NCL welcomes John Breyault, Vice President, Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud – National Consumers League

September 25, 2008

Washington, D.C. — John Breyault, formerly of Amplify Public Affairs (APA) in Washington, DC, has joined the staff of the National Consumers League, where he has been named Vice President, Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud. At NCL, Breyault will advocate for stronger consumer protections before Congress and federal agencies and serve as director of NCL’s Fraud Center (www.fraud.org). Additionally, Breyault will coordinate the Alliance Against Fraud, a coalition convened by NCL of consumer and business organizations, government agencies, and companies that are committed to winning the fight against consumer scams.

The National Consumers League is the nation’s oldest consumer group. In 1992, NCL founded the National Fraud Information Center to fight the growing menace of telemarketing fraud, and in 1996, NCL created the Internet Fraud Watch in order to expand its watchdog activities to cover online scams. Today, NCL’s Fraud Center works with more than 200 law enforcement agencies that subscribe to its Fraud Alert system, and it is the sole consumer organization that engages directly with consumers, law enforcement, and industry to document cases, identify emerging trends, and execute consumer education efforts. In recent years, NCL has led the fight against cons such as fake check scams (fakechecks.org) and has collaborated with government agencies, businesses, and other groups to spread the word to consumers about avoiding these scams and decreasing financial loss.

“We are thrilled to have John join our staff,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg. “His expertise in and dedication to the issues of telecommunications and consumer fraud and his commitment to advocating on behalf of consumers will benefit NCL.”

“I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to join the National Consumers League in its fight on behalf of consumers,” said Breyault. “The current marketplace is complex, even without the pitfalls posed by predatory scam artists. I am very much looking forward to helping NCL educate—and advocate on behalf of—the consumers who need it most.”

Before joining NCL, Breyault spent five years at APA, where he focused on public policy research for APA’s telecommunications, energy, environmental, and health care clients. He was instrumental in helping launch APA’s Web 2.0-related services, including its blogger relations, online social network, and virtual worlds-based practices. Concurrent with his work at APA, Breyault served as Research Director at the Telecommunications Research and Action Center (TRAC), advocating on behalf of residential consumers of wireline, wireless, VoIP, and other IP-enabled communications services. Prior to joining APA and TRAC, Breyault worked at Sprint in its International Carrier Services Division and at the American Center for Polish Culture in Washington, DC.

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About the National Consumers League
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.