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Consumer Law
Issues
PLC advises, provides brief services, and refers cases to our network of volunteer attorneys on a wide variety of issues including:
- Auto Fraud and Unfair Sales Practices
Car dealers may engage in unlawful practices. They may fail to disclose actual mileage or prior history of the vehicle, fail to make proper financing disclosures or to itemize extras and add-ons, or fail to provide copies of documents and Spanish translations when the sale was negotiated in Spanish.
- Identity Theft
Identity theft occurs when someone uses another's personally identifying information without permission to commit fraud or other crimes. Many people do not find out about the theft until they find an unauthorized charge on their credit report, are contacted by a debt collector, or are sued.
- Notarios
In the United States, only attorneys can practice law. However, many Latin American countries allow so-called "notario publicos" to perform many legal functions. Unsuspecting immigrants may seek legal assistance from notaries public or paralegals. Some immigration "consultants" call themselves notarios and charge substantial sums of money, but fail to perform the services promised.
- Creditor Harassment
Consumers are protected from a variety of debt collector tactics by Federal and state law. Consumers may be able to sue debt collectors who unlawfully threaten or harass them, or who repeatedly call employers, friends or family without permission or call them at odd hours, or who make false representations about the debt or their intentions.
- Wage Garnishment
A court judgment that allows a third party to claim a portion of the consumer's earnings. Low-income consumers may be able to reduce the amount of the monthly garnishment or prevent garnishment altogether through certain court proceedings.
- Telecommunications
Examples of telephone fraud include slamming, or switching a consumer's long-distance carrier without their consent. Cramming is a related fraud where services such as voicemail or call waiting are added without permission. PLC has received a grant to address these issues through a mix of community education, individual complaint resolution and public policy advocacy.
- School Loans
Consumers may be delinquent on their student loans and may be subject to tax refund intercepts, wage garnishments, seizure of federal benefits, collector harassment, and bad credit records.
- Predatory Lending and Home Equity Scams
Predatory lending involves unfair and abusive loan terms, or unreasonably high interest rates. These loans are usually backed by some kind of collateral, such as a car or house, so that the lender can repossess or foreclose the consumer's property and profit by selling it. Predatory lending may involve many types of loans and rent-to-own transactions.
How to Get Assistance
Low-income consumers who live in Orange County may meet with an attorney or legal advocate at one of PLC's free legal clinics. PLC also accepts a limited number of referrals from the Legal Aid Society of Orange County.
Links
California Department of Consumer Affairs
California Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Action
Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
Federal Citizen Information Center Consumer Website
Federal Communications Commission Consumer Information
Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information
Free Annual Credit Reports
Public Counsel-Common Auto Fraud Scams
Public Counsel-Bankruptcy Resources
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Consumer Information
U.S. Consumer Protection Guides and Protection Resources
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