CALPIRG fights for consumers during virtual Consumer Advocacy Week

This week, CALPIRG advocates are holding dozens of lobby meetings with members of Congress to strengthen financial protections for consumers. The effort is a part of Consumer Advocacy Week, an annual week-long lobbying push. CALPIRG is joined by several other organizations working to protect consumers across California.

The issues discussed in the meetings include:

Payment fraud and theft

If you experience fraud or theft on your credit card, you’re federally protected. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for theft and errors in older payment forms, like bank wire transfers and EBT cards, as well as newer, faster payment forms, like person-to-person (p2p) payment apps. We’re calling on Congress to protect consumers who use these forms of payment from unauthorized usages and errors.

Overdraft and non sufficient fund (NSF) fees

The vast majority of overdraft fees are paid by the people who can least afford them. In addition, these fees bear no relationship to the costs banks incur in covering overdrafts. Congress should pass the Overdraft Protection Act and the Stop Overdraft Profiteering Act to institute common-sense limits on overdraft and non sufficient fund (NSF) fees.

Restoring the FTC’s Authority

For many consumers, the FTC is the last line of defense against fraud and theft. Unfortunately, a supreme court decision from last year completely erased the FTC’s ability to get back money that scammers stole and return it to whoever lost it. We’re calling on Congress to pass the Consumer Protection Remedies Act of 2022 to strengthen the FTC’s power to deter rip-offs and make consumers whole.