Future Gubernatorial Candidates Protect Consumers

By Kevin Robinson in News on Sep 16, 2008 3:00PM

With Illinois still waterlogged from the heavy rains this weekend, Attorney General Lisa Madigan warned consumers to be on the look-out for home repair con-artists ready to prey on flooded residents. "Far too often, we see man-made disasters follow natural disasters. Scam artists know how to take advantage of the aftermath of major storms and persuade people to make snap decisions for repairing their homes or businesses," Madigan said. Madigan encouraged consumers to check out the Attorney General's Consumer Fraud Hotline, where they can find out how many consumer complaints, if any, have been filed against a contractor. She also reminded Illinois residents that the Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act requires written contracts for any work costing more that $1,000.

State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias also sent out an email yesterday, directing people to a CBS2 story about how he is vowing to crack down on credit card companies that target college students. "Credit card marketers hand out free t-shirts, food, gym bags and other trinkets to students just for taking a few minutes to fill out a credit card application," the email said. "But there's nothing free about these gifts as marketers prey upon undergrads using giveaways and low teaser rates that quickly inflate." Giannoulias announced legislation last week aimed at curbing credit card promotions on college campuses. "Basically we want to limit the ability of credit card companies who prey on college students," Giannoulias said of the legislation. "Unfortunately this can lead to serious long-term debt for students and their families The proposed legislation would ban giveaways for filling out credit applications, and force disclosure of agreements that credit card companies have with alumni groups or foundations.

Photos from Lisa Madigan's Flickr page, and Illinois Channel's Flickr page