Consumer Protection in the Digital Age

March 2-8 is National Consumer Protection Week and to underscore the importance of and need for consumer protection, researchers Dr. Lynne Holt, University of Florida, and Dr. Susan MacManus, University of South Florida, jointly review several types of fraudulent practices that often result in consumer complaints in Florida: identity theft; health insurance fraud; fraud related to home repair, mortgages, and home insurance; and auto repair fraud and price gouging. In “Consumer Protection in the Digital Age,” Holt and MacManus outline government measures to reduce fraudulent practices and analyze data from recent BEBR surveys to explain Floridians’ attitudes toward and concerns about consumer fraud and the manner in which it is perpetrated.