Consumer protection refers to the laws designed to aid retail consumers of goods and services that have been improperly manufactured, delivered, performed, handled, or described. Such laws provide the retail consumer with additional protections and remedies not generally provided to merchants and others who engage in business transactions, on the premise that the consumers do not enjoy a sufficient bargaining position with respect to the businessmen with whom they deal and therefore should not be strictly limited by the legal rules that govern recovery for damages among businessmen. The overarching goal is to protect individuals and the interest of the public in general from unfair and misleading activity in business and commerce (such as false advertising and deceptive trade practices) and scams perpetrated by criminals (such as identity theft and pyramid schemes) that harm a substantial number of consumers.
Cape Girardeau (colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately 115 miles (185 km) southeast of St. Louis. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city's population was 35,349. A 2007 estimate, however, showed the population to be 37,525. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri State University and the largest city in southeast Missouri. Although it is the largest city in Cape Girardeau County, the county seat is Jackson. The Cape Girardeau-Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area embraces Alexander County, Illinois, Bollinger County, Missouri and Cape Girardeau County, Missouri.