Dear Senators Pryor and Wicker:

On behalf of Consumer Federation of America (CFA), I am submitting this letter for the record in connection with the hearing you held on July 14, 2009 about “The Economy and Fraud: Protecting Consumers During Downward Economic Times.”

Created in 1968, CFA is an association of some 300 consumer groups across the United States. Our mission is to advance the consumer interest through research, advocacy and education. In addition to national, state and local nonprofit consumer advocacy and education groups, consumer cooperatives, and public power systems, CFA has members from state and local consumer agencies.

These agencies work “where the rubber meets the road,” dealing with problems that directly impact people’s lives and their wallets. Unlike most federal agencies, state and local consumer agencies usually try to resolve individual complaints in addition to taking legal action to stop large-scale abuses.