The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide.

The FTC also has a page of resources that is extremely useful: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/holiday/index.html.

If you have a problem with an online service and cannot get satisfaction from the company, you should consider filing a complaint with the attorney general in your state, and contacting consumer agencies.

The FirstGov Web site from the U.S. government has a page with links to each state government homepage: http://www.firstgov.gov/state_gov/state.html?ssid=1008351356032795_172 Click on your state. Look for a link to the attorney general; if you can't find one, then click on "consumer."

Finally, the Consumer Action Web site has a link to state, county and city Government Consumer Protection Offices: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/crh/state.htm.