Think you’ve found consumer fraud? You can now file a report to the district attorney online.
The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office is trying to make it easier to report consumer fraud, including making it possible to file complaints directly online.
The upgrades come on the heels of several settlements with large companies. The office announced Monday that it helped secure a total of $13.6 million in stipulated judgments across three recent cases, including a $7.5 million settlement with meal-kit delivery company HelloFresh.
The District Attorney’s Office said Monday it has improved its website for consumers to file complaints. Now, reports can be filed out and filed online, including attachments such as supporting documentation. Previously, forms and attachments had to be downloaded, printed out and mailed in.
Over the last several years, officials said, it has received roughly 200 complaints a month. The complaints are reviewed and vetted, and some are elevated for investigation as potential prosecution. Generally speaking, prosecutors are looking for behaviors that are likely to affect a broad spectrum or array of similarly situated consumers.
In the most recent case, announced Monday, San Diego County was one of a handful of prosecutors’ offices in California that sued HelloFresh, alleging the company enrolled customers into automatic subscription renewal plans without proper disclosure. The case was filed in Santa Clara County, and the settlement was approved last week. San Diego’s cut of the money is a little more than $1 million.
“The civil actions we file protect the consumer and hold corporations accountable when they fail to follow the laws in place to ensure the public is getting accurate and fair pricing information on products they purchase, as well as making sure companies aren’t using fine print to trigger costly automatic renewals that take advantage of unsuspecting consumers,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement Monday.
The settlement includes $1 million in restitution for eligible California consumers, including those enrolled in the automatic renewal program from 2019 to last Friday and who meet other requirements, according to the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office. Eligible consumers will be notified, the office said.
A HelloFresh spokesperson on Monday said the company takes its “commitment to customer transparency very seriously, and our subscription model and cancellation policies have been consistently clear to customers throughout the whole customer journey. While we deny any wrongdoing, we have cooperated fully with the coalition of California District Attorneys and have entered into a settlement agreement with them to resolve the matter amicably.”
The local District Attorney’s Office also worked with other prosecuting agencies to secure a $5.6 million settlement with Walmart in a civil suit that alleged the retailer charged customers more than its lowest advertised price. The case was filed locally. San Diego’s cut is about $1.375 million.
Additionally, a lawsuit against a local jeweler Attractive Gems settled last month for $500,000, for what the state Attorney General’s Office said were deceptive lending practices. The company’s attorney was unavailable for comment late Monday.
Settlement money the District Attorney’s Office receives is earmarked to be used to enforce consumer protection laws.
People interested in discussing their complaints with a District Attorney’s Office staffer in person can still do so. They are available Thursdays — although that is subject to change — at the District Attorney’s CARE Center at 12 North Euclid Avenue in National City, and at One Safe Place: the North County Family Justice Center, which is at 1050 Los Vallecitos Boulevard in San Marcos.
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