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| The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is Wisconsin's primary consumer protection agency. Its Bureau of Consumer Protection educates consumers on best practices to combat and avoid scams, fraud, and unfair business practices. DATCP is ready to provide consumers and businesses with free resources, answer their questions, and assist them if they have lost money or private data to theft.
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2024 Alerts and News
April 16, 2024: Attorney General Kaul Announces Airline Passenger Protection Partnership between Wisconsin and U.S. DOT (via Wisconsin Department of Justice)
March 26, 2024: Join DATCP, DFI, and Savi for a Student Loan Repayment Webinar on April 9
March 13, 2024: Plan Ahead to Protect Your Vacation
March 13, 2024: AG Kaul Announces $2.5 Million Judgment Against Timeshare Exit Company and Refunds For Wisconsin Consumers (via Wisconsin Department of Justice)
March 4, 2024: Consumer Protection Week: DATCP Has Your Back
February 27, 2024: Weights and Measures Week: DATCP Ensures Accurate Prices and Measurements
February 9, 2024: Don’t Hire Storm Chasers for Property Damage Repairs
February 1, 2024: Top Ten Consumer Complaints Reported to DATCP in 2023
January 29, 2024: Identity Theft Awareness Week: Tips from DATCP and DOR
2023 Alerts and News
December 21, 2023: Consumer Alert: Scammers Impersonating Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
December 4, 2023: Gift Cards: A Scammer's Favorite Holiday Present
November 27, 2023: Giving Tuesday: DATCP and DFI Promote Charity Fraud Awareness
November 20, 2023: Don't Play Games with Toy Safety
November 20, 2023: Shop Online Safely this Holiday Season
November 20, 2023: DATCP’s Helpful Tips for Holiday Shoppers
November 20, 2023: DATCP Announces Settlement with Dollar General for Price Accuracy Violations
October 30, 2023: Join DFI, DATCP, and Savi for a Student Loan Repayment Webinar on November 7
September 28, 2023: October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month in Wisconsin
September 8, 2023: Consumer Alert: Tree Removal Scammers Reported After Storms
September 8, 2023: Consumer Alert: Traveling Asphalt Crews Reported in Southeastern Wisconsin
August 8, 2023: DATCP Provides Reminder on Rental Housing Rights and Responsibilities
August 1, 2023: DFI, DATCP, & Savi Host Online Student Loan Workshop on August 15
July 20, 2023: Need Storm Damage Repairs? Choose a Trustworthy Contractor
July 18, 2023: Wisconsin and Law Enforcers Nationwide Announce Enforcement Sweep to Stem the Tide of Illegal Telemarketing Calls to U.S. Consumers
July 10, 2023: Wisconsin OCI, DFI, and DATCP Alert Consumers to Misleading Home Warranty Mail Solicitations
June 28, 2023: July 2023 is Military Consumer Protection Month
May 3, 2023: Double Check Your Mother's Day Arrangements
April 25, 2023: Choose a Trustworthy Contractor for Storm Damage Repairs
April 21, 2023: DATCP, DOA Warn Wisconsin Dispatch Number 'Spoofed' By Scammers
April 14, 2023: Prepare for Severe Weather With Tips From State Agencies
April 6, 2023: DATCP and Attorney General Kaul Announce $75,000 Judgement Against Manufactured Home Community Operators for Unfair and Illegal Rental Practices
March 27, 2023: Prevent Identity Theft During Spring Vacation with DATCP's Travel Tips
February 2, 2023: DATCP's Top Ten Consumer Complaints of 2022
January 30, 2023: DATCP and DOR Observe Identity Theft Awareness Week
Data Breaches
A data breach occurs when an organization's private data is accessed by an unauthorized party. This could expose sensitive data like customer names and addresses, Social Security numbers, confidential records, and more. Unfortunately, it puts affected individuals at risk of identity theft.
DATCP maintains an archive of breaches reported to the Department or which the Bureau of Consumer Protection has independently identified as affecting Wisconsin consumers. If your information was leaked in a data breach, you may consider credit monitoring or other measures to reduce your risk of identity theft. Some of these services may be offered for free by organizations affected by a data breach.
Top Ten Consumer Complaints
As Wisconsin’s primary consumer protection agency, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) receives tens of thousands of requests for assistance and resources each year. In 2022, DATCP worked to resolve more than 11,000 consumer complaints, successfully reached settlements in several investigations, and returned millions of dollars to Wisconsin consumers. Every spring, the Bureau of Consumer Protection issues its list of the "Top 10" complaints filed by consumers during the previous calendar year.
Consumer Alert Archive
Find consumer alerts from previous years.
December 20, 2017: Fake DATCP "Invoice" Emails Making the Rounds
October 16, 2017: Diesel-Tainted Gasoline Distributed in Wisconsin
September 26, 2017: Don't "Hangout" with Fake Job Scammers
September 14, 2017: Equifax Data Breach: Phone Scams are the Next Risk
September 8, 2017: Equifax Data Breach: What Do You Do Now?
August 31, 2017: Mostly Timeshare Resale Fraud Targeting Wisconsin Consumers
August 4, 2017: Beware of Online Rental Scams
July 24, 2017: Consumer Protection Hotline Subjected to 'Spoofing'
June 29, 2017: Fake Amazon Order Cancellation Emails Making the Rounds
June 19, 2017: Another Day, Another IRS Phone Scam Variation
June 6, 2017: Fake DATCP Emails Circulating
May 11, 2017: Fake We Energies Calls Targeting Small Businesses
April 28, 2017: Taxpayers Reporting Fake, Threatening Wisconsin Department of Revenue Calls
April 6, 2017: The IRS Will Not Call and Threaten You
March 14, 2017: Don't Get Swept Away in Sweepstakes Scams
January 5, 2017: Wisconsin Consumers Report Auto "Warranty" Robocalls