Consumer Alerts

"You’ve reached the FTC. Sorry we’re not able to take your call right now. But if you’re Expert Global Solutions — the biggest debt collection operation in the world — please pay a $3.2 million civil

Yesterday’s 10th anniversary of the National Do Not Call Registry was a good time to reflect on a decade of progress. But to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson (or Patrick Henry, Irish statesman John Philpot

If you report information about consumers to consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) — like a credit bureau, tenant screening company, or check verification service — you have legal obligations under the

Three FTC cases, 83 civil actions brought by 28 states, more than 184 defendants facing criminal charges in cases filed by federal and local prosecutors, and 25 actions brought by agencies in 10 other

We’ve been saying it for years: “What the headline giveth, the footnote cannot taketh away.” The same holds true for the dense block of text, the hidden-away reverse side, the vague hyperlink, or any

We can’t figure out why Hollywood hasn’t returned our call, but here's a great idea for an action movie. FTC attorneys go to court to stop a company from illegally billing people for text message

In some ways, think of it as “faux faux fur.” No, that’s not a typo. It’s what results when national retailers advertise items of apparel as fake fur, when in fact, they contain, well, fur. Those are

We asked how the FTC’s 2000 staff guidance document Dot Com Disclosures was working for you, and you said it was due for some updating. After hosting a workshop and receiving stacks of written

Do you like them on the screen Of your mobile phone machine? I do not like text message spam. I do not like them, Sam I am. Fighting back against text message spam isn’t child’s play, and consumers

The FTC just accepted final settlements with two of the largest paint manufacturers in the country — Sherwin-Williams and PPG Architectural Finishes. The complaints charged that the companies made

By now, you’ve read about the FTC’s settlement with HTC — the agency’s first law enforcement action against a mobile device manufacturer. According to the complaint , when HTC customized the operating

HTC America is a leading manufacturer of smartphones and tablets using the Android, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone operating systems. The company’s motto is “quietly brilliant.” But based on an FTC

In the few years it’s been up and running, Path has billed itself as a different kind of social network. According to a description of its "Values," "Path should be private by default. Forever. You

You spend a good portion of your time trying to protect sensitive information on your network from high-tech hijackers. That’s important, of course. But don’t let it take your eye off the risks posed

You know that phrase “If it quacks like a duck. . . “? It’s applicable in the Fair Credit Reporting Act context, too. If a company meets the legal definition of a “consumer reporting agency,” it’s a

Bamboo: It’s not just for tiki huts anymore. Consumers are seeing more items, especially clothing and textiles, labeled or advertised as “bamboo.” But according to FTC lawsuits , Amazon.com, Leon Max

Not too long ago, talking on the phone, listening to music, and playing games required three clunky pieces of equipment. Manage that wirelessly? Fuhgeddaboutit. But now we can do all that — and more —

Some sports fans spend Saturdays on the field. For the rest of us, raising a Big Foam Finger is exertion enough. But we’ve all read stories about the dangers that head injuries pose to participants in

Every business generates paper destined for the circular file. But if documents contain sensitive information, don’t toss them out in a way that could invite unauthorized access. According to the FTC

Call them con trepreneurs — marketers who use hyped-up promises to sell business opportunities to people eager to be their own boss. As part of a federal-state blitz on bogus bizopps, the FTC