FTC Stops False Advertising, Phony Reviews by Online Trampoline Sellers

Two brothers have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that in marketing and selling their trampolines, they deceived consumers by directing them to review websites that claimed to be independent but were not, and by failing to disclose that one of the brothers posted online product endorsements without disclosing his financial interest in the […]

FTC Challenges Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Board Regulations that Restrict Competition

The Federal Trade Commission has filed a complaint against the Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Board, alleging that the group is unreasonably restraining price competition for appraisal services in Louisiana, contrary to federal antitrust law. The complaint will be submitted to adjudication before an Administrative Law Judge, who will review it and render an initial decision. […]

Advisory on the Availability of Appraisers

FIL-19-2017 May 31, 2017 Advisory on the Availability of Appraisers Printable Format: FIL-19-2017 – PDF (PDF Help) Summary: The FDIC, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the National Credit Union Administration (collectively, the Agencies) are issuing an advisory that discusses two existing methods […]

Refunds Now Available from Amazon for Unauthorized In-App Purchases

Amazon.com, Inc. has begun offering refunds to consumers for unauthorized in-app charges incurred by children. More than $70 million in charges incurred between November 2011 and May 2016 may be eligible for refunds. All eligible consumers should have received an email from Amazon. Consumers who believe they might be eligible can also: Refund requests can […]

FTC Sends Additional Refund Checks Totaling Almost $2 Million to People Who Bought Green Coffee Weight-Loss Supplements

The Federal Trade Commission is mailing 38,553 refund checks totaling $1.9 million to people who bought Pure Health or Genesis Today green coffee bean extract supplements from retailers such as Walmart. This is the second refund mailing related to this FTC case. In June 2016, the FTC used the defendants’ sales records to mail full […]

FTC Approves Final Order and Consent Agreement with American Guild of Organists

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order and consent agreement in which the American Guild of Organists agreed to eliminate rules that restrict its members from competing for opportunities to perform. Announced in March 2017, the agreement between the FTC and the American Guild of Organists resolves the […]

FTC Requires Sherwin-Williams to Divest Assets as a Condition of Acquiring Valspar

The Sherwin-Williams Company has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its proposed $11.3 billion acquisition of Valspar Corporation is likely anticompetitive by selling Valspar’s North America Industrial Wood Coatings Business to Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. The transaction would combine Sherwin-Williams and Valspar, two of the top three industrial wood coatings manufacturers. According to […]

FTC Stops Operators of Unlawful Student Debt Relief and Credit Repair Scheme

The Federal Trade Commission charged the operators of a phony student loan debt relief and credit repair scheme with bilking millions of dollars from consumers by falsely promising to reduce or eliminate their student loan debt and offering them non-existent credit repair services. At the FTC’s request, a federal court has temporarily halted the operation. […]

FTC Conference to Focus on Evolution of Identity Theft

WHAT: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission will host an all-day conference to take a comprehensive look at how identity theft has evolved over the last decade and what we can do to address this challenge in the future. WHEN: Wednesday, May 24, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. EDT WHERE: Constitution Center Auditorium400 7th St., SWWashington, DC 20024 […]

FTC and Florida Halt Massive Debt Relief Scam

At the request of the Federal Trade Commission and the State of Florida, a federal court has temporarily halted a massive phony debt relief operation that bilked tens of millions of dollars from financially strapped consumers, including the elderly and disabled. According to the FTC and Florida, Jeremy Lee Marcus, Craig Davis Smith and Yisbet […]