September 10, 2009
On The Go With Joe Hutter
Seniors And Law Enforcement Together (SALT)
By Joe Hutter
Senior Day at the Mississippi Valley Fair was very successful. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office Seniors And Law enforcement Together (SALT) along with the Davenport Police Department had a nice display.
Members of SALT were in Parkview August 25th.
On July 1, 2009 the “Private Right of Action” Law took effect. It is an important tool for Attorney General’s Offices as well as the County Attorneys of the State. Iowa was the last state to adopt this consumer protection law against consumer fraud or deception.
The law makes it possible for consumers to get damages and attorney fees if they prevail in a consumer fraud lawsuit. In the past you could not obtain attorney fees to cover the cost of the lawsuit. Consumers can sue businesses that engage in deceptive practices, unfair practices or misrepresentations that fail to disclose material facts.
The law covers areas with the most need for private remedies including new and used car sales and service, home improvement, door to door sales, charitable solicitations, cell phone and satellite television sales and service, sweepstakes and telemarketing fraud, to name a few. For more information, you can call the Iowa Attorney General’s Office Consumer Fraud Division at 1-888-777-4590.
Ever get mail that looks like it came from the government? How about a letter from a company that only you should open and the contents are private and solely for you? Please DO read all the small print and do NOT send money. If you don’t understand the letter or can not see the small print, ask a son or daughter or a trusted friend to read it. It seems that once we are 50 years old we get more mail asking for something. With the computer age and all the identity theft going on, don’t make it easy for criminals to make you a target.
On September 8th at the Bettendorf Community Center, Joe Haber and I are going to do a musical jam session at 11 a.m. before the potluck. If you like to play cards and meet new friends, stop by. It is open to new members. The Bettendorf Community Center is located at 2200 Grant Street.
The September SALT meeting at CASI will be held at 9:30 a.m. on September 26th.
Take care.
Tags: Charitable Solicitations, Computer Age, Consumer Fraud, County Attorneys, Davenport Police Department, Deceptive Practices, Fraud Division, Fraud Lawsuit, Hutter, Iowa Attorney General, Mail, Material Facts, Mississippi Valley Fair, Private Right, Satellite Television, State Iowa, Target, Telemarketing Fraud, Television Sales, Unfair Practices
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