Readers of this column over the past years will recall that a focus has been paid to being cautious to charitable donation, information theft, general theft (including in parking lots), and privacy scams during the traditional holiday shopping and donation season. That would be now. Right now.
One of the principal – and free – resources to which Florida consumers and businesses have been directed in this series is the Attorney General Pam Bondi’s seasonal Holiday Consumer Protection Guide.1And this year is no different!
Just this past week Pam Bondi and the Attorney General’s Office issued its 2018 Holiday Consumer Protection Guide. Click for a link to this still free booklet (all 108 pages!).
The Guide is truly a useful tool. Now, there is no need to reinvent the wheel to find its highlights. The November 21, 2018 press release announcing the Guide’s release2 did so quite well all on its own as follows:
Some of the tips in the 2018 Holiday Consumer Protection Guide include:
· Pay with a credit card instead of a debit card when shopping online. Both payment methods allow consumers to dispute a charge if the merchandise never arrives or is different from what was ordered. However, with a debit card, the purchase is already deducted from a bank account and it may take days or weeks for the bank to reverse the charge;
· Ensure that a web browser is secure before submitting payment information. To identify a secure browser, look for a padlock symbol in the address bar; and
· Keep receipts and be sure to understand retailers’ return policies and periods, so consumers can return any unwanted items for a full refund.
All of those suggestions are common-sense and simple to observe.
Unfortunately scams abound all year and particularly this time of year. Be aware, take precautions, and try to eat some fruits and vegetables along with all the tempting treats and sweets!
And while on the general topic of donation and other online, ‘snail mail’, and in-person fraudulent activities… Please recall that once January 1 passes the 2019 tax season will begin, and with it a fresh batch of related scams. Be proactive. — Avoid problems before they occur!3
Just this Past Week Pam Bondi and the Attorney General’s Office Issued its 2018 Holiday Consumer Protection Guide.
Just a few weeks ago, this series posted a story about the partial shredding of Banksy’s Girl With Balloon painting. At the auction house. Just after the gavel dropped. For $1.37 million. For some of the details, along with a real-time photograph of the {jaw dropping} onlookers watching the shredding occur, please visit the October 17, 2018 online edition of artnet News.
2 http://myfloridalegal.com/__852562220065EE67.nsf/0/7DA0C32ACCD704EA8525834C00501FD3?Open&Highlight=0,holiday
– For more information, call Philip N. Kabler of the Gainesville, FL office of Bogin, Munns & Munns at 352.332.7688, where he practices in the areas of business, banking, real estate, and equine law. He has taught business and real estate law courses at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Warrington College of Business Administration. And is now the President-Elect of the Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association.
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