SPECIFIC ISSUES

Advertising
National: FTC
Local: State or local consumer officials
Children’s advertising: Better Business Bureau Children’s Advertising Review Unit (www.caru.org)

Identity theft
All: FTC (www.ftc.gov/idtheft)

Dangerous products
Many categories: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.cpsc.gov); does not cover cars, food, medicines, child-safety seats, medical devices, cosmetics, boats, or pesticides.
Cars and child-safety seats: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.nhtsa.gov)

Telemarketing
General: FTC
Do Not Call Registry violations: FTC (www.donotcall.gov)
Other: Contact the FCC about junk faxes, e-mail messaging to wireless devices, prerecorded phone messages, and automatic dialers.

Mail fraud
All: U.S. Postal Inspection Service (http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov), the FTC, or local law enforcement
Mail order rule violations: FTC

Product warranties
All: FTC
New cars: State lemon-law programs. Go to www.dr.bbb.org/autoline/lemonlawinfo.asp for list
Used cars: State used-car lemon law program, if available. Check your state’s consumer-protection office.

Food, medicine, cosmetics
All but meat, poultry, and eggs: Federal Food and Drug Administration (www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/problem.html)
Meat, poultry and eggs: Federal Department of Agriculture Meat & Poultry Hotline. Call 800-535-4555 or send e-mail to mphotline.fsis@usda.gov.
Restaurants: Local health department

Internet crime
All: Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov/complaint)