State to Host Consumer Education Fair Live Online

The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) is commemorating National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) by hosting a free NCPW Virtual Consumer Fair. The event features a series of live hour-long workshops online each weekday next week, March 1 to March 5, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Information and links for each workshop is posted at cca.hawaii.gov/ncpw.

“While COVID-19 unfortunately limits our ability to hold in-person outreach events, we recognize the importance of getting creative to continue to push consumer education. Scammers are unrelenting and attempting to use the pandemic to their advantage,” said DCCA Director Catherine Awakuni Colón. “We encourage the public to attend these free online workshops to better inform and protect themselves from fraud.”

Topics and agencies participating in the workshop series include:

• Social Security Administration – Social Security Fraud
• Identity Theft Resource Center – Keep Your Identity Safe
• DCCA Office of Consumer Protection – COVID-Related Scams
• State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) – Medicare and You
• U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Mail Scams

The public is also invited to request a free Consumer Wise packet containing a collection of brochures covering various consumer issues by sending their mailing address information via email to education@dcca.hawaii.gov.

The NCPW Virtual Consumer Fair is sponsored by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the United States Postal Service.