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Vermont Attorney General’s consumer office reports $2 million in recoveries; highlights outreach and home‑improvement specialist
Summary
Assistant Attorney General Christopher Curtis told the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee that the Consumer Assistance Program has improved recovery rates, expanded prevention outreach and had a temporary home‑improvement specialist extended, returning substantial savings to homeowners.
The Vermont House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development heard May 27 from Christopher Curtis, Assistant Attorney General and director of the Attorney General’s Office Consumer Assistance Program (CAP), who described CAP’s caseload, recoveries and prevention work.
Curtis said CAP fields about 8,000–12,000 calls a year and that the program has increased recoveries through mediation and targeted work: “The first year alone, we did 1,890,000.00 in recoveries and savings to Vermonters. This past year, I’m pleased to report we just surpassed $2,000,000 in recoveries for the first time ever,” he told the committee.
Curtis outlined CAP’s staffing and partnerships: the program uses a team that includes five lay staff plus a staff attorney; CAP has a long-standing partnership with the University of Vermont, where students help triage calls and gain job training. “We actually do a class for our students on consumer protection … they get real training, and that's a really, really exciting thing to be a part of,” Curtis said.
CAP emphasized prevention as well as recovery. The office conducts community presentations (including AARP Scam Jams), partners with the Vermont Libraries Association and the Small Business Advocate, and uses the VT Alert system to send scam alerts to Vermonters who sign up. Curtis said roughly half of CAP’s calls are reports about potential scams, many without monetary loss, and that the office is automating intake and using outreach to “get upstream” of scams.
The committee also heard about a temporary home‑improvement specialist position that both the House and Senate appropriations committees extended for another year. Curtis said the specialist, a nonattorney position, has helped resolve contractor–homeowner disputes and returned more than $800,000 to Vermont homeowners in about 21 months on the job.
Committee members asked about CAP’s outreach and ideas for expanding prevention. An attendee who identified himself as an IT professional suggested exploring targeted online notices (for example, ad networks that could surface warnings on known fraudulent ticket sites); Curtis said it was an “interesting idea” but noted privacy and technical questions would need review.
Curtis closed by urging legislators to refer constituents who need help to CAP and to use the office’s 1‑800 number and online resources. He said CAP will continue reporting to the legislature on program outcomes.
No formal votes were taken on CAP operations during the session.
