By T.A. DeFeo, The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square) — Georgia’s consumer protections against debt collectors are among the worst in the nation. That’s according to a new report from the National Consumer Law Center, which...
More infoConsumer advocates call for better debt protections in Georgia
Listen to the full interview here. By Jim Burress, WABE All Things Considered — During the pandemic, consumer debt lawsuits went on hiatus. Dockets though are once again full with collections-related cases. Georgia offers little protection from wage...
More infoHow title lenders trap poor Georgians in debt with triple-digit interest rates
By Margaret Coker/The Current GA, Joel Jacobs/ProPublica, with research by Mollie Simon/ProPublica — For some Georgia residents, title pawn contracts offer a quick way to obtain desperately needed cash. But poor regulation of a confusing system traps many...
More infoMetro Atlanta company suffers data breach, affecting 54K inmates
By Zach Hansen, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Experts say incarcerated people make for desirable identity theft targets A Forsyth County company that provides healthcare for people inside correctional facilities nationwide was the target of a recent...
More infoConsumers who owe medical bills will receive help as of July in terms of their credit report
By JoAnn Merrigan, WSAV — Up to 19% of people in Georgia have a medical bill that’s in collections. “And it’s even higher among people of color, up to 21%,” says Liz Coyle from Georgia Watch.“Sometimes those debts remain on consumers’ credit reports for...
More infoFamily shocked after receiving medical bill that cost more than double what they expected
By Rebecca Lindstrom, 11Alive (WATCH NOW) – ATLANTA — Healthcare costs keep rising and sometimes it’s hard to understand what’s behind it. There’s been stories of patients being charged different prices for the same procedure based on their...
More infoSome ‘free COVID testing’ could be a scam designed to steal your identity
By: Savannah Levins, 11 ALIVE, (Watch Now) — State leaders and consumer advocates are warning of scammers pretending to offer free COVID tests. Liz Coyle, executive director of the consumer advocacy group Georgia Watch, said the scammers are preying...
More infoGeorgia Watch Releases Report on Need for Garnishment Reform
J. Laney’s car was repossessed in 2009—at the time of repossession, she owed $10,000, but she received a letter stating it had been resold and thought that was the end of it. Over a decade later, in 2021, she realized her wages had recently started being...
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