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Office of Attorney General
Eric T. Schneiderman
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

NEW

Autos

    NY's New Car Lemon Law

  • This law provides protection for consumers of motor vehicles against all material defects for up to 18,000 miles or two years of purchase (whichever comes first). Problems must be reported in a timely fashion to either the manufacturer or the dealer.

    • NY's Used Car Lemon Law

  • This law provides both requirements for dealers of used vehicles under all circumstances as well as rights for consumers in the event that the car either cannot be repaired after at least three attempts or if the car is out of service for at least fifteen days.

    • Car Buying: Consumer Tips

  • Advice on researching vehicles, choosing a dealer and what to look for in a contract.

    • New York's Auto Leasing Excess Wear & Damage Arbitration Program

  • This consumers' guide emphasizes distinctions between leasing and purchasing vehicles. The Arbitration Program allows the consumer to exercise his or her legal right to challenge charges for excess wear and damage to the vehicle.

    • Advertising Guidelines for Auto Dealers

  • In conjunction with major auto dealers across New York State, the Office of the Attorney General has come up with a series of guidelines aimed at forging a more honest and therefore more competitive marketplace - thereby benefiting both dealers and consumers - by combating deceptive advertising by auto dealerships

Charitable Giving

Consumer Tips

    Savvy Consumers

  • Some tips on making smart purchases and avoiding bad deals.

    • Summer Scams

  • Warm weather can bring out the scammers. Describes how to spot some common scams.

    • Consumer Fraud   (Español)  Chinese

  • Links to pages of tips on a wide range of consumer issues, including auto, charitable, technological, financial, and health concerns.

    • Debt: Managing the Overload

  • Includes information about dealing with debt collectors, and seeking help from credit counseling agencies.

    • Tips for protecting your privacy: Don't Become a Victim of ID Theft

  • Information and warnings about marketing schemes targeted at potential victims of ID theft, as well as consumer tips on protecting themselves from becoming these victims. It also elaborates various regulations on privacy and identity theft.

    • ID Theft Kit: What to do if You have been Victimized

  • Straightforward directions on immediate steps to take in various specific instances of identity theft, such as with missing credit/debit cards, stolen checks, and problems with a social security number or the U.S. Post Office.

    • Predatory Lending: How to protect yourself   (Español)   Chinese

  • Tips for consumers on how to protect their finances, especially emphasizing the importance of consumers' understanding the terms of any agreements. There are also explanations of several common types of predatory lending.

    • Thrifty, but smart shopping: How to avoid Purchasing Dangerous Secondhand Products

  • A discussion of secondhand products that are most likely to be dangerous to consumers (especially children's things and electronics), explaining with each how to check for its safety. There are also suggestions on how to learn more about product safety and how to report unsafe products.

    • Sweepstakes

  • This is a basic list of warnings and tips for New Yorkers about sweepstakes scams, emphasizing the benefits of skepticism.

    • Basic Banking/Lifeline Accounts

  • How Lifeline Accounts work and what they must provide to consumers.

    • Identity Theft: How to protect yourself

  • An explanation of what exactly identity theft is and how it works, along with a series of key precautionary tips for consumers, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the utmost reasonable privacy of personal information and monitoring credit reports.

    • Home Improvement Facts

  • These facts are divided into basic tips for consumers and summaries of legal provisions and requirements for contractors.

    • Home Improvement Contractor Tip Card   (Español)

  • Home Improvement Contractor Tip Card

    • Pay Day Lending

  • Basic tips about taking out loans and information about payday loans and how they work.

    • Obtén el Máximo de las Ofertas de Reembolsos

  • Da información sobre el problema de reembolsos prometidos pero nunca recibidos por consumidores neoyorquinos, y les ofrece consejos.

    • Lo que debes saber sober las órdenes por correo y teléfono

  • Este documento describe los derechos que tienen los consumidores con respecto a las órdenes por correo y teléfono. Además les sugiere que se familiaricen con las reglas del comercio y mantengan todas las copias de papeles relacionados.

Civil Rights/Special Needs

    Religious Rights in the Workplace

  • Describes the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers in accommodating religious needs.

    • The Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act | [En Español]

  • This page enumerates basic provisions of SONDA (rights it provides, who exactly receives protection) and explains steps to take if the reader believes he or she has been the subject of discrimination.

    • Employment Discrimination Laws FAQ (Chinese) | [En Español]

  • Answers address what an employee can do in the face of discrimination (particularly what legal action he or she can take) and provide information on specific New York laws.

    • Service animals FAQ

  • Answers to these questions define "service animals" and how businesses should deal with customers who are disabled and require service animals.

    • Service animals in public accommodations & the workplace | [En Español] - This is being updated.

  • This booklet defines "service animals," establishes specific kinds of places that count as "places of public accommodation" and underscores the illegality of discrimination in any of these places. The role of the service animal in the workplace is also discussed. The booklet concludes with when and how to file a complaint in the event of discrimination.

    • Accessing Effective Communication | [En Español]

  • Frequently asked questions about the obligations of healthcare providers, auxiliary aids, patients' responsibilities, and what can qualify as a disability. There are suggestions for communicating with persons with hearing disabilities, as well as information on filing a complaint and obtaining further information.

    • Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: FAQ - This is being updated.  (Chinese)

  • Explains what sexual harassment is, discusses the steps a victim of sexual harassment can take, and reminds the reader that in the event of a sexual harassment complaint, retaliation is discriminatory and therefore illegal.

    • Economic Empowerment

  • Help for homeowners who want to understand the process of buying a home, the importance of good credit, and how to avoid becoming victims of scams.

    • Wheelchair Lemon Law

  • This law provides protection for consumers of Wheelchairs and gives them special rights in the event that the wheelchair turns out not to function within the written warranty and the manufacturer or dealer cannot appropriately repair it.

    • Protecting Access to Women's Health Care Services | [En Español]

  • Explains regulations against protesters at women's health services and discusses rights of patients as well as of those that work at the facility, like doctors, nurses, and other staff.

    • Your Right to be Free from Sexual Harassment in Workplace

  • This booklet defines and gives examples of types of sexual harassment. It also suggests possible steps for victims of sexual harassment to take and explains possible results from each. A helpful chart shows where and when to file complaints, depending on the law under which the victim believes to have been violated, and possible outcomes of each kind of complaint.

Courts

Crime & Safety:

Environmental

Health

Housing

    Tenants Rights | [En Español]

  • An explanation of leases, rent, habitability requirements, safety issues, utility services, and tenants' personal protections. Does not address cooperative or condominium housing issues.

    • Manufactured Home Tenant's Rights

  • What manufactured homes are, issues of discrimination, issues of habitability, regulations on leases, matters of rent and other payments, eviction, and various rights of tenants.

    • Cooperative & Condo Conversion Manual

  • Essential information about different types of cooperative housing ownership, relevant NYS laws, the conversion process, and tenants' rights. At the end, there is a helpful glossary as well as a list of resources.

    • What to do about Problems with your Co-op Board of Directors

  • In a question-and-answer format, this page addresses rules regulating and powers designated to the Board of Directors, information about leases and other written documents, tenants' rights, roles of sponsors, and how the Office of the Attorney General may be able to help in some circumstances.

    • What to do about Problems with Homeowners Association

  • Because in most instances no government agency can help homeowners who are having problems with their HOA, this document serves to explain rights to these homeowners. It describes how HOAs are supposed to work, typical problems, basic legal regulations to look into, and initial recommended steps for resolving the problem.

    • How to Handle Problems with a Condo Board of Managers

  • In a question-and-answer format, this page addresses rules regulating and powers designated to the Board of Managers, information about written documents, the Condominium Act, how best to tackle the problem, roles of sponsors, and how the Office of the Attorney General may be able to help in some circumstances.

    • Foreclosure and Rescue Scams

Immigration Fraud

Internet

    Making Travel Arrangements online

  • This list of precautions about making travel arrangements online, called "Online Travel Tips," discusses searching for fares, online payment, online services' potentially disclaiming responsibility, issues with e-tickets, and specials only available on certain sites.

    • Stay Safe online (Teens)

  • These tips remind teens about the importance of keeping information private, especially in cases where revealing information might seem less obvious, like through screen names or chat rooms.

    • Stay Safe online (Children)

  • This series of reminders aimed at young children addresses issues of keeping information private and avoiding "adult" sites.

    • Understanding the Internet: Glossary of Technology Terms

  • This booklet consists of a list of clear definitions of technological terms, especially those related to computers and the Internet.

    • Your Child's D.I.G.I.T.A.L Life

Investor Protection

    Investor bill of rights (Español) Chinese

  • This list highlights investors' rights to ask for and receive complete, truthful, and comprehensible information; to gain access to their funds; and to receive reasonable and consistent financial recommendations.

    • Smart investing

  • This message from the Attorney General reminds investors to remain cautious, feel free to ask questions, request written information, and use established brokers.

    • What to Consider Before Buying a Franchise

  • This booklet emphasizes the importance of research and skepticism for potential franchisees. It primarily aims to help potential franchisees to avoid illegitimate franchises and to make them aware of potential difficulties in the franchisor-franchisee relationship balance.

Seniors

    Smart Seniors | [En Español]

  • This booklet is aimed at helping senior citizens better understand how to protect themselves against scams, threats to their health, and elder abuse.

    • A Housing Guide for Senior Citizens

  • This guide addresses such key issues as age discrimination, harassment, Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE), alternative housing, in-home assistance, financial assistance, help with electric and gas utilities, and help with telephone service.

Student Lending

    Student Bill of Rights cards

  • The list of rights primarily focuses on students' rights to information about lenders and about their options. There is also a list of key questions to ask financial aid offices and lenders.

Telecommunications

    Switching or Canceling Long-Distance Service

  • These tips address how a consumer can confirm that he or she has long-distance service, what to consider when switching companies, how to switch companies, and how to cancel service.

    • Wireless phones

  • This list of tips reminds consumers to be careful in choosing among various plans by considering what exactly they do and do not need, extra fees, durations of contracts, and problems with "dead zones."

Please forward any request for publications to:

Public Information & Correspondences
Attorney General’s Office
The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224

You may fax your request to (518) 473-9907

or

Use our On-line Publications Order Form

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