Oregon Consumer League

10/16/2026

Your car may be spying on you—and transmitting what it learns to some of the world’s biggest tech companies. A study by researchers at Northeastern University in Boston found that cars are sharing data with big tech companies. Data sent by vehicles and companion apps included locations, VINs, and other identifiers. Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft were among the top receivers of driver data.

New study finds cars send driver data to Big Tech companies, including locations, VINs, and other identifiers.

10/10/2026

Oregon Consumer Justice (OCJ) is studying earned wage access (EWA) apps, such as DailyPay, EarnIn, and Tapcheck, and how they're affecting Oregonians. These apps let workers access wages they've already earned before payday, usually for a fee, a subscription, or a "voluntary" tip. They're marketed as a cheaper alternative to overdraft fees and payday loans, but little is known about whether they actually leave workers better or worse off. In October, OCJ is holding focus groups to learn how people use these apps, how the apps affect their finances, what's confusing or misleading about them, and what users wish they'd known beforehand.

Participants in the study must:

Currently or recently use an earned wage access app regularly
Be able to take part in a group discussion in English
Live in Oregon

Participants will be paid $125 for a 2-hour virtual focus group or $175 for a 2-hour in-person session in Portland.

Check out the screening questionnaire here:

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

10/01/2026

💡 Test your AI detection skills with a new quiz recently posted on the Associated Press (AP) website. The AP worked with PBS's Frontline and with AI experts to develop the quiz. AI technology has come a long way. The AP notes that many irregularities like unnatural blinking, perfect faces and robotic voices are disappearing.

"As scammers around the world embrace AI, it’s more important than ever to remember that you can’t always believe what you see—or hear—online," the AP wrote in an article about the quiz.

Artificial intelligence is turbocharging scams in ways unimaginable just a few years ago. Ninety-eight percent of Americans say they have been targeted by scammers — many on a daily basis — according to a poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

09/27/2026

‼️ The Seattle City Council passed the Fair Pricing and Transparency Act (CB 121267), groundbreaking legislation that would prohibit personalized pricing in the sale of groceries. This bill is the first of its kind to pass at the city level.

Union calls it the strongest ban in the country

09/24/2026

🥘 The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is doing research on food marketing and the surveillance economy . CFA is interested in hearing from parents about their feelings on the state of food advertising and surveillance, what creators/platforms their kids may experience food advertising on, and what policies they may support to address some key relevant issues.

Particularly, CFA is interested in respondents who have kids under 18 in the home currently. The survey should take only 5-6 minutes! Click below to contribute:

09/23/2026

🏠 Homeowners Insurance Claim Denied? You Could Still Get Paid. A denied claim doesn’t have to be the end of the road. Learn how to effectively challenge a rejected claim and create the best possible shot at receiving a payment from your insurance company.

A denied claim doesn’t have to be the end of the road. Learn how to effectively challenge a rejected claim and create the best possible shot at receiving a payment from your insurance company.

09/20/2026

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is warning the public that it has become aware of fake advertisements for a fictional “Veterans Savings Program” –

https://news.va.gov/147334/veterans-savings-program-postcard-scam/

The criminals promise extra VA benefits or payments while hoping to steal victims’ sensitive information.

Read more from Fraud.org:

https://fraud.org/scammers-target-veterans-in-new-scheme/

The latest fraud tactic targeting Veterans involves sending fake postcards claiming you're entitled to “extra VA benefits” or additional payments.

09/15/2026

Homeowners Insurance Claim Denied? You Could Still Get Paid. A denied claim doesn’t have to be the end of the road. Learn how to effectively challenge a rejected claim and create the best possible shot at receiving a payment from your insurance company.

A denied claim doesn’t have to be the end of the road. Learn how to effectively challenge a rejected claim and create the best possible shot at receiving a payment from your insurance company.

09/05/2026

After failing to dismantle the CFPB, Russell Vought and his allies have reshaped the bureau into an industry-friendly, less aggressive regulator. The CFPB’s "ask-nicely" approach faced its first test when a startup (Bilt) failed its customers, but the CFPB took the company’s word that it fixed its problems. According to current and former CFPB staffers, the bureau’s light-touch approach and reliance on political aides breaks from precedent and leaves consumers vulnerable.

Rather than investigate a buzzy fintech startup for throwing users’ accounts into chaos, the Russell Vought-led Consumer Financial Protection Bureau trusted that the company was “back on track.” Customers soon learned the hard way that this wasn’t true.

08/28/2026

⚖️🏦 Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed a lawsuit to block the Trump Administration’s latest effort to favor big business over working families, co-leading a coalition of 10 states. The case challenges a decision by a little-known but powerful federal agency, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), to invalidate an Oregon law that requires mortgage lenders to pay interest on the money they require borrowers to deposit into escrow accounts to cover taxes and insurance. Click below to read the full complaint:

https://www.doj.state.or.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/States-escrow-interest-complaint.pdf

The result of the OCC’s decision would be to take money away from homeowners and put it right into the pockets of big banks. Read the full article from Oregon Department of Justice:

https://www.doj.state.or.us/media-home/news-media-releases/ag-rayfield-sues-to-block-trumps-lawless-handout-to-big-banks/

Rule lets big banks keep money that should be going back into Oregon homeowners’ pockets Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed a lawsuit today to block the Trump Administration’s latest effort to favor big business over working families, co-leading a coalition of 10 states. The case challenges a d...