| Volume 80 Number 5 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
You cannot prevent identity theft, but you can stop it from happening a second time. In Texas, victims of identity theft can place a security freeze on their account, preventing anyone from misusing their credit. Click here for more.
FTC to Crackdown on Deceptive Ads
When David Vladeck took over as the head of the consumer protection division of the Federal Trade Commission, he put the advertising industry on notice. No longer would the Federal Trade Commission focus almost entirely on scammers. Instead, Vladeck vowed to tackle another common threat to consumers - deceptive advertising. Focusing on claims of health benefits and scientific studies, the consumer protection division aggressively went after companies like Nestlé, Dannon, Reebok and Skechers for advertising unproven benefits of their products. With the collection of historic settlements against such companies, Vladeck's consumer protection division has been praised for creating stricter standards for all advertising.
To read about the Federal Trade Commission's efforts to clean up advertising, Click here for more.
Black Friday: What You Should Know
Thanksgiving is just about one week away. Rather than spending the day scouring the Black Friday ads, evaluating the best deals and the best use of your Friday, you can simply plan ahead. In fact, some stores will open on Thanksgiving day, allowing consumers to take advantage of some great deals shortly after dinner. For example, Target will open at 9PM, Walmart at 8PM, and Kmart will be open just about all day.
The early start has many now calling Thanksgiving Black Thursday.
If you don't have any interest in hitting the stores, but want to take advantage of the great deals, Cyber Monday may be right for you.
For an early look at the Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads for many popular stores,
Click here for more.
Your Money
Will you save by refinancing your mortgage? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Home insurance doesn’t cover Chinese drywall damage. The Virginia Supreme Court, in response to a certified question submitted by the Fourth Circuit, held that an "all risk" homeowners' insurance policy excluded coverage for damage allegedly caused by Chinese drywall. Click here for more.