The Consumer Protection Unit of Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens’ office is putting together a program to protect soldiers’ financial security while they are protecting our national security.
Americans serving in the armed forces in Georgia, Olens said at a Monday news conference, “deserve protection, not to have their minimal salaries squandered by unscrupulous businesses.”
The two-legged parasites the AG has in mind, of course, are all too familiar in this community. Soldiers have been victimized by predatory pawnbrokers, car salesmen and loan sharks, just to name some of the most familiar.
The end result of this year-long project, which will draw on the experience and expertise of the Pentagon’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will be a reference guide to help service members and their families distinguish between the vast majority of honest businesses and the shysters who hide in plain sight among them.
Georgia Watch, a consumer protection nonprofit, and Emory University law students will use the Pentagon’s consumer intelligence information to write legal advice and warnings on different kinds of financial transactions, purchase, mortgages, credit agreements and loans.
Members of our armed services are willing to take more than enough risks on our behalf. This is one kind of risk we can do more to prevent.