Washington, DC - The Federal Trade Commission - working with more than 100 federal, state and local agencies, consumer groups, and national organizations - will spotlight efforts to protect consumers from fraud, identity theft and other consumer issues during National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), March 6-12, 2016.

For 18 years, NCPW has been a time to encourage consumers to learn about their rights, and how to make informed buying decisions and report scams, identity theft and unfair business practices. NCPW.gov offers information on a wide range of topics, including credit and debt, online safety, imposter and other scams, identity theft and more.

The site features a blog to update visitors on the latest consumer protection news, including legal actions, new resources and partner-sponsored NCPW events. People also can get free resources and promotional tools for their own consumer education activities, as well as information on filing consumer complaints.

“The FTC and our NCPW partners are on the front lines of consumer protection every day,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “We hope people will take advantage of this week to find resources that will help them fight scams and fraud in their communities all year long.”

The FTC will host a Twitter chat on Tuesday, March 8 at 2 p.m. ET to answer questions and provide links to resources on identity theft and imposter scams. Please use hashtag #NCPW2016 and direct questions to @FTC to join the conversation.

During NCPW, partners and hundreds of community groups across the country host events to promote general consumer education or highlight a specific issue, such as a shred-a-thon to reduce the risk of identity theft.