Las Vegas – In the recent legislative session, the Consumer Affairs Division was not funded for the 2010-2011 biennium. As a result, effective June 30, the agency was closed and is no longer accepting complaints.
While the closure represents a significant loss for consumers, another comprehensive consumer complaint resource is available for free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Fight Fraud website – http://FightFraud.nv.gov – includes extensive tips on how to prevent fraud and provides downloadable complaint forms to help consumers respond effectively if they become a victim.   The website covers all the key industries: Automotive, Financial, Household, Internet, Real Estate, and more. Consumers are encouraged to visit it regularly for the latest fraud alerts and to learn how to protect themselves from scams.
Consumers are also still able to get help through other entities such as the Better Business Bureau and small claims court.
In addition, the Fight Fraud Taskforce, the consumer protection group behind the Fight Fraud website, is hosting free seminars about fraud and deceptive trade through the library system, senior centers, and other community groups. Those seminars are listed on the events page of the website at http://fightfraud.nv.gov/calendar.htm.
The statewide Fight Fraud Taskforce includes members from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies, the I.R.S., the Department of Justice, the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, the Better Business Bureau, the Department of Business & Industry, the Division of Mortgage Lending, the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, the Federal Trade Commission, U.S.P.S., and experts from the private sector among others. The group acts as a clearinghouse for fraud information and works to educate the public on how to avoid the latest scams.
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