County of Monmouth

For Immediate Release:
March 4, 2022

Consumer Affairs marks Consumer Protection Week
Seeks to educate residents about fraud, scams and theft

FREEHOLD, NJ – The Monmouth County Division of Consumer Affairs is joining with federal, state, and local government agencies and national organizations to celebrate National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), from March 6 through March 12.

“Every year during National Consumer Protection Week we encourage our residents and businesses to educate themselves more about frauds and scams, and to learn about their consumer rights,” said Commissioner Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the Division of Consumer Affairs. “The Monmouth County Division of Consumer Affairs is available for both residents and businesses and offers free educational services and programs to help protect against consumer fraud.”

The County reminds residents to stop and think before responding to computer inquiries, phone calls and texts, and to never give out personal information such as a social security number, banking statements or credit card information.

The Division of Consumer Affairs offers these additional tips:

  • Only do businesses with reputable companies – Make sure you trust the business and it is an established organization with a credible reputation.
  • Do not share your primary email address in online submissions – Submitting your email address could result in spam. If you do not want your primary email account flooded with unwanted messages, consider opening an additional email account for use online.
  • Avoid submitting credit card information online.
  • If you must shop online, devote one credit card to those purchases – Keep a minimum credit line on the account to limit the number of charges an attacker can accumulate if your card is compromised.
  • Avoid using debit cards for online purchases - Credit cards usually offer some protection against identity theft and may limit the monetary amount you will be responsible for paying. Debit cards, however, do not offer that protection.
  • Avoid allowing a website to remember your password. If your password is stored, your profile and any account information you have provided on that site are readily available for an attacker to gain access to your computer.

Consumer Affairs is a law enforcement agency and the civil arm of the State Attorney General’s Office. It is created and funded by the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners and protects against consumer fraud and dishonest business practices by enforcing the state Consumer Fraud Act and many other regulations.

Additional information about cyber scams and consumer affairs programs can be found on the County website www.visitmonmouth.com, by calling 732-431-7900 or emailing consumeraffairs@co.monmouth.nj.us. The office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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