What is Consumer Protection?
If you’ve ever bought a product or a service – you are a consumer. Bad actors will take advantage of our everyday purchases or needs to trick us out of our hard-earned money.
The Consumer Protection and Advocacy Section at the Attorney General’s Office protects people – including Arizona’s most vulnerable residents – from fraudsters and scammers, and from all types of deceptive and harmful business practices by enforcing Arizona’s consumer protection laws and other state and federal laws. The AGO team of attorneys, investigators and legal staff enforce Arizona’s consumer protection laws and represent Arizona in multistate investigations with other state attorneys general.
Consumer Fraud and Scams
Consumer fraud, as defined by Arizona law, is any deception, unfair act or practice, false statement, false pretense, false promise or misrepresentation made by a seller or advertiser of merchandise.
It may also be fraud if a material fact is concealed, suppressed or undisclosed with intent. The AGO educates consumers on common scams and how they can protect themselves.
Additional Protection
Consumer Complaints
The Arizona Attorney General has the authority investigate and prosecute violations of the Consumer Fraud Act and other state and federal consumer protection laws. A private citizen can also bring an action for a violation of the Consumer Fraud Act within one year from the date the claim arises.
Past Settlements
The AG's Office represents Arizona in multistate investigations with other state attorneys general. We investigate unfair and deceptive business practices and bring civil enforcement actions in local, statewide and national cases in state and federal court to stop harmful practices, recover restitution, and to impose civil penalties against wrong-doers.
Data Privacy
Data privacy and cybersecurity are increasingly important issues for all Arizonans. The AG's Office has resources to protect your identity and credit profile, as well as report data breaches to authorities.
Tobacco Enforcement
The Tobacco Enforcement Unit (TEU) is responsible enforcing statutes related to the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in the state. TEU enforces the state ban on the online sale of most tobacco products and the law against selling tobacco products to minors.