Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
Contact: Merni Fitzgerald, Director of Public Affairs
703-324-3187, TTY 711, Fax 703-324-2010
Media Pager: 703-324-NEWS (6397)
publicaffairs@fairfaxcounty.gov
Feb. 27, 2008
Fairfax County Observes National Consumer Protection Week March 2-8
March 2-8 is National Consumer Protection Week. The Consumer Affairs Branch of the Fairfax County Department of Cable Communications and Consumer Protection has scheduled free events throughout the county to highlight the theme “Financial Literacy: A Sound Investment.” Information and education will be available to emphasize the importance of financial literacy so consumers can make well-informed decisions about managing money, using credit, understanding a credit report and recognizing and avoiding financially destructive scams.
Activities during the week include:
- March 1, from 10 to 11 a.m. – Tips for hiring a home contractor from a consumer affairs representative on the Contractors.com Home Show on WJFK (106.7 FM).
-
March 2 (1 p.m.), March 4 (10 p.m.), March 5 (6 p.m.), March 7 and 8 (3
p.m.) –Fairfax County Government Channel 16 will broadcast “Credit Card
Debt,” a “Consumer Focus” program that provides information about
credit counseling and details on how Consumer Affairs helped a consumer
resolve an online billing dispute involving a credit card. This program
also can be seen on computers at the above days and times with live
video streaming or anytime with video on demand at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cable.
-
March 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Investigators will be available at
the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College, 8333
Little River Turnpike, Annandale, to provide advice, information,
brochures and tip sheets for consumers.
-
March 3-7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. – Investigators will be
available with information, brochures, tip sheets and advice for
consumers on topics about wise purchasing decisions at an information
table outside of Suite 127 of the Fairfax County Government Center,
12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax.
-
March 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Fairfax County Government
Center, Conference Rooms 4/5, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax)
and March 6, from noon to 1 p.m. (Herrity Building, Room 106, 12055
Government Center Parkway, Fairfax) – A 60-minute seminar “What’s In
Your Credit Report,” conducted by Consumer Affairs and the Fairfax
County Credit Union, will provide answers to questions about credit
reports and credit scores.
-
March 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – A consumer affairs investigator will be
available at Access Fairfax, Suite 125, South County Government Center,
8350 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, to answer questions and provide
information.
- March 5, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. – A 90-minute seminar “How to Minimize Your Risk for Identity Theft” will be held at the George Mason Regional Library, 7001 Little River Turnpike, Annandale. A consumer affairs investigator will provide tips, information and resources to help consumers minimize their exposure to the fastest-growing crime in the nation.
In addition to providing consumer education, Fairfax County Consumer
Affairs investigates and mediates consumer complaints, tenant-landlord
disputes, and provides information to homeowner and condominium owners
associations in the county. For more information, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/consumer.
###