U.S. Department of Education to forgive $3.9 billion in student debt for former ITT Tech students

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh this week announced that the U.S. Department of Education will forgive or refund $3.9 billion in debt for 208,000 former ITT Technical Institute (ITT Tech) students across the country. The announcement follows the urging of Attorney General Frosh, as part of a multistate coalition, to cancel the federal student loan debt of many […]

Frosh files charges against unlicensed home improvement contractor in Middle River

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney Brian E. Frosh on Thursday announced that the state’s Consumer Protection Division has filed charges against Patrick Michael Savage d/b/a Extreme Backyard’s. The Middle River home improvement contractor collected illegal deposits from consumers for home improvement services, failed to provide the services, and refused to refund consumers’ money, according to the filing. The matter is also pending […]

Attorney General Frosh: AT&T, Cricket Wireless violated Maryland’s Consumer Protection Act, ordered to pay restitution

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh on Tuesday announced that Cricket Wireless, LLC and AT&T, Inc. were found to have deceived consumers into buying cell phones that the companies planned to stop servicing shortly after they were sold. AT&T and Cricket’s actions violated Maryland’s Consumer Protection Act, and as a result, the companies have been ordered to pay back […]

Consumer Alert: Telephone scammers are spoofing local hospitals and public utilities to steal personal information, threatening to terminate Medicare benefits

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland’s Consumer Protection Division is warning residents that scammers are “spoofing” local hospital and public utility phone numbers in an attempt to steal personal and medical information, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and/or Social Security numbers, over the phone. Some of the scammers are threatening to terminate Medicare benefits unless the call recipient provides personal information over the phone. Because […]

Harford County home builder ordered to pay more than $700,000 for violating consumer protection laws

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced on Tuesday that the state’s Consumer Protection Division issued a Final Order finding that Clark P. Turner and Clark Turner Homes, LLC, of Harford County, violated Maryland’s Consumer Protection Act, New Home Deposits Act, and Custom Home Protection Act. The Order requires Turner and Clark Turner Homes to pay more than $559,000 […]

Attorney General Frosh announces charges against Cricket Wireless and AT&T for deceptive marketing practices

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced on Monday that his Consumer Protection Division has filed charges against Cricket Wireless, LLC and AT&T, Inc. for violations of the Maryland Consumer Protection Act. Among other charges, Cricket and AT&T failed to inform consumers that the cell phones they purchased would no longer work when Cricket switched cell phone networks after […]

Attorney General: Reopened dental practices may be violating Consumer Protection Act by charging for enhanced infection controls

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh on Friday alerted consumers to surcharges by some dental providers that could violate the Consumer Protection Act. Dentists may once again provide elective and non-urgent care if they comply with the Secretary of Health’s May 6, 2020 Order requiring enhanced infection controls, but some providers may be improperly imposing additional fees. “Consumers have […]

Frosh reminds Marylanders that CARES Act stimulus payments cannot be seized by debt collectors

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh this week issued a reminder about stimulus payments being issued to Maryland residents as part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. On April 29, 2020, Governor Larry Hogan issued Executive Order 20-04-29-03 prohibiting financial institutions from garnishing this financial assistance, except as related to child support. The CARES […]