Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Equifax Information Services LLC violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act by improperly selling lists of millions of consumers who were late on their mortgages. In settling the FTC’s complaint, […]
Monthly Archives: March 2013
FTC Announces Video With Tips for Mobile App Developers
The Federal Trade Commission has released a new video designed to give mobile app developers information they can use to ensure that their innovative efforts also protect the interests of consumers. Smartphone and tablet applications are being created at an incredibly fast pace, and the developers creating them range from large corporations to small startups. […]
Defendants Banned from Payment Processing, Will Pay $950,000 in FTC Settlement
A payment processor and two of its principals are banned from processing electronic payments under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, which resolves charges that they debited, or tried to debit, millions of dollars from tens of thousands of consumers’ bank accounts without their consent. The FTC’s action against Automated Electronic Checking Inc. (AEC) […]
At FTC’s Request, Court Halts Repeat Offenders Most Recent Scam
At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a U.S. district court in Las Vegas, Nevada, has issued an injunction appointing a receiver and freezing the assets of a bogus prize-promotion scheme that was run by a repeat offender whom the agency first stopped from making deceptive telemarketing pitches 15 years ago. The March 5 court order […]
FTC and Idaho Attorney General Challenge St. Luke’s Health System’s Acquisition of Saltzer Medical Group as Anticompetitive
The Federal Trade Commission, together with the Idaho Attorney General, will file a complaint in federal district court seeking to block St. Luke’s Health System, Ltd.’s acquisition of Idaho’s largest independent, multi-specialty physician practice group, Saltzer Medical Group P.A. According to the joint complaint to be filed today, the combination of St. Luke’s and Saltzer […]
FTC Staff Revises Online Advertising Disclosure Guidelines
The Federal Trade Commission today released new guidance for mobile and other online advertisers that explains how to make disclosures clear and conspicuous to avoid deception. Updating guidance known as Dot Com Disclosures, which was released in 2000, the new FTC staff guidance, .com Disclosures: How to Make Effective Disclosures in Digital Advertising, takes into […]
FTC Staff Makes Recommendations to Texas Public Utility Commission on Programs to Improve Reliability of Electricity Markets
Federal Trade Commission staff submitted a comment in response to a request from the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) for comments on demand response (DR) as one aspect of the PUC’s ongoing review of the reliability of electricity markets. The FTC staff comment noted that DR programs give electricity customers an incentive to reduce […]
FTC to Host Mobile Cramming Roundtable May 8
The Federal Trade Commission will host a roundtable on May 8, 2013, in Washington, D.C., to examine unauthorized third-party charges on mobile phone bills – a practice known as mobile cramming. The roundtable will bring together consumer advocates, industry representatives, and government regulators to explore various issues, including how mobile cramming occurs and how to […]
FTC Staff Report Examines Growing Use of Mobile Payments
As part of its efforts to ensure that consumers are protected in the growing mobile marketplace, the Federal Trade Commission issued a staff report today highlighting key issues facing consumers and companies as they adopt mobile payment services. The report, titled “Paper, Plastic… or Mobile? An FTC Workshop on Mobile Payments,” is based on a […]
FTC Action Halts Brooklyn Company from Using Deception, Threats, and Intimidation to Trick Elderly Consumers Into Paying for Unordered Medical Alert Devices
At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a U.S. district court has temporarily shut down a Brooklyn, New York-based operation that the allegedly used deception, threats, and intimidation to induce elderly consumers to pay for medical alert systems they neither ordered nor wanted. In its complaint, the FTC charges that telemarketers for Instant Response Systems call […]