Commission Approves FY 2008 HSR Premerger Notification Report The Commission, with the concurrence of the U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, has released the Thirty-First Annual Report to Congress Regarding the Hart-Scott-Rodino Premerger Notification Program. The report summarizes Commission and Department of Justice actions conducted under the HSR Act in fiscal year (FY) 2008. During […]
Monthly Archives: July 2009
FTC Testifies About Crackdown on Scams Tied to the Economic Downturn
The Federal Trade Commission testified before the U.S. Senate today on the agency’s campaign to crack down on scammers who are trying to take advantage of the economic downturn to push a variety of scams, such as phony job-placement and debt-reduction services, get-rich-quick schemes, and bogus government grants. David Vladeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau […]
Defendants Settle with FTC in Surplus Goods Business Opportunity Scam
Scammers who duped consumers into paying a total of more than $30 million for bogus business opportunities have settled Federal Trade Commission charges that their deceptive claims violated federal law. The settlements prohibit future violations by the defendants, who promised consumers that they would receive access to overstocked merchandise, expert training in the surplus goods […]
Rite Aid to Pay $500,000 in Consumer Refunds to Settle FTC Charges of False and Deceptive Advertising
National pharmacy chain Rite Aid Corporation has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle FTCcharges that it deceptively advertised that its “Germ Defense” tablets and lozenges could prevent and treat colds and the flu or reduce the severity and duration of these illnesses. Rite Aid marketed the Germ Defense products by touting their similarity to “Airborne” […]
Court Bars False Claims of Affiliation with United States Homeowner Relief Programs
A U.S. district court has ordered newly named defendants to stop making deceptive claims that they are affiliated with free federal government programs, such as Making Home Affordable. On May 14, 2009, the FTC charged that Internet search ads were diverting homeowners from free counseling available through government-endorsed www.makinghomeaffordable.gov to Web sites that marketed loan […]
Consumer Reporting Agency TALX Corp. Agrees to Settle FTC Charges
TALX Corporation, a subsidiary of Equifax Inc., has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated federal law by failing to provide certain disclosures to users of their consumer reports and to entities that provide information for consumer reports. The proposed settlement requires TALX to pay a $350,000 civil penalty and bars future […]
Operators of Credit Card Rate Reduction Scam Are Banned From Telemarketing
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a U.S. district court judge has imposed a telemarketing ban on a Canadian operation that targeted U.S. consumers with false claims that it could reduce their credit card interest rates. The court entered a permanent injunction that puts the defendants out of the telemarketing business and also […]
FTC Testifies on Proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency
The Federal Trade Commission today told the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the Committee on Energy and Commerce that the FTC will continue to vigorously enforce consumer protection laws as Congress considers the Administration’s proposal to protect consumers of financial services, including the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency […]
FTC Adds Requirements to 2004 Order to Restore Competition in Process Simulation Software Market
The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it will modify a 2004 order against Aspen Technology, Inc. to restore competition in the U.S. markets for several engineering process simulation software products. The Commission’s action comes after Aspen Tech failed to divest certain assets in a timely manner, as required by the 2004 FTC order. The […]
Debt Collectors Settle with FTC; Abusive Practices Affected Consumers Nationwide
The operators of a debt collection company that used false threats and other unlawful tactics to collect consumers’ debts have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they violated federal law. The settlements bar future violations and require the defendants to pay $225,000. According to the FTC complaint, the defendants, who had about three […]