The Prize Notification Act, passed by the 1995 Legislature, will require sweepstakes companies or companies that use sweepstakes in marketing schemes to provide disclosure to consumers, a state official says.
Francine Giani, director of the Utah Division of Consumer Protection, said HB102 is aimed, as are other state measures, at reducing consumer fraud and related problems.Giani was among speakers at Saturday's A Financial Fair, sponsored by Zions First National Bank, the Governor's Office of Hispanic Affairs and the Governor's Hispanic Advisory Council. About 200 people attended in the Salt Lake County Government Center.
About 20 other states have a bill similar to HB102, Giani said in an interview before the fair opened Saturday. She said the federal Trade Commission has identified prize offers as the No. 1 complaint it receives.
"We see about the same thing in sweepstake scams and charitable fraud. Charity fraud is more prevalent in the fall and winter season," Giani said.
Giani said she hopes citizens will realize that the Utah Division of Consumer Protection is a resource to help them.
"We are as effective as citizens will let us be - if they contact us," she said.
George Hofmann, senior vice president at Zions Bank, said he hoped the fair would help dispel some of the mystique that seems to be prevalent in minority communities about the availability of financial products and services.
"Sometimes the process of filling out applications and requesting various forms of financial verification such as tax forms, pay stubs and other items is intimidating to people who aren't regularly exposed to borrowing money," Hofmann said.
Juan Mejia, chairman of the Governor's Hispanic Advisory Council, said he believes that economic opportunities are the best avenue for minorities to make progress in society. He said the fair should send a positive message to the Hispanic community - that there are business and other economic ventures available to help minorities help themselves.