I know many people complain that the government perhaps gets too involved in our lives.  But there are some outstanding US government departments and federal laws that truly protect all of us in ways that cannot be accomplished otherwise. I highly recommend that if you want to know how to get your free credit reports, which each of us should obtain once a year, you follow what is set forth in http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre34.shtm..

For an excellent summary of the consumer protection laws that govern you and your family’s lives, please visit http://www.hg.org/consume.html.

If you want to know the top consumer fraud complaints and how to better protect yourself from improper conduct, the newest list is included in http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/02/fraud.shtm.