NOTICE: Due to inclement weather, FTC offices in Washington, D.C., will be closed Wednesday, February 10th.

February 8, 2010

• Media Advisory: February 8, 2010
  FTC Postpones Feb. 9 Press Conference on Job and Money Making ScamsDue to the inclement weather, the Federal Trade Commission has postponed a press conference previously scheduled for Tuesday, February 9, 2010, at 11 a.m. to announce a law enforcement sweep cracking down on job and work-at-home fraud fueled by the economic downturn.

February 5, 2010

• For Release: February 5, 2010
  FTC Returns $1.6 Million to Consumers Scammed by Bogus Debt CollectorChecks Will Arrive This Month
• Media Advisory: February 5, 2010
  FTC Targets Scammers Pushing Phony Jobs, Bogus Money-Making SchemesIn conjunction with state law enforcement officials and other federal agencies, the Federal Trade Commission will hold a press conference on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, at 11 a.m., to announce a law enforcement sweep cracking down on job and work-at-home fraud fueled by the economic downturn.
• For Release: February 5, 2010
  FTC Settles Charges That Colorado Physicians’ Group Director Attempted to Evade Terms of 2008 Price-Fixing OrderThe Federal Trade Commission settled charges that the executive director of a Colorado physicians’ association actively tried to evade the terms of a 2008 FTC order by telling insurers that because she was not named individually in the order, she could simply negotiate on behalf of competing physicians on the “outside” and “not with my [association] hat, but as an individual.

February 4, 2010

• For Release: February 4, 2010
  FTC Testifies About Stepped-Up Efforts to Protect Consumers Affected by the Economic DownturnThe Federal Trade Commission today told the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation that the agency has stepped up efforts to protect consumers affected by the economic downtown, and that additional authority would make the agency even more effective.
• For Release: February 4, 2010
  FTC Proposes Rule That Would Bar Mortgage Relief Companies From Charging Up-Front Fees The Federal Trade Commission moved to protect distressed homeowners from the promoters of bogus foreclosure rescue and mortgage modification services by proposing a new rule that would forbid companies to charge up-front for these services. Instead, companies could only collect payment after providing services.

February 3, 2010

• For Release: February 3, 2010
  FTC Warns 78 Retailers, Including Wal-Mart, Target, and Kmart, to Stop Labeling and Advertising Rayon Textile Products as "Bamboo"Seventy-eight companies nationwide have received Federal Trade Commission letters warning that they may be breaking the law by selling clothing and other textile products that are labeled and advertised as “bamboo,” but actually are made of manufactured rayon fiber.
• For Release: February 3, 2010
  Colorado Physicians Group Agrees to Stop Alleged Price-Fixing TacticsA Colorado physicians’ group has settled Federal Trade Commission charges of price-fixing by agreeing to halt its use of allegedly anticompetitive negotiating tactics against health insurers.

February 2, 2010

• For Your Information: February 2, 2010
  Commission Approves FY 2011 Budget Request and GPRA Performance Plans for Submission to Congress; FTC Staff: Proposed Kentucky Regulations for Licensing Retail Clinics Raise Competitive Concerns; FTC Issues Annual Financial Acts Enforcement Report to Federal ReserveThe Federal Trade Commission has approved its FY 2011 Budget Overview Statement and the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Performance Plans for FY 2010 and FY 2011. The Federal Trade Commission’s staff has sent a letter to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) stating that certain new regulations proposed for the licensing of “limited service clinics” (LSCs) in the state raise competitive concerns and are likely to increase the cost of health services for Kentucky consumers, particularly the uninsured. The Federal Trade Commission has issued its annual report to the Federal Reserve Board on FTC enforcement efforts in 2009 related to four consumer finance laws: the Truth in Lending Act, Consumer Leasing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and Electronic Fund Transfer Act.
• For Release: February 2, 2010
  Tenant Screening Agency Settles FTC Charges: Failed to Respond to Consumers’ Requests for Their Files or Investigate DisputesA tenant screening agency that rejected consumers’ requests for their files and failed to recheck information on their consumer reports after they had disputed it has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated federal law.