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.
Amsterdam is a city located in Montgomery County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,355. The name is derived from the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam is surrounded on the north, east, and west sides by the town of Amsterdam and is on the banks of the Mohawk River. The majority of the city lies on the north bank, but the Port Jackson area on the south side is also part of the city.