Under the direction of
the Attorney General and Consumer Advocate, the Bureau of Consumer
Protection (BCP) enforces various consumer protection statutes, in
particular deceptive trade and antitrust laws, through the filing of
lawsuits on behalf of the State of Nevada and the public good. BCP
can not represent individual consumers in these lawsuits, nor can
BCP assist individual consumers with their own private legal
disputes. BCP also advocates the consumer's voice in cases involving
the rates and services of privately-owned utility (telephone,
electric, and natural gas) companies before the Public Utilities
Commission of Nevada and similar government agencies.
What is deceptive trade?
When a consumer is
buying a good or service, the seller can not deceive the consumer
about the good or service, as defined under the Nevada Deceptive
Trade Practices Act (NRS 598) and its related laws. A deceptive
trade practice includes a seller making a false statement or
misrepresentation about its goods or services, or failing to
disclose material facts about its goods or services. Not all
fraudulent activity is illegal under the Nevada Deceptive Trade
Practices Act, such as when another law applies that regulates a
particular industry or is more specific. Examples of what is not
deceptive trade include real estate transactions, timeshares,
landlord/tenant issues, debt collection, and bank or credit card
problems. Other government agencies, not BCP, may handle these types
of matters.
How can I learn more about fraud? What
government agencies can assist me?
Visit the
Nevada
Fight Fraud web site to learn more about fraud and the government
agencies that may be able handle your concerns.
View BCP’s
announcement for important information concerning the
Nevada
Consumer Affairs Division.
How does BCP decide what
deceptive trade lawsuits to bring?
By performing
investigations, BCP learns of cases that indicate a pattern of
deceptive activity that substantially affect the public interest in
Nevada. BCP brings these lawsuits on behalf of the State of Nevada
and the public good (but not individual consumers). The lawsuits can
be criminal or civil.
What are the antitrust laws?
Why is antitrust important?
The antitrust laws
protect free and open competition in the marketplace, by prohibiting
certain anti-competitive acts by companies. Although ultimately the
courts decide what specific acts are illegal based on the facts of
each case, the antitrust laws generally identify the following as
illegal behavior, among others:
BCP is responsible for civil and criminal enforcement of Nevada's
antitrust law,
NRS 598A, and has authority to file
civil actions under federal antitrust statutes.
Antitrust
offenses almost always raise the prices paid by consumers and
discourage the introduction of new and better products. Being forced
to pay illegally high prices is the equivalent of having money
stolen from you. When companies pay too much for a product, they
tend to pass on the illegal extra costs through price increases to
their own customers. When state or local governments pay too much
for products because of antitrust violations, either taxes must be
raised or services must be reduced.
To learn more about the
antitrust laws, please review more detailed information authored by
the
United States Department of Justice
and the
Federal Trade Commission on the
topic.
What utilities work does BCP
do?
BCP represents the public interest before the
Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, federal utility regulatory
agencies, courts and all other forums with jurisdiction over Nevada
public utilities. The role before these bodies is to advocate for
reliable utility service at the lowest reasonable cost-particularly
for residential and small business customers of public utilities.
BCP is actively involved in federal and state regulatory and
legislative proceedings related to the restructuring of the
telecommunications, electric, natural gas, and alternative energy
industries.
