Some of the biggest scams in Georgia take advantage of customers buying a car, getting into debt or repairing their homes.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr reported a list of the top consumer complaints from 2017 on Tuesday after the state participated in a 23-state survey by the Consumer Federation of America, an association of consumer organizations.
Some Georgia customers said they were allegedly ripped off by car dealers who didn’t pay off loans on trade-in vehicles, leaving them liable for loans on both their new and previous vehicles, according to the Consumer Federation’s report.
In another case, security alarm system salesmen falsely claimed criminal activity had increased in consumers’ neighborhoods, the report said. Georgia consumers were also duped by title pawn companies, an outdoor activities booking company and other businesses.
The state’s Consumer Protection Unit recovered restitution and fines in some of the cases where businesses were exploiting customers.
Here’s the list of the top 10 types of complaints reported to the Consumer Protection Unit in 2017:
- Used car sales
- Debt issues
- Automotive repairs
- Home improvement/repairs
- Landlord/tenant
- New car sales
- Health-related services/billing
- Insurance companies and utilities