MADISON  — You are there for us, and we are there for you.

July is Military Consumer Protection Month, and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is pleased to honor the campaign by sharing ways our Bureaus of Consumer Protection and Weights and Measures can help you and your family with consumer issues both while you are in country or deployed.

“The last thing a soldier should have to worry about on deployment is whether or not their family members are getting ripped off back home,” said Frank Frassetto, Division Administrator for Trade and Consumer Protection. “We have a number of resources available to help your family members avoid scams and deal with frustrating consumer issues, and we are pleased to be able to offer a helping hand.”

Some of the ways our Bureaus of Consumer Protection and Weights and Measures support military families include:

• If your family members run into a consumer issue in your absence, they can start their search for relevant information on the DATCP website. There are a number of fact sheets on the site that go into great detail on a wide range of consumer issues like home improvement, job scams, false advertising, landlord/tenant rights, and much more.
• The agency’s Consumer Protection Hotline is available weekdays from 7:45am to 4:30pm to answer your family members’ questions and guide them toward references that can help with their issue. Reach the hotline at 800-422-7128 or datcphotline@wisconsin.gov.
• If you are involved with a group serving the needs of servicemembers or veterans and would like a presentation on consumer issues like scams or identity theft, please let us know. Request a Consumer Protection Bureau presentation on the DATCP website.
• Military families face unique challenges that could put them at risk of identity theft. The Consumer Protection Bureau has specialists who focus on helping Wisconsin identity theft victims mitigate the potential damage to their credit and reputations that can result from this crime. If your family or friends believe they may have had their identities misused, they can start the process by visiting the identity theft protection section of the DATCP website or by contacting the Consumer Protection Hotline.
• The Weights and Measures Bureau regularly monitors the accuracy of gas pumps, price scanners, scales and package weights statewide to ensure that consumers are receiving their money’s worth in Wisconsin stores. If your loved one believes that they have been shorted product, questions the quality of the fuel they purchased, or thinks they may have been mischarged at the register and cannot come to a resolution with the business, they can contact the Weights and Measures team at 608-224-4942 or by email (datcpweightsandmeasures@wi.gov) to file a complaint. Our inspectors will follow up.

“Our goal is to serve the needs of Wisconsin consumers, whether they are home or abroad,” said Frassetto. “Become familiar with the many resources we have available to Wisconsin families and know that we will always put our best foot forward to help protect those who help protect us.”

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— Wisconsin Department of Agriculture

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