participates in more than 50
coalitions, advisory committees, and boards. The League provides
the consumer's perspective on concerns including child labor,
privacy on the Internet, food safety, and medication information.
operates the National Fraud Information
Center, a toll-free hotline (800-876-7060), which offers
help and support to victims of telemarketing and Internet fraud.
NCL staff members answer the NFIC hotline, which consumers can
call for advice and tips on how to spot and report possible frauds.
NFIC provides information on fraud to law enforcement agencies
and supplies about 80 percent of the data contained in the U.S.
government's national fraud database. Fraud reports are sent within
minutes to the enforcement agencies, including the Federal Trade
Commission and state attorneys general. NFIC's web site address
is www.fraud.org.
monitors cyberspace through Internet Fraud Watch, which was
launched by NCL's NFIC in 1996 with funding from MasterCard International.
Internet Fraud Watch enabled NFIC to expand its services to help
consumers distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent promotions
in cyberspace and route reports of suspected fraud to the appropriate
law enforcement agencies. NationsBank is the exclusive bank sponsor
of IFW for 1997. NYNEX and MCI have also contributed to the National
Consumers League to support Internet Fraud Watch.
sponsors national conferences
and legislative briefings that address consumer issues -- including
the impacts of electric industry deregulation, improving information
drug manufacturers provide to the public, and domestic child labor
concerns.
develops training materials,
conducts workshops and focus groups, and produces and disseminates
free and low-cost brochures and publications on subjects such
as consumer credit and food and drug safety.
manages four coalitions: the
Alliance Against Fraud
in Telemarketing, an international organization that informs
consumers about fraud; the Alliance to Protect Electricity Consumers;
the Child Labor Coalition,
an international group committed to strengthening child labor
protections; and For a Safer America, which administers an Ad Council public-service
campaign aimed at teaching young children what to do in case of
fire.
publishes four newsletters:
the NCL BULLETIN, a 12-page
bimonthly publication providing an overview of consumer news;
the Child Labor Monitor,
an eight-page Child Labor Coalition quarterly; a four-page Community
Credit Link quarterly for local organizations that educate
consumers about credit; and a four-page Focus on Fraud
for the Alliance Against Fraud in Telemarketing.