Consumer Protection

When the cryptocurrency exchange FTX secretly transferred $10 billion in client funds to its sister trading firm Alameda Research, FTX stopped being able to cover customer withdrawals. Soon after, both companies filed for bankruptcy protection. As the companies attempt to reorganize their business affairs in bankruptcy court, FTX's clients are asking, "Will I get my money back?" The short answer: Probably not.

According to a study published in the journal "Marketing Science," it is not uncommon for product marketers to purchase fake online reviews, resulting in five-star ratings on popular e-commerce sites like Amazon (think the products you order off Amazon but are shipped or sold from someone different). To the untrained eye, identifying fake reviews takes more work. You need to know what to watch for to protect yourself and your hard-earned dollars from being deceived. To help you spot fake reviews on e-commerce sites as you do your holiday shopping, here are six red flags to look out for.

Car repairs can be a scary prospect. First there's the cost, the time it will take, and then the worry about the repairs being done right. Most mechanics do good and honest work, and care for our cars like they were their own. But other mechanics on the other hand...So what happens if you get one of the bad guys? When can you sue a mechanic if they don't take good care of your car?

Companies recalled more than 1 billion product units in the U.S. by mid-August, the earliest date that milestone has been reached in a calendar year, and an all-time recall record appears certain for 2022. Those are the findings in a quarterly product recall index compiled by the insurance company Sedgwick. The report notes that recalls only reached the 1 billion mark twice before, in 2018 and 2021, when it took far later in the year to hit that number.

Air travel has become a nightmare with oversold flights, staff shortages, flight delays, and cancellations. Being bumped from a flight is an all-too-common occurrence these days. But people do not realize that, despite paying for a ticket in advance, the terms of purchase don't entitle you to a particular flight. They merely promise you transportation from one city to another.

Your child may travel internationally or domestically, as part of a class trip, or with an adult who is not their legal guardian. When they do, they will need a child travel consent form. Additionally, if divorced or legally separated, you may need to show a child travel consent form signed by their other parent to travel with your child. This consent prevents child abductions where a parent takes their child to another country in violation of the International Parental Child Abduction Act. In some cases, the parent may also need to provide the child's birth certificate.