The Ohio Attorney General spoke to about 50 residents about financial fraud and fiscal responsibility yesterday, addressing a large increase in Ohio consumer complaints at the Athens Community Center.
Ohioans filed 30,259 complaints with the Consumer Protection Section of the Attorney General's Office in 2009, an increase of 20 percent from 2008, according to a news release from Attorney General Richard Cordray's office.
I encourage you to file complaints ... We utilize those complaints to see what trends and practices are going on throughout the state
said Susan Choe, the consumer protection chief for the Ohio Attorney General's Office.
Using information from the complaints, the Attorney General's Office has pursued fraudulent companies and looked for other solutions to financial scams, which include foreclosure rescue fraud and untrained contractors, Cordray said.
Foreclosure rescue scams occur throughout Ohio, Choe said.
Whether a foreclosure rescue scam stems from Athens County is not the problem because many originate outside the state but still affect Ohioans, Cordray said.
The nature of the scams and frauds we have seen is that they tend to have effects and have tentacles into every part of Ohio regardless of their location Cordray said.
Cordray also said he hopes for the passage of pending Ohio legislation that would require building contractors to be licensed.
Licensing contractors is also a local concern. Athens City Council discussed a possible ordinance at its Monday meeting that would require all contractors to register with the city to avoid illegitimate businesses.
The Attorney General's Office has been organizing forums throughout the state to make sure Ohioans have a better understanding of the Attorney General's office and the resources they have to assist with consumer protection, Cordray said.
Residents at last night's forum asked about consumer concerns such as the importance of credit scores, the validity of gift cards and the responsibility of Wall Street for the financial crisis.
Cordray and the other speakers in the forum took about five to 10 minutes to answer each question. The Attorney General originally hosted forums only in large cities with Office branches but recently moved to smaller cities.
We decided to branch out and do community forums in other parts of the state and one of the places we chose was Athens
Cordray said.
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Marika Lee
