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BBB Joins National Effort to Highlight Consumer Protection and Education
For Immediate Release

[Arlington, VA, February 6, 2006] - The Better Business Bureau (BBB) system
is joining government agencies and national advocacy organizations to launch
the eighth annual National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), February 5-11,
2006. This year's theme, "Consumer Protection? It's the Name of the Game,"
highlights the need for consumer education efforts around the country.
A menace to almost every society, scams, fraud, hoaxes and other illegal
activities, remain well and alive in the U.S. as in several other parts of
the world.

"The best defense is a good offense. Consumers can empower themselves by
learning to recognize common scams and abuses," said Steve Cole, president
of the Council of Better Business Bureau, Inc. "We encourage consumers to
investigate before responding to too-good-to-be- true offers."

The BBB system assisted close to 90 million consumers in 2005, with reports
on businesses, consumer education literature, general counseling and
complaint resolution. With BBBs serving nearly every marketplace in the U.S.
and Canada and an informative central Web site (http://www.bbb.org), the
Better Business Bureau system offers pre-purchase information at the time
and place consumers find most convenient.

To help improve consumers' skills this week and every week of the year, the
Better Business Bureau offers the following tips:

Do not give any personal information to an unfamiliar company, whether it's
by phone, mail or e-mail. This includes your credit card numbers, but also
the credit card expiration date, your social security number, driver's
license number and bank account numbers. Even if you are told it is only for
"identification" or "verification," this information can be used for
unauthorized credit card charges or bank account debits.

Do not pay in advance for a "guaranteed" loan or job. Advance fee schemers
typically ask for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars up front,
allegedly to deliver what they've promised, and typically without a written
contract.

Carefully evaluate unsolicited phone calls or e-mail offers. Make sure the
business has a permanent address and phone number, check customer references
and contact the BBB for information about the company's marketplace record.
Before you provide any personal financial information to a Web site, check
that it is legitimate and carefully review the site's privacy policy. Find
out how your information will be used or shared with others and what
security features are in place to protect your information from being stolen
or misused.

Arm yourself with information. The Better Business Bureau offers helpful
tips at the www.bbb.org Web site. When in doubt, always check things out.
Consult with trusted family members, friends or neighbors before making a
major purchasing decision. Whenever you have a question or concern regarding
a merchant or marketplace transaction, contact your local Better Business
Bureau or check the consumer tips and alerts at www.bbb.org.

Other organizers of this year's NCPW are the Federal Trade Commission, the
Federal Citizen's Information Center, the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S.
Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Communications Commission, The
National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators, the National
Consumers League, AARP, Call for Action, the Consumer Federation of America
and the National Association of Attorneys General.
For more information on NCPW, go to www.consumer.gov/ncpw