FTC Returns Almost $4 Million to Consumers in Debt Collection Scam

The Federal Trade Commission is mailing almost 95,000 checks totaling approximately $4 million to consumers who lost money to a debt collection operation that extorted payments from them using false threats. In May 2014, the FTC settled charges against Asset Capital and Management Group, which, under various names, illegally extracted payments from consumers for credit […]

FTC Kicks Off “Start With Security” Business Education Initiative

The Federal Trade Commission is expanding its efforts to help businesses protect consumers’ information through a new initiative that will provide them with more information on data security. Called “Start With Security,” the initiative includes new guidance for businesses that draws on the lessons learned in the more than 50 data security cases brought by […]

Interagency Consumer Compliance Examination Procedures for Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z) and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (Regulation X) Mortgage Rules

FIL-27-2015 June 30, 2015 Interagency Consumer Compliance Examination Procedures for Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z) and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (Regulation X) Mortgage Rules Printable Format: FIL-27-2015 – PDF (PDF Help) Summary: The FDIC has released revised interagency examination procedures for the new Truth in Lending Act (TILA) – Real Estate Settlement Procedures […]

FTC and Florida Attorney General Sue to Stop Illegal Robocalls Pitching Worthless Credit Card Interest Rate Reduction Programs

At the request of the Federal Trade Commission and the Florida Attorney General, a federal district court has temporarily halted an Orlando-based operation that has been bombarding consumers since 2011 with massive robocall campaigns designed to trick them into paying up-front for worthless credit card interest rate reduction programs. The court order stops the illegal […]

App Developer Settles FTC and New Jersey Charges It Hijacked Consumers’ Phones to Mine Cryptocurrency

A smartphone app developer has agreed to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission and the New Jersey Attorney General that it lured consumers into downloading its “rewards” app, saying it would be free of malware, when the app’s main purpose was actually to load the consumers’ mobile phones with malicious software to mine virtual […]

Two Las Vegas Auto Dealers Settle FTC Charges They Deceptively Advertised the Cost of Their Cars

Two auto dealers in Las Vegas agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges they used deceptive ads to promote the sale or leasing of their vehicles, including advertising heavily discounted prices that were not generally available to consumers. According to the complaints, TC Dealership, L.P., doing business as Planet Hyundai, and JS Autoworld, Inc., doing […]

Statement of FTC Bureau of Competition Director Debbie Feinstein on Sysco and U.S. Foods’ Abandonment of Their Proposed Merger

Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Competition Director Debbie Feinstein issued this statement following the announcement from Sysco and U.S. Foods that they will abandon their proposed merger: “Sysco and U.S. Foods’ decision to abandon the transaction is a victory for both competition and consumers. The evidence shows that Sysco and US Foods were strong rivals […]

FTC Approves Final Consent Order Against Network Solutions for Misleading Consumers About Refunds

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final consent order involving Network Solutions, LLC, which misled consumers who bought its web hosting services by falsely promising a full refund if they canceled within 30 days. In an administrative complaint annouced in April 2015, the FTC alleged that Network Solutions, a […]

At FTC’s Request, Court Temporarily Stops Online Skincare Marketers Who Deceive Consumers with Bogus “Risk Free Trial” Offers and Recurring Fees

The Federal Trade Commission has stopped a group of marketers in California from using allegedly bogus “risk free trial” offers to sell skincare products online. At the Commission’s request, a federal district court has issued a temporary restraining order against the defendants halting their deceptive marketing practices, freezing their assets, and appointing a receiver over […]

FTC Requires Medical Device Company Zimmer Holdings, Inc. to Divest Assets as a Condition of Acquiring Biomet, Inc.

Medical device company Zimmer Holdings, Inc. has agreed to divest U.S. rights and assets related to unicondylar knee implants, total elbow implants, and bone cement in order to settle FTC charges that its proposed $13.35 billion acquisition of Biomet Inc. is anticompetitive. Under the proposed settlement, the merged company will divest Zimmer’s U.S. ZUK unicondylar […]