The future of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the independent agency charged with for enhancing consumer protections and fighting financial harm, remains unclear, as the current administration works toward potentially dismantling the bureau.
A judge has already halted efforts to fire CFPB employees, return funds, and delete data or records pending a preliminary injunction hearing for March 3. Advocacy organizations have expressed concern over the long-term consequences of what this means for the future, especially as the agency’s enforcement activities have returned $19 billion to consumers.
“Consumers depend on the CFPB to be the cop on the beat to protect them from fraudsters,” said John Breyault, vice president of public policy, telecommunication, and fraud, at National Consumers League.
But as consumers wait on the outcome of the bureau’s future, where can they turn when they are victimized?
Advocates say a lot of the work will be up to the consumer and the states in which they reside.
“State attorneys general play a critical role in protecting consumers in their states,” Breyault said.
Each state has a consumer protection office tasked with investigating scams, fraud, and handling complaints against businesses. But, per a January report released by the CFPB, which has worked jointly with states to protect consumers, they recommend that states update their laws and regulations to keep pace with evolving risks.
Despite what’s happening with the CFPB, Breyault encourages consumers to continue filing complaints with the CFPB.
“They are accepting complaints,” he said. But he is unsure who is triaging those complaints and whether there will be any action, and advises against sharing sensitive information such as bank account numbers when filing a complaint.
Yaël Ossowski, deputy director of the Consumer Choice Center, said that in addition to state attorneys general, consumers can pursue legal remedies via state banking commissions, private rights of action, and the Federal Trade Commission.
“Even with a restrained CFPB, consumers can continue to protect themselves from frauds and scams by staying vigilant and using technological tools and verification to avoid sending money or payments to unauthorized recipients,” Ossowski said. “Hackers and fraudsters are very sophisticated, and unfortunately many are criminal actors abroad, but consumer education is the key to stopping the fraud.
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