Tennessee is cautioning consumers about deceptive travel promoters and timeshare resellers as part of a joint multi-state, multi-national law enforcement initiative, coordinated by the Federal Trade Commission, Attorney General Bob Cooper announced today.

Attorney General Cooper and Gary Cordell, director of the Division of Consumer Affairs (a division of the Department of Commerce and Insurance), are urging consumers to beware in light of complaints of deceptive conduct by some timeshare and vacation club companies. Among the allegations are that some are using misleading sales tactics to induce consumers into purchasing timeshare or vacation club programs that have high maintenance fees, poor travel date and destination selection, and hidden costs. Other abuses consumers complain about include cancellation issues, difficulty contacting customer service, and misleading or deceptive high pressure sales presentations...read the timeshares release.

Tennessee residents who submitted a valid foreclosure payment claim through the National Mortgage Settlement will receive a check this month for approximately $1,480. These mortgage servicing abuse payments will total almost $27 million for Tennessee.

Eligible borrowers include those who lost their home to foreclosure between Jan. 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2011 and had their mortgage serviced by one of the settlement's five participating mortgage servicers. They also needed to submit a valid claim form. The participating servicers include Ally (formerly GMAC), Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo...read the mortgage checks release.

Tennessee homeowners have received over $170 million in relief under the National Mortgage Settlement, according to a progress report released this week by settlement monitor Joe Smith.

Tennessee is participating in the historic $25 billion National Mortgage Settlement with the nation's five largest mortgage servicers that was announced in Feb. 2012. This settlement arose from an investigation into unacceptable nationwide mortgage servicing and foreclosure practices. The servicers participating in the National Mortgage Settlement announced in February are Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, Citi, GMAC/Ally Financial, and Wells Fargo...read the mortgage release.

Tennesseans who bought electronic books (E-books) from Penguin Group (USA) Inc. in the past two years may be eligible for a refund as part of a multistate price-fixing agreement, Attorney General Bob Cooper announced today. Consumers in Tennessee along with 33 other states and territories will receive a total of $75 million in restitution.

Today's agreement is the latest in a widespread investigation into allegations some of the largest publishers agreed with one another and some distributors to artificially set the prices of E-books sold in the United States...read the E-books release.

If you bought a device from a Tennessee firm marketing a product claiming to treat or cure serious medical conditions such as Fungal Meningitis and Lyme disease, you may be eligible for a refund, Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper and Gary Cordell, Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, announced today.

Davidson County Court Judge Hamilton Gayden has approved an agreement between the State of Tennessee and Thomas Michael Haarlander of Nashville, Tennessee. Haarlander was doing business as The Avalon Effect, Inc. in Franklin. The settlement requires the defendants to stop making misleading marketing claims about a medical device called the Quantum Series Wellness Pack, and requires the defendants to place $50,000 in an escrow fund to refund consumers who bought the product...read the Avalon Effect release.

Google will pay Tennessee and 36 other states $7 million and revamp its consumer privacy practices as a result of an agreement filed today, Attorney General Bob Cooper has announced. Tennessee's share is estimated at $133,528 as part of the agreement stemming from privacy complaints regarding Google's collection of data from unsecured wireless networks nationwide while taking photographs for its Street View service between 2008 and March 2010.

The agreement now bans unauthorized data collection and requires Google train its employees on privacy and launch a nationwide campaign to educate consumers on how to protect their information...read the Google release.