The rest of the top ten scams are consumer services, retail sales, credit, utilities and travel.

Attorney General Letitia James says the havoc unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in her office receiving a record number of consumer fraud complaints in 2020.

James says New Yorkers are urged to practice the following tips to avoid COVID vaccine-related scams:

• Be wary of anyone calling or emailing with offers of a vaccine and do not give out Social Security numbers, personal credit card numbers, or bank account information. No one from a vaccine distributor, a health care company, or a private insurance company will ask for this information.
• No New Yorker should be charged any amount out of pocket — regardless of whether they have insurance or not — to get the vaccine while the pandemic remains a public health emergency. If a New Yorker is charged anything, including an administration fee, they should file a complain on the AG’s website
• No one can pay to put their name on a list to get the vaccine or to get into a vaccine clinical trial.

James says when fraud does occur, her office will continue to fight to protect New York consumers,

Consumers can learn more about consumer scams on the OAG website.