Week of March 2, 2026
(see last week)
CA-AG Sues Amazon Alleging Price Fixing
To kick off National Consumer Protection Week, we remind readers via a variety of stories to cast a skeptical eye on offers, sales, and warnings even from familiar companies you do business with, or from people claiming to be in positions of authority. They may play fast and loose with all the facts, or may not even be who they say they are.
Consumer World Original
MrConsumer gets daily emails from CapitalOne Shopping promising savings like "Get $50 When You Spend $50+" at such and such store. Really?
That story is in Mouse Print* this week.
A comprehensive study by Checkbook.org last fall revealed that many retailers advertise fake discounts off inflated regular or rarely-charged list prices. They point the finger at major retailers like JC Penney, Kohl's, Macy's, Amazon and many others where they make you believe you are saving more than you really are.
[Ignore ad] The scam involved phoney bank employees, fake official letters from various government offices, repeated large withdrawals, gold bars and couriers - but the most unbelievable part of the elaborate ordeal is that two major banks allowed this vulnerable senior to empty his accounts despite red flags. Here is the text version of this story.
Last year, the average cost of car insurance was $175 a month. But the cost varies substantially from state to state. For example, Nevada was the most expensive where premiums were 64% higher on average. (And Florida wasn't much better.) States with the lowest rates included Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. See the full list.
Consumer Alert89-Year-Old Man Lost $1.7-Mil in Bank Scam
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