Consumer Resources

Business Opportunities

Considering a business opportunity? Check this out first! 

Want to “be your own boss,” “work from home,” or just “make extra money”? Then you may be tempted by an ad for a business opportunity. Before you open your checkbook, check out the offer. Fraudulent business opportunity promoters use the classifieds and the Internet to tout all kinds of offers, from pay phone and vending machine routes to work-at-home businesses like medical billing and envelope stuffing. Too often, these ads make promises - about earnings, locations, merchandise, or marketability — that sound great, but aren't truthful. The result: consumers are getting ripped off, losing money instead of making it. Learn more about considering a business oportunity.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection 

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), passed by Congress in October 1998, requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue and enforce rules concerning children's online privacy. The FTC issued the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule in November 1999; it has been in effect since April 21, 2000. The Rule's primary goal: to place parents in control over what information is collected from their children online. Learn more about the Chlidren's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Computers and Technology (On Guard)

On Guard Online: Your Safety Net. Stop, Think, Click - three simple words to help you be safer on the Internet. Practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information. Learn more about protecting yourself against Internet fraud.

Credit and Insurance — Pre-screened

Prescreened credit offers...Opt out or check them out? Many companies that solicit new credit card accounts and insurance policies use prescreening to identify potential customers for the products they offer. Learn more about the FTC's prescreened offers of credit and insurance.

Credit and Loans

Information from the Federal Trade Commission: Almost every day, you are involved in some type of financial transaction requiring an educated decision — Whether you are shopping for a mortgage or auto loan, checking the accuracy of your credit report, dealing with debt collectors, or looking for ways to protect your personal financial information. Learn more about credit and loan information.

“Do Not Call” Registry

The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home. Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, you can file a complaint at the Federal Trade Commission website. You can register your home or mobile phone for free. Learn more about the National Do Not Call Registry from the Federal Trade Commission.

I supported the passage of the TRACED Act, which passed Congress in 2019 with bipartisan support and increased penalties and timelines for the FCC to better combat serial robo-callers and required telephone service providers to outfit their customers with call screening technology free-of-charge. The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act builds on the TRACED Act by focusing on foreign robocalls that currently evade law enforcement.

Additionally, the FCC has approved telecommunications providers to take aggressive technological steps to block possible spam or scam calls. As they take steps to crack down on this scourge on us all, I want to encourage you to file a complaint with the FCC Consumer Complaint Center if you receive a scam call. Please don’t hesitate to contact my office at 352-241-9220 if you need assistance filing a complaint.

Funerals

When a loved one dies, grieving family members and friends often are confronted with dozens of decisions about the funeral — all of which must be made quickly and often under great emotional duress. What kind of funeral should it be? What funeral provider should you use? Should you bury or cremate the body, or donate it to science? What are you legally required to buy? What other arrangements should you plan? And, as callous as it may sound, how much is it all going to cost? Learn more about consumer rights under the funeral rule.

Gas Saving Tips

Click here to report gas price gouging. 

Under President Trump’s leadership, America had achieved energy independence, but President Biden’s war on U.S. oil and gas production and transport has contributed to rising gas prices. Cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and adverse permitting decisions place the U.S. in an untenable and vulnerable position. From wind and solar to clean fossil fuels and nuclear, I believe in an all-of-the-above approach to meeting our nation's energy needs. An all-of-the-above approach means that we would not only responsibly develop our own stores of oil and natural gas, but also push forward innovation and development of next generation power sources and fuels.

In March 2023, I voted to pass H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, which reverses President Biden’s disastrous anti-American energy policies that are placing the U.S. in an untenable and vulnerable position. This bill reforms the permitting process for all industries, reverses anti-energy policies advanced by the Biden Administration, streamlines energy infrastructure and exports, boosts domestic energy production, and increases the production and processing of critical minerals

Home Energy Savings

Whether you are buying a refrigerator, thinking about ways to reduce your home heating and cooling bills, or trying to save money on gas, there are ways that can save you money in every room of your home. Learn more about saving energy.

Information Security

Are you taking steps to protect personal information? Safeguarding sensitive data in your files and on your computers is just plain good business. After all, if that information falls into the wrong hands, it can lead to fraud or identity theft. Learn more about protecting personal information.

Securities and Exchange Commission and Investment Fraud

Get the facts on how to invest wisely and avoid fraud. Be wary of swindlers and scam artists. Learn more about investing wisely and avoiding fraud.

Mail Fraud

Phony job opportunities, postal job scams, bogus work-at-home schemes, and fake charities are among the many types of postal fraud when they use the mail. Learn more about mail fraud schemes.

Spam

Do you receive lots of junk email messages from people you don't know? It's no surprise if you do. As more people use email, marketers are increasingly using email messages to pitch their products and services. Some consumers find unsolicited commercial email - also known as "spam" – annoying and time consuming; others have lost money to bogus offers that arrived in their email in-box. Learn more about spam e-mail.