Consumer Protection Held Day at the Capitol
"Consumer Protection Day at the Capitol is a chance for consumers to visit face to face with law enforcement agencies and consumer advocacy organizations," Edmondson said. "The event is also an opportunity to raise awareness of important financial and criminal justice issues that impact Oklahomans."
Joining Edmondson's office and AARP Oklahoma were representatives from the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, Tulsa Police Department, The Village Police Department, US Postal Inspection Service, US Postal Service, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oklahoma Insurance Department, US Secret Service, Oklahoma City Police Department, Social Security Administration, Duncan Police Department and Oklahoma Commission on Consumer Credit.
"In these tough economic times it is even more important to protect consumers from fraud and scams," said Marjorie Lyons, AARP Oklahoma State President. "By empowering individuals with knowledge and information, we aim to create an educated and savvy consumer who can spot a scam when they are being targeted."
The event again this year featured free document shredding courtesy of Shred-It, a document destruction company. In past years, Oklahomans have shredded about 25 tons of personal and financial documents at the event.
Shredding is the surest way to prevent personal and financial information from falling into the hands of an identity thief, the attorney general said. Items that should not be carelessly discarded include pre-approved credit card offers, financial statements, tax information, cancelled checks, expired credit cards and similar documents.
Charity fraud prevention was also highlighted in the wake of the Haiti earthquake, and the attorney general provided several tip on spotting bogus charities.
• Beware of appeals that are long on emotion but short on fact.
• Do not be fooled by charities with names that sound similar to a legitimate charity.
• Ask for written information before giving.
• Do not be pressured into giving.
Edmondson also today announced Teresa Tisdell as the winner of the 2010 Brad Edwards Consumer Champion Award.
An occupational therapist, Tisdell established the non-profit NeuroResources Outreach Services to serve individuals with disabilities who lack heath insurance. Tisdell also set up a free therapy clinic for individuals with spinal cord injury and started an equipment sharing program for donated wheelchairs.
The award is named for former KFOR journalist Brad Edwards who represented consumers through his In Your Corner television segment for 25 years before a sudden illness brought his advocacy to an early end.
