At the request of the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General’s Office, a U.S. district court halted a Buffalo, NY-based debt collection operation, froze the operation’s assets, and appointed a temporary receiver to take over the defendants’ business pending trial. In a joint complaint, the FTC and New York Attorney General charged the […]
Monthly Archives: July 2014
Two Barcode Resellers Settle FTC Charges That Principals Invited Competitors to Collude
Two Internet resellers of UPC barcodes used by retailers for price scanning and inventory purposes, have settled charges that they violated the Federal Trade Commission Act by inviting competitors to join in a collusive scheme to raise the prices charged for barcodes sold online. Universal product codes are issued by an international association that sets […]
FTC Publishes Official Rules for Zapping Rachel Robocall Contest
In its ongoing efforts to eradicate robocallers like “Rachel From Cardholder Services,” the Federal Trade Commission announced the official rules for its second robocall challenge, Zapping Rachel. The contest will be held at DEF CON 22 in Las Vegas Aug. 7-10, and offers participants $17,000 in cash prizes for open-source solutions to help build the […]
FTC Releases its First Spanish-Language ‘Fotonovela’
The Federal Trade Commission is launching its first “fotonovela” as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness about scams targeting the Latino community. Impostores del Gobierno follows the story of a young woman who responds to a call from a man who claims to be from the government — and who convinces her […]
FTC and Florida Halt Internet ‘Yellow Pages’ Scammers
New Federal Trade Commission actions have stopped three Montreal-based telemarketing operations that allegedly bilked millions of dollars from small businesses, churches, nonprofits and local government agencies by charging them for unwanted listings in online “yellow pages” directories. In addition, a federal court has entered a judgment and order against another Montreal-based directory scam in a […]
Too Good To Be Green: Company’s Plastic Lumber Claims Don’t Hold Up
An Illinois-based firm that manufactures, markets, and sells plastic lumber is the latest to find itself in trouble with the Federal Trade Commission, after allegedly making deceptive claims in its advertising and marketing material that many of its products are made entirely of recycled plastic. In reality, according to the FTC, the products were made […]
FTC Testifies on How Professional Licensing and Regulation Can Affect Competition Before House Committee on Small Business
In testimony before Congress today, the Federal Trade Commission described how it evaluates the potential competitive effects of regulating occupations, trades, and professions, and the agency’s efforts to promote competition among professionals. Testifying on behalf of the Commission before the House Committee on Small Business, Andrew I. Gavil, Director of the FTC’s Office of Policy […]
FTC Testifies on Efforts to Stop Phone Scams Before Senate Special Committee on Aging
In testimony before Congress today, the Federal Trade Commission described its work to fight telephone scams that harm millions of Americans, especially “grandparent” and other imposter scams where callers trick seniors into sending them money by pretending to be a friend or relative in distress or a representative of a government agency or a well-known […]
FTC Sends Refund Checks Totaling $9.3 Million to Nearly 200,000 Consumers Who Bought ‘Ab Circle Pro’ Device
An administrator working for the Federal Trade Commission is mailing 196,969 checks averaging $47.51 each to consumers who purchased an abdominal exercise device known as the Ab Circle Pro. In August 2012, the FTC settled with Ab Circle Pro marketers Fitness Brands, four individuals, and seven other companies, after alleging that the defendants had deceptively […]
Prudent Management of Agricultural Credits Through Economic Cycles
The U.S. agricultural industry has reported overall profitability for several years, which has helped strengthen the overall credit quality of many insured financial institutions that serve agricultural clients. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects a slowdown in the growth of various financial indicators for U.S. farming and livestock sectors, and the agricultural sector […]