The Federal Trade Commission is mailing 17,606 refund checks totaling $954,828.31 starting today to consumers who lost money buying a supposedly superior calcium supplement marketed by Lane Labs-USA Inc. and its president Andrew Lane. The amount each consumer receives will vary based on how much they lost. The refunds are being made from money collected […]
Monthly Archives: March 2015
FTC Videos Advise What to Do if Your Email is Hacked or Malware Attacks Your Computer
Your email has been hacked – what do you do? Your computer has been hijacked by malware – how do you get it back? Whether you’re unsure or you’re the person your friends always turn to with these kinds of questions, the Federal Trade Commission has created two videos, in English and Spanish, to help. […]
FTC Puts Conditions on Par Petroleum Corporation’s Acquisition of Mid Pac Petroleum, LLC
Texas-based energy company Par Petroleum Corporation will terminate its storage and throughput rights at a key gasoline terminal in Hawaii, to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that Par’s proposed $107 million acquisition of Koko’oha Investments, Inc.’s wholly-owned subsidiary Mid Pac Petroleum, LLC would likely be anticompetitive. According to the FTC’s complaint, the proposed merger would […]
FTC Approves Final Order In TRUSTe Privacy Case
After a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order resolving the Commission’s complaint against TRUSTe, Inc. for deceiving consumers about its privacy seal program. The settlement was first announced in November 2014. In its complaint, the FTC alleged that TRUSTe failed to conduct promised annual recertifications of companies participating in […]
FTC To Host Workshop on Cross-Device Tracking Nov. 16
The Federal Trade Commission will host a workshop on Nov. 16, 2015, to examine the privacy issues around the tracking of consumers’ activities across their different devices for advertising and marketing purposes. The event, which will take place in Washington, D.C. at the FTC’s Constitution Center offices, will explore the practice known as “cross-device tracking.” […]
FTC Approves Final Order Barring Patent Assertion Entity From Using Deceptive Tactics
Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that a company and its law firm used deceptive sales claims and phony legal threats in letters that accused thousands of small businesses around the United States of patent infringement. The order bars the company, MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, […]
Former Bureau of Competition Director Bill Baer and Former FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director David Vladeck Named Recipients of 2015 Kirkpatrick Award
Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez today named former Bureau of Competition Director William J. Baer and former Bureau of Consumer Protection Director David C. Vladeck the 2015 recipients of the Miles W. Kirkpatrick Award for Lifetime FTC Achievement, honoring their commitment to public service and their many significant contributions to the agency. “I have […]
FTC Returns More Than $2.9 Million to Inc21 Cramming Victims In Second Round of Refunds to Consumers
The Federal Trade Commission is mailing a second round of 58,239 checks totaling more than $2.9 million to consumers and businesses who were victimized by a massive fraudulent operation that placed unwanted charges on their telephone bills. In 2010, the FTC stopped the scam, which was led by Inc21, an internet services company. Inc21 had […]
Commission Approves Revisions to Its Rules of Practice
The Federal Trade Commission today adopted revisions to the agency’s Rules of Practice. Changes to Part 3 return to the approach of an earlier rule that automatically suspends administrative litigation, upon respondents’ request, after the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction in the matter has been denied. With this rule update, the Commission is reiterating […]
FTC, CFPB Reauthorize Memorandum of Understanding
The Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have reauthorized their ongoing memorandum of understanding. The memorandum outlines the working relationship between the two agencies under the terms of the Consumer Financial Protection Act, and is designed to coordinate efforts to protect consumers and avoid duplication of federal law enforcement and regulatory efforts. The […]