NEW YORK — New York State Attorney General Letitia James is kicking off National Consumer Protection Week by releasing the Top 10 consumer complaints that her office received in 2023.
Among the top complaints are price gouging, landlord tenant issues, vehicle sales, bank fraud and home improvement.
“With families struggling to make ends meet, consumers expect and deserve quality products and services for their hard-earned money,” said Attorney General James in a release. “As Attorney General, I take my responsibility to stand up for New York consumers against fraud and abuse as a top priority. When New Yorkers raise concerns and file complaints with my office, we take action and work to hold bad actors accountable. As always, I urge New Yorkers to stay vigilant, and to keep my office informed about scams and violations of consumer protection laws.”
Here is a list of the top 10 complaints, followed by the type of complaints received.
1. Retail Sales (5,569)
Online purchases, price gouging, retail sales, defective merchandise, poor customer service, pet stores, and animal breeders
2. Landlord/Tenant (3,900)
Security deposit releases, evictions, tenant-harassment
3. Automobile (3,553)
Sales, service, financing, repairs
4. Credit, Banking, and Mortgages (3,215)
Debt collection, credit card billing, debt settlement, payday loans, credit repair, credit reporting agencies, identity theft, banking, loan modification scams, mortgage lending and servicing
5. Consumer Services (2,699)
Alarm companies, dry cleaners, restaurants, movers, storage facilities, services for personal or household use
6. Internet (2,570)
Internet services and service providers, data privacy and security, digital media, frauds through internet manipulation
7. Utilities (1,922)
Wireless and residential phones, energy servicers and suppliers, cable, and satellite
8. Home Repair/Improvement (1,371)
Repair issues, deceitful contractors, solar panel installations
9. Travel (873)
Airline customer service, flight cancellations and refunds
10. Entertainment (533)
Events, concerts, ticket sales
AG James urges New Yorkers who feel they are a victim of a fraud or deceptive practice, should file a consumer complaint online.
The Officer of Attorney General has several tips on how you can avoid scams. You can find them on their website here: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2024/attorney-general-james-releases-top-10-consumer-complaints-2023
