PHOENIX — It's the top consumer protection unit in the state, and the Arizona Attorney General's office has a new leader.
So, what could that mean for you?
I sat down with new AG Kris Mayes to talk about consumer issues and how her office will handle them.
Mayes says she hopes by the end of her term, "people will judge me on this and will say she did a great job fighting consumer fraud because it's a rising problem."
While abortion, water rights and other big issues are on her plate, Mayes says so are issues like elder abuse and working with Attorney Generals in other states to go after phone fraudsters.
"People shouldn't get on their cell phone and see one robotext after another trying to scam them... They've stopped picking up the phone because they get so many robocalls," she says.
Mayes says her office gets 15,000 consumer complaints a year.
While automobiles are the top complaint category, Arizonans I talked with say their biggest concern is the high price of living here and limiting rental costs.
On the Let Joe Know Facebook page, Abbey's pushing for rent control, saying her grandchildren are "joining the armed forces because they can't afford rents."
Mayes says the legislature, not her office, has control of most rent issues, but that there are some issues the AG can take on.
But she says her office can take on issues like contract transparency.
"If they get into a rental situation and one thing was advertised and they got something else, that is something they should probably call the Attorney General's office about," she says.
With just a few days in office, specifics on how to accomplish her goals are also few.
Mayes says if she sees new laws are needed, she'll involve legislators.
And she says her office is already looking at ways to better fund the AG's consumer protection unit.
"I think that money was taken away from the consumer fraud revolving fund and I would like, and intend to redirect this focus," Mayes says.
Learn more about the Attorney General's consumer protections and file a complaint online here.
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