News 12 at 6, May 13, 2008

ATLANTA -- As a consumer, it can be a scary world out there for you and your money. But there are places you can look to for help.

Recently, we told you about the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs. Now, we're introducing you to its counterpart in Georgia.

The Georgia office is a small agency with a big task. And, that is to help protect the consumers of the Peach State.

It all starts in the call center.

"A third of the calls are about cars, a third about sales and advertising and there's a lot more including computer fraud, internet transactions," said Director Bill Cloud.

Cloud is the man heading up this ship and he says if there's a consumer complaint, they've probably heard it.

"We're gonna’ take that info and see if we have any violations of the law. If we do, we'll pursue that individual," he continued.

That's when the case moves over to another room where it's investigated further.

Much like it's counterpart in South Carolina, a main goal of the Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs is education and it starts with its website.

"You can go in there and read and prepare yourself for major transactions before you get into them," Cloud added.

And, that can help you avoid problems before they start. But if there is a need for this agency to step in, it will.

"If we can eliminate bad businesses, we've helped businesses as well as consumers, because the money is not gonna’ go to the bad guys, it's gonna’ go the good guys we want it to go to," Cloud concluded.

To reach the Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs, call 1.800.869.1123.