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FTC Settlement with University of Phoenix
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reached a settlement with the University of Phoenix based on deceptive advertisements that falsely touted their relationships and job opportunities with companies such as AT&T, Yahoo!, Microsoft and other companies. The school did not have relationships with these companies. According to the FTC this is the largest settlement that they have obtained against a for-profit school. $50 million of the $191 settlement will be used to provide consumer refunds and $141 million in debt forgiveness. Read full story
In Home Support Services Scam
Our office has received a report that individuals are going door to door in senior communities and offering a service to help elderly or disabled persons sign up for In-Home Support Services for a flat fee of $500. Read full story
Deadline to File Claim for PG&E Wildfire Fund
PG&E has established a $100 Million emergency relief fund to help wildfire victims in need of immediate financial assistance to help defer costs for housing, food, medical and other normal living expenses. Read full story
Governor Extends Price Gouging Protections
On May 31, 2019, Governor Newsom extended the Price Gouging protections under Penal Code Section 396 for Sonoma County and other counties affected by wildfires. Read full story
Receiver Appointed For California Sonoma Steam II Charter School
The San Diego County Grand jury handed down a criminal indictment which uncovered a statewide financial fraud related to the operation, control and oversight of 19 charter schools including the California Sonoma STEAM II charter school in the Guerneville Elementary School District. Read full story
Rental Scams
A reminder to be aware of rental scams. We have received reports of new scams involving properties in Sonoma County. In these cases, a person runs an ad usually on Craig’s list advertising a property is for rent and instructs you to drive by. Read full story
Office Depot And Office Max Tech Scam
The FTC announced it has reached a $35 million dollar settlement with Office Depot Inc. and a California-based tech support software provider. Office Depot which merged with Office Max in 2013 provided a free service “ PC Check Up” to customers to scan their computers using the diagnostic program created by the software company. Read full story
Social Security Calls
The Federal Trade Commission reports a spike in the number of people receiving fake calls from the Social Security Administration. Since January 2018, the FTC reports they have received 63,000 reports and losses of $16.6 million Read full story
Tech Scams — Seniors Beware
The Federal Trade Commission reports that it received nearly 143,000 reports about Tech Scams last year. The statistics show that people over 60 are more than five times likely than younger people to lose money on this type of scam even though they are less likely to lose money on other types of scams. Read full story
Art Trails Open Studio 2018 Attendees List Scam
A fraudulent email is circulating offering to sell Art Trails Open Studio 2018 Attendee list for a fee. Read full story