For Release: April 30, 1997 FTC Halts Credit Card Laundering Operation: Millions Lost to Cross Border Lottery Fraud
In a crack down on cross border fraud, the Federal Trade Commission has obtained a court order temporarily halting a credit card laundering service that allowed Canadian telemarketers to bilk U.S. consumers out of tens of millions of dollars by deceptively selling foreign lottery shares.
April 29, 1997
For Your Information: April 29, 1997 Announced Action(s) for April 29, 1997 Tenet Healthcare Corporation, of Santa Barbara, California, has applied for FTC approval to divest French Hospital Medical Center, located in San Luis Obispo, to Vista Hospital Systems, Inc., which is based in Santa Barbara and is a subordinate of Permian Health Care Inc., of Santa Monica.
April 24, 1997
For Release: April 24, 1997 FTC, State Securities Regulators Target Business Opportunity Fraud on the Internet
Today, in a live online business forum, officials from the Federal Trade Commission and the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) announced that 215 of the hundreds of business opportunity Internet advertisements identified during "Business Opportunity Surf Day" have been sent notices warning them that state and federal laws require them to have solid evidence to back up all earnings claims they make.
April 23, 1997
For Release: April 23, 1997 "Project Jackpot" Defendants To Settle FTC Charges
Defendants in two of the eight cases filed as part of Project Jackpot -- a nationwide crackdown by federal and state regulators on phony prize promotions and recovery room fraud -- have negotiated settlements with the Federal Trade Commission.
For Your Information: April 23, 1997 FTC Seeks Comments on Proposed Revisions to Guides for Private Vocational Schools - 16 CFR 254
As part of its ongoing periodic review of its rules and guides, the Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment about whether to amend its Guides for Private Vocational Schools to add a provision to prohibit deceptive claims about future employment or job placement success.
For Release: April 22, 1997 Metagenics and FTC Settle Deceptive Advertising Charges
The maker of an over-the-counter calcium supplement and the Federal Trade Commission have agreed to settle charges that advertising claims it made about the product’s effectiveness in preventing osteoporosis and its superiority to other calcium supplements were unsubstantiated.
For Release: April 21, 1997 FTC Halts Fraudulent Mail Order House Operation
The Federal Trade Commission has obtained a court order temporarily halting the operations of a Stamford, Connecticut mail order house that advertises inexpensive items such as small radios, calculators and magazine subscriptions, via "flap" inserts placed in consumers' credit card bills.
April 18, 1997
For Your Information: April 18, 1997 Announced Action(s) for April 18, 1997
The FTC has approved two applications from Red Apple Companies, Inc., Sloan’s Supermarkets, Inc. (also known as Designcraft Industries, Inc.) and John Catsimatidis, the Chairman of Red Apple, and Supermarket Acquisition Corporation, all of New York City, to divest Manhattan supermarkets -- one at 1245 Park Avenue and the second at 145 East 92nd Street at Lexington Avenue -- to White Rose Food, an independent wholesale food distributor in the metro area.
For Your Information: April 18, 1997 Staff Opinion--Foundation for the Accreditation of Hematopoietic Cell Therapy
A proposal to establish a program of standards, inspection, and accreditation of entities involved in medical or laboratory practice related to hematopoietic progenitor cell therapy does not appear to raise inherent antitrust concerns, staff of the Federal Trade Commission have advised the Foundation for the Accreditation of Hematopoietic Cell Therapy ("FAHCT").
For Your Information: April 18, 1997 FTC Supports FCC Paging License Procedure Changes
The Federal Trade Commission said in comments it made public today that it supports "the efforts of the [Federal Communications Commission] to provide important information to potential licensees about the FCC telecommunications licensing process, an area that has been rife with consumer investment fraud for the better part of the past decade."
For Release: April 17, 1997 Arizona Loan Broker, Defendant in FTC Case Against Canadian Loan Scheme, Settles Charges
David Wayne Panella, an Arizona loan broker who does business as Consolidated Financial Services or Gateway Service Center, has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges in connection with his role in a scheme to offer consumers loans for advance fees ranging from $200 to over $500.
April 15, 1997
For Your Information: April 15, 1997 Announced Action(s) for April 15, 1997
The FTC has granted the application of Hoechst Marion Roussell, Inc., of Kansas City, Missouri, to divest generic, in-development assets of its majority-owned Copley Pharmaceutical, Inc. relating to rifampin, a drug for treating tuberculosis, to VersaPharm Incorporated, of Marietta, Georgia.
For Release: April 15, 1997 FTC Presents Defense Industry Antitrust Testimony before Senate Armed Services Committee
The Federal Trade Commission has told the Senate Armed Services Committee that vigorous enforcement of antitrust laws is consistent with the goal of preserving a strong national defense in the U.S. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee today, Robert Pitofsky, Chairman of the FTC, said that defense industry mergers can be structured to accommodate industry downsizing while still complying with antitrust laws.
For Release: April 11, 1997 500 Victims of College Scholarship Search Scam To Get Full Refunds
Christopher Ebere Nwaigwe and Udoka Maduka, charged by the Federal Trade Commission last year with fraudulently promoting their college scholarship search service, have agreed to settle the charges under separate orders that together provide full restitution to approximately 500 consumers.
For Your Information: April 11, 1997 Announced Action(s) for April 11, 1997
The consent order with Uno Restaurant Corporation, Pizzeria Uno Corporation, and Uno Restaurants, Inc., all of West Roxbury, Massachusetts, settles charges that they falsely claimed that their "Thinzettas" line of thin crust pizzas was low fat.
For Your Information: April 11, 1997 FTC Announces Change in Merger Acknowledgement Policy
The Federal Trade Commission announced today that, beginning next week, the agency will publicly acknowledge that a particular merger or other transaction is being investigated by the FTC under Sections 7 and 11 of the Clayton Act in situations where a party to the transaction has disclosed its existence in a press release or other public filing.
For Release: April 10, 1997 3,044 Victims of Weight-Loss Clinics Fraud Case To Get Partial Refunds
The Federal Trade Commission today announced that on May 1, 1997, it will begin distributing refunds totalling $381,659 to 3,044 consumers nationwide who were victimized by Pacific Medical Clinics Management, Inc.
For Release: April 8, 1997 FTC/DOJ Announce Revised Guidelines on Efficiencies in Mergers
The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice today announced revisions to their joint Merger Guidelines in order to clarify how the agencies analyze efficiency claims in mergers under review by the federal government.
For Release: April 8, 1997 Job Services Telemarketers Will Post $100,000 Bonds Before Telemarketing Again
The president and chief financial officer of a Goleta, California-based firm that marketed job search services -- Stratified Advertising and Marketing, Inc., which also does business as Intelinet Data Services -- have agreed under settlements of Federal Trade Commission charges to post $100,000 performance bonds before entering any telemarketing business for the next 10 years.
For Release: April 8, 1997 FTC Revises Guide for Platinum Jewelry Marketing
The Federal Trade Commission has revised its guide for the marketing of jewelry made wholly or in part of platinum, a precious metal that is more costly than gold.
For Release: April 8, 1997 Office Supply Telemarketer Settles FTC Charges
A New Jersey telemarketer who allegedly bilked businesses and not-for-profits ranging from small retirement homes to The Chicago Symphony Orchestra by sending them unordered merchandise, billing them and then hounding and threatening them for payment, has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that his telemarketing practices violated federal laws.
For Your Information: April 8, 1997 Announced Action(s) for April 8, 1997
The consent order with Ciba-Geigy Limited, of Basel, Switzerland,Ciba-Geigy Corporation, of Tarrytown, New York, Sandoz Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, Sandoz Corporation, of New York City, Chiron Corporation, of Emeryville, California, and Novartis AG, of Basel Switzerland,settles charges that the merger of Ciba and Sandoz, both pharmaceutical and chemical giants, could slow development or increase prices for gene therapy products, which are expected to begin offering significant improvements in the treatment of cancer and other diseases and medical conditions; and that it also could substantially reduce competition and raise prices in the U.S. market for herbicides used in corn production and the U.S. market for pet flea-control products.
Regulatory Reform Update: April 8,1997 Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) of 1996
The Federal Trade Commission today announced the policies and procedures it has implemented to minimize the burden on small businesses in complying with statutes and rules enforced by the agency.
For Release: April 8, 1997 National Environmental Guides Working Well for Businesses, Consumers
The Federal Trade Commission’s Environmental Marketing Guidelines have worked well in providing national guidance to help reduce consumer confusion about environmental claims in advertising and preventing the false or misleading use of terms such as "recyclable," "degradable" and "environmentally friendly," said Jodie Bernstein, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, in conjunction with replying to a letter from a member of the California Assembly yesterday.
April 7, 1997
Regulatory Reform Update: April 7,1997 Amplifier Rule
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comments on whether to repeal, modify or expand its Amplifier Rule, which standardizes the measurement and disclosure of power, distortion and other performance characteristics of amplifiers in stereos and other home entertainment equipment.
For Your Information: April 4, 1997 Announced Action(s) for April 4, 1997
The Commission has granted an application from Silicon Graphics, Inc., of Mountain View, California, to approve a software porting agreement between Alias/Wavefront (a division of Silicon Graphics) and IBM, of Armonk, New York.
April 3, 1997
Regulatory Reform Update: April 3,1997 Ophthalmic Practice Rules ("Prescription Release Rule")
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on whether to modify, rescind or retain the provisions of the Ophthalmic Practice Rules which requires eye care practitioners to release eyeglass prescriptions to their patients -- the "Prescription Release Rule."
April 2, 1997
Regulatory Reform Update: April 2,1997 Rule 703
As part of an ongoing review of all Federal Trade Commission rules and guides, the FTC is seeking public comment about whether its Rule 703, which sets out its requirements governing informal dispute settlement mechanisms ("IDSMs") designed to resolve disputes between warrantors and consumers, should be amended or retained unchanged.
For Release: April 1, 1997 $204,000 Available for "RustEvader" Refunds, FTC Announces
The Federal Trade Commission said today that this summer it will distribute refunds from a $204,000 fund to consumers who purchased purported vehicle anti-corrosion devices sold by RustEvaders Corporation.
