Consumer Protection

As households with gas heaters fire them up for winter, tradies and firefighters fear many do not understand the safety risks they pose if not properly maintained.

Australia's corporate watchdog, ASIC, isn't prosecuting enough white-collar crime and can't perform its full range of duties, so a Senate committee has recommended it split into two new, more streamlined regulators.

Australian cosmetics company MCoBeauty has become a multi-million-dollar business by "duping" popular beauty products. But its success hasn't been without controversy, after pushing the boundaries of the law too far in the past.

The end of the financial year is a great time for shoppers looking to bag a bargain. But scammers also tend to take advantage of the period. Here's what to look out for. 

Financial counsellors and community leaders warn residents in remote communities in Western Australia to remain vigilant of a rise in scams ahead of tax time. 

The NSW government pledges to "stamp out bad behaviour" and strengthen oversight of the state's strata management industry in the wake of an ongoing ABC investigation that has revealed the systemic exploitation of unit owners and a widespread culture of kickbacks and secret commissions.

Consumers might not feel the effects of a mandatory grocery conduct overhaul, a peak consumer policy body says. 

Only one person from the nefarious hacking syndicate responsible for Ticketmaster's data breach has ever been convicted for cyber crime. What are the chances anyone goes to jail over this latest hack?

If you're renting, you'll know that rental increases are a fact of life. But you do have options if you think your landlord (or their agent) is asking for too much.

Basic grocery items are 25 per cent cheaper at Aldi when compared with Coles and Woolworths, a new report from Choice has found.

A higher-than-expected bill is enough to give most people a sinking feeling — especially if you don't think it's fair. Here's a breakdown of your rights and how to dispute a bill.

The ACCC is wary about the proposed merger of Chemist Warehouse and Sigma Healthcare. But other decisions will matter more for service and prices. They concern pharmacy discounting and location rules, and they'll involve taking on existing owners.  

Women in regional Australia are being funnelled into a multi-level marketing scheme promising a "multiple-six-figure business online" — but the "freedom" they seek comes at a cost.

In the Dubai desert lies a scam factory capable of swindling tens of thousands of people at a time. But one scammer has a secret plan that could shut the whole syndicate down. 

If you're among the majority of Australians with Facebook or Instagram accounts, your social activity on those platforms might be training Meta's artificial intelligence (AI) tools — and if you live in Australia, you can't say no.

With standardised contracts, signing a lease doesn't need to be as stressful as the search for a rental property. Experts share the red flags to look out for to ensure you're getting the real deal.

Buy now, pay later providers such as Afterpay and Zip may soon have to hold credit licences and ensure their customers can afford their services under new regulations introduced by the federal government.

During the pandemic, Aja Barber began questioning how the price of clothing had gone down within her lifetime while everything else was going up. The conclusions made her uncomfortable.

More small business owners are falling prey to online "predatory" lenders offering them quick cash. Some business owners are in such extreme financial strife that they have been forced to sell their family home.

While Australians appear to be getting better at avoiding scams, with total losses trending down according to the ACCC, there's an emerging scam which is defying the trend.

False documentation might be one of the oldest scams in the book but scammers are now able to fake being a company more easily — and Australians are falling for it.

Pizza Hut sent almost six million messages to people who had not consented and more than four million without the option to unsubscribe. 

AI tools such as face-swapping and chatbots are being used by South-East Asia's crime syndicates to make their scams more efficient and effective. However, some operations appear to be having less success with the new tech than others.

Airlines in the United States will soon be held to clear and consistent standards on flight cancellations, delays or unexpected changes to a passenger's travel plans. So what lessons could these new rules hold for Australia?

Consumers are being further squeezed by expensive phone bills as Australia's biggest telcos hike prices in response to inflation and rising operational costs.