Robocalls topped your list of consumer complaints in 2020
Attorney General Josh Stein released a top 10 list Tuesday of the most common consumer complaints filed with his office in 2020. Topping that list: Robocalls.
“North Carolinians were inundated with robocalls in 2020,” Stein said. “Scammers use them to try to trick and scare people out of their hard-earned money ... And we’ll do everything in our power to hold accountable those who defraud and scam hard-working people.”
Because so many scams originate through robocalls, Stein created the Robocall Report Task Force in 2020. You can report robocallers online at www.ncdoj.gov/norobo or through NCDOJ’s robo-report hotline (1-844-8-NO-ROBO).
In one example, the Attorney General's Office reached a $210 million settlement with Dish Network in December for engaging in illegal nationwide telemarketing that violated do-not-call laws. North Carolina will receive $13,986,000 – the largest penalty ever obtained in state history over such violations.
Top 10 NC consumer complaints in 2020
1. Telemarketing/robocalls
2. Price gouging
3. Utilities
4. Credit
5. Elder fraud
6. Landlord/tenant issues
7. Motor vehicles
8. Home improvement
9. Professional services
10. Home appliances
In 2020, the state Department of Justice received 31,019 consumer complaints, filed 11 consumer protection lawsuits, won 23 judgments and settlements with nearly $65 million in restitution and recoveries, and won back close to $1 million for consumers through our informal complaint mediation process.
