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OSPIRG’s Consumer Watch 

A summary of local and national consumer alerts from your local consumer advocates. 

OSPIRG publishes a weekly digest to summarize the latest news and alerts for local consumers. Please contact Brian Rae (contact info below) with any questions, tips or for interviews. 

Trouble in Toyland- 

OSPIRG has release its 26th annual Toy Safety Report and mobile website, www.toysafety.mobi to keep toy safety at parents fingertips. Tips for parents, grandparents and holiday shoppers include:

• Watch out for choking hazards. Bring a toilet paper tube to use as a choke tester. If a toy fits through the tube, then it’s too small for young children.
• Children under 6 should never play with balls with a diameter smaller than two inches
• If a tool feels too loud for you, then it’s too loud for your child. Put tape over the speakers or take out the batteries. 
• Don’t buy toxic toys. Avoid PVC plastic, plus anything that contains xylene, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate. 

DOJ Warns of Black Friday Scams– 

Planning on shopping this Friday in stores or online? The Oregon Attorney General has issued tips and warnings on how to avoid holiday shopping scams. 

• Know the seller, confirm their address and phone number.  
• Free iPad?  If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
• Stay away from pop-up ads.  
• Stick to secure web sites. 
• Review the policy on refunds and delivery rates.  
• Keep a paper trail, hold on to your receipts. 
• Watch out for predatory loan, layaway or credit offers

 For the complete release see the DOJ website.

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Contact: OSPIRG Advocate Brian Rae 
Office - 503.231.4181 ext. 322 / brianr@ospirg.org