Tx Attorney General Press Release

Consumer Alert: IRS Impersonation and Email Scam

November 26, 2018 Austin - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today warned Texans that fraudulent emails are being sent from people impersonating the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) targeting users with fake tax documents. These emails often use the subject line “tax transcripts” in an attempt to bait people into opening links and documents that contain destructive malware specifically designed to steal sensitive financial data.

Texas AG Office’s Veterans Honored During Special Ceremony

November 9, 2018 - Military veterans employed by Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office were honored yesterday during a special ceremony held in the rotunda of the William B. Clements Building ahead of the national observance of Veterans Day this Sunday.

The attorney general’s office employs 291 veterans from all branches of the U.S. military, along with surviving spouses and orphans of veterans. According to the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, there are more than 21 million veterans in the U.S., including nearly 1.7 million in Texas.

AG Paxton’s Office Launches New Crime Victims’ Compensation Portal

September 11, 2018 Austin – Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office today launched a new portal within the agency’s official website that enables victims and claimants to apply online for Crime Victims’ Compensation and Emergency Medical Care Compensation for sexual assault exams.

The Crime Victims’ Compensation portal makes it easier for crime victims, claimants and their advocates to submit applications, upload crime-related bills, and follow each step of the claim and bill review process with near real-time updates.

AG Paxton Issues Consumer Alert on Misleading Homestead Tax Exemption Offers

July 13, 2018 – Attorney General Ken Paxton today warned consumers to beware of businesses that are sending misleading letters to Texans offering a “designation of homestead” if they pay a fee. Counties make the standard homestead tax exemption available for free to property owners.

To date, the Consumer Protection Division of the attorney general’s office has received more than 100 complaints from individuals who received solicitations for these designations and, in some cases, sent back money for a homestead exemption.

AG Paxton: 48 Texas Gas Stations Agree to Refund Consumers for Hurricane Harvey Price Gouging

July 5, 2018 – Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that his Consumer Protection Division finalized settlements with 48 Texas gas stations accused of price gouging during the state of disaster declared for Hurricane Harvey.

Under separate agreements, 48 businesses will pay $166,592 in civil restitution to refund Texans who were charged exorbitant or excessive prices for gasoline. Most of the businesses that agreed to these Assurances of Voluntary Compliance (AVCs) operate gas stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

AG Paxton’s Office Participates in Fact-Finding Forum on Credit Card Skimmers

June 27, 2018 Austin - Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office today participated in a fact-finding forum to explore ways Texas can protect gas stations, banks and consumers against credit card skimming.

Criminals use skimmers at gas station pumps to steal personal data from customers’ credit cards, resulting in more than $2 billion a year in fraudulent charges nationwide. A single compromised gas pump can capture data from 30 to 100 cards per day.

AG Paxton Reminds Texans of May 31 Deadline to Claim Western Union Refunds

May 21, 2018 Austin – Attorney General Ken Paxton today reminded Texans of the May 31 deadline to submit claims in a $586 million settlement with Western Union affecting consumers who were deceived into sending payments to scam artists using the company’s wire transfer service. As many as 39,000 Texans are eligible for refunds.

AG Paxton Issues Opinion on Guns, Security Teams in Texas Churches

December 21, 2017 Austin – Licensed handgun owners can legally carry loaded weapons into Texas churches that do not have posted signs banning weapons, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a legal opinion released today. The opinion also clarified that a new law passed this year by the Legislature exempts churches from state fees for creating volunteer security teams.

AG Paxton Files Brief Urging the Supreme Court to Protect Prayer at Public Meetings

November 17, 2017 Austin – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and a coalition of 22 states are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the practice of lawmaker-led prayer at public meetings. The case, Lund vs. Rowan County, focuses upon a North Carolina county’s practice of opening its meeting with prayer offered by its commissioners. The coalition’s friend-of-the-court brief supports the county.

AG Paxton: $64 Million Awarded to Texas Crime Victims and Their Families During Fiscal Year 2017

October 23, 2017 Austin – Attorney General Ken Paxton announced today that the Crime Victims’ Compensation Program (CVC), which is administered by his office, provided $64 million in financial assistance to Texas crime victims and their families during fiscal year 2017, an increase of $16.8 million from 2016. The reimbursements covered out-of-pocket expenses as defined by Texas law.

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