PHOENIX — As 2026 begins, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is setting her sights on some big consumer protection priorities that have been plaguing residents across the state.
Towards the top of that list for the AG is tackling romance scams, noting their devastating impact on Arizona seniors who are losing their life savings to online predators.
"It is crushing to me to see the number of especially seniors, who are being victimized by these romance scams," Mayes told ABC15.
"People living in other parts of the country and other parts of the world, reaching out to them through the internet, preying upon their vulnerabilities, their desire for love."
The attorney general says she hopes to tackle this issue through law enforcement action and potential legislation at the state capitol.
"What can we do from the standpoint of introducing legislation on it. What they need. What we need as law enforcement to address this," Mayes explained.
Corporate consolidation is another major focus area for 2026. The Attorney General says she wants to continue using Arizona's antitrust laws to combat what she sees as growing corporate power and the abuse of that power to hurt consumers.
"We are seeing the rise of enormous corporate power in this country, and I'm going to continue to use the antitrust laws of Arizona to fight back against that," Mayes said. "We did that with the real page case. I'm hoping that we're going to see some progress in that case to get renters' money back."
In 2024, the Arizona Attorney General’s office sued software company RealPage, accusing it of colluding with nine major landlords in the Valley to artificially raise rent prices.
"Those are the kinds of things that we're going to continue to do in 2026," Mayes said.
The AG also says she’s ready for the next phase of cracking down on robocalls.
"People in Arizona tell me, ‘Kris, please do everything you can, because I am being bombarded by phone calls and text messages,’" Mayes said. "A lot of people I know aren't even picking up the phone anymore, which I totally understand."
The Attorney General outlined a three-pronged approach to combat robocalls. Her office is currently suing a company called Avid for alleged robocalling violations in Arizona. She's also working with other attorneys general on a national crackdown and pushing for action in D.C.
"We want Congress to do more on this subject," Mayes said. "There's so much more that Congress could do to protect Americans from this scourge."
These are all issues that the Let ABC15 Know team will be staying on top of in the new year as well.
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