The District Stage at Tempe Marketplace, 2000 E. Rio Salado Parkway in Tempe, will host a free consumer-advice event Tuesday, October 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. ABC15 says the public can attend without an appointment and describes the gathering as the 10th annual event organized by its “Let ABC15 Know” team. ABC15’s event release provides the details.
Help available at the event
More than 40 volunteer professionals and subject matter experts are expected, ABC15 says. Attendees can seek help with debt, consumer fraud, auto, solar and contractor concerns, as well as family, employment, landlord-tenant, business, estate-planning and bankruptcy matters. Social Security and senior-focused resources are also listed. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office is among the participating resources, according to the station’s release.
Visitors will start by speaking with volunteers, who will direct them to an appropriate expert, ABC15 says. Each attendee will then receive a number for a private consultation expected to last about 10 to 15 minutes. The station recommends bringing relevant documents and preparing questions in advance, according to its event information.
The program’s anniversary
ABC15 says its annual events have connected thousands of Arizona residents with experts and resources over the past decade. The station reported that consumer investigator Christel Bell sees helping people find answers when they are stuck as an important part of local journalism. The release also recognizes volunteer experts and community partners for supporting the events.
Arizona fraud figures
A Common Sense Institute Arizona report says Federal Trade Commission data recorded $337 million in fraud losses in Arizona in 2024, a 384% increase from 2020. The report also places Arizona 15th nationally for identity-theft rates, based on FTC data, and ninth-highest for cyber-enabled-crime losses, based on FBI figures. These are findings presented in the institute’s report on financial fraud in Arizona, not figures independently verified here.
Arizona consumer complaints
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office lists motor vehicle sales and repairs, computers and web pages, mortgage and real estate, banking, and telemarketing and phone scams among the state’s top consumer complaint categories in 2024, according to the office’s annual complaint summary. The office says its Consumer Information and Complaints Unit received nearly 22,000 complaints and recovered more than $5.2 million for consumers that year.
