News Releases for December 1998

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December 30, 1998

• For Release: December 30, 1998
  BP/AMOCO Agree to Divest Gas Stations and Terminals to Satisfy FTC Antitrust Concerns
  Gas Stations in 30 Southeast and Midwest Markets Affected, Nine Petroleum Terminals To Be Divested
  

December 24, 1998

• For Your Information: December 24, 1998
  Medical Billing Business Scam Settles FTC Charges
  Promoters of home-based medical billing businesses sold on the basis of fabulous earnings claims have agreed to settle FTC charges that the earnings claims were deceptive.
  

December 23, 1998

• For Your Information: December 23, 1998
  • Announced Actions for December 23, 1998 [A]
    Following a public comment period, the Commission has made final a consent agreement with the following entity.
    
    
  • Announced Actions for December 23, 1998 [B]
    The Commission has voted to approve Supervalu's application to divest two stores in Casper, Wyoming, to Tidyman's LLC.

• For Your Information: December 23, 1998
  FTC Rescinds Adhesives and Decorative Wall Paneling Guides

• For Release: December 23
  Commission Extends Public Comment Period on Pay-Per-Call Rule Revisions
  Agency Believes 60-day Extension Warranted to Ensure Adequate Time for Commenters to Respond to Comprehensive Proposal

• For Release: December 23, 1998
  FTC Files Fourth Action To Combat Telephone Bill Cramming
  A fourth action against yet another telephone bill "crammer" was announced today by the Federal Trade Commission.

December 22, 1998

• For Release: December 22, 1998
  Business Guide for Complying with "Made in USA" Standard Released by FTC Staff
  Guide Will Assist Industry in Making Truthful and Substantiated U.S. Origin Claims

• For Release: December 22, 1998
  Pyramid Defendants Settle FTC Charges
  Settlement Would Require $1 Million Bond for Future Multi-Level Marketing

December 21, 1998

• For Release: December 21, 1998
  Mylan, Nation’s Second Largest Generic Drug Maker, Charged with Restraint of Trade, Conspiracy & Monopolization
  Illegal Conduct Resulted in Price Increases of up to 3000 Percent for Two Anti-anxiety Drugs, FTC Alleges; Agency to Seek $120 Million in Consumer Refunds

• For Release: December 21, 1998
  Maker of Devices to Protect Computers from Power Fluctuations Settles FTC Charges over Ad Claims
  General Signal Power Systems, Inc., has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that claims in advertisements about the effectiveness of its "Uninterruptible Power Supplies" (UPS) -- devices that protect computers or other consumer appliances from damage resulting from power outages -- were false and misleading.

• For Release: December 21, 1998
  Surf Day Monitors Investment Opportunities
  Online Investments May Be Touted With Phony Claims

December 17, 1998

• For Release: December 17, 1998
  FTC Recognized For Its Efforts To Combat Telemarketing Fraud
  Law enforcement agencies continue to set their sights on fraudulent telemarketers. As part of "Operation Double Barrel," announced today by the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission was recognized by the Department for its efforts to combat telemarketing fraud.
  
  

December 16, 1998

• For Release: December 16, 1998
  Price Check II Shows Scanner Accuracy Has Improved Since 1996
  Overall Accuracy is High; However, 1 in 28 "Sale" Items Are Priced Incorrectly
  
  • News Conference Statement of Elaine Kolish, FTC
  • News Conference Statement of Robert E. Hebner, NIST
  • Charts Used at News Conference

December 15, 1998

• For Release: December 15, 1998
  FTC Sues Infomercial Maker to Collect Consumer Redress
  The Federal Trade Commission has asked a U.S. District Court to impose civil penalties on two defendants who have failed to obey an FTC order requiring them to pay $500,000 in consumer redress.

• For Your Information: December 15, 1998
  FTC Announces Public Workshop on Care Labeling Rule
  The Federal Trade Commission will hold a public workshop-conference on January 29, 1999, in connection with the notice of proposed rulemaking published May 8, 1998, proposing amendments to its Trade Regulation Rule on Care Labeling of Textile Wearing Apparel and Certain Piece Goods, 16 C.F.R. Part 423.

• For Your Information: December 15, 1998
  Announced Actions for December 15, 1998
  The FTC has received an application for approval of a transaction from the following. The FTC is seeking public comments on the application for 30 days, until January 13, 1999.

• For Release: December 15, 1998
  Defendants Agree to Pay $13 Million in Consumer Redress To Settle FTC Charges about Deceptive Billing Practices
  
Four corporate defendants in a case filed by the Federal Trade Commission in April have agreed to pay up to $13 million in consumer redress to settle charges that they deceptively billed consumers for calls to toll-free 800 numbers.

December 14, 1998

• For Release: December 14, 1998
  Third Wedding Gown Manufacturer Agrees to Pay Civil Penalty To Settle Care Labeling Charges
  Alyce Designs Inc. and two corporate officers have agreed to pay a $36,000 civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they violated the Care Labeling Rule by selling wedding gowns with care labels provided by Continental Gown Cleaning Service, Inc., that falsely stated that the drycleaner's "Zurcion" method was the only way to clean the gowns.

• For Release: December 14, 1998
  Pharmacy Association in Puerto Rico and its Former President Agree to Settle Price Fixing Charges
  The Asociacion de Farmacias Region de Arecibo ("AFRA") and Ricardo Alvarez Class ("Alvarez") (together referred to as "respondents"), have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they fixed prices and engaged in an illegal boycott in order to obtain higher reimbursement rates for pharmacy goods and services under Puerto Rico's government managed care plan for the indigent.

• For Release: December 14, 1998
  Proposed Consent Order Would Bar Restraints on Competition For Marine Pilot Services in Oregon
  An association of marine pilots in Oregon has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it monopolized and unreasonably restrained competition in the market for pilotage services on the Columbia River.

• For Release: December 14, 1998
  FTC to Explore International Consumer Protection Concerns in the Electronic Marketplace
  As growing numbers of consumers participate in the global marketplace, the issue of international consumer protection is becoming increasingly relevant, the Federal Trade Commission said today as it announced a 1999 spring workshop to examine U.S. perspectives on this new consumer protection topic.

December 11, 1998

• Media Advisory: December 11, 1998
  FTC/NIST "Price Check II" Report to be Released
  According to "Price Check II," a survey of the accuracy of electronic price scanners used in retail stores, consumers need to pay attention at the checkout counter because the prices of 1 in 28 sale items were found to be incorrect.

December 10, 1998

• For Release: December 10, 1998
  FTC and FDA Announce the Adoption of an International Agreement To Combat Health Fraud
  The Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada, and the Secretaria de Salud of Mexico today announced the adoption of an agreement on Joint Strategies to Combat Health Fraud (Joint Strategies Agreement).

• For Release: December 10, 1998
  FTC y FDA Anuncian la Adopcion de un Acuerdo Internacional para Combatir Fraudes a la Salud
  Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canadá, y Secretaría de Salud de México anunciaron hoy la adopción de un acuerdo conjunto en materia de Fraudes a la Salud.

• For Release: December 10, 1998
  La FTC et la FDA Annoncent L'Adoption d'Une Entente Internationale Pour Combattre la Fraude en Matière de Santè
  La Federal Trade Commission, la U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Santé Canada, et le Secretaria de Salud du Mexique ont annoncé aujourd'hui l'adoption d'une entente sur des stratégies mixtes visant à combattre la fraude en matière de santé (l'Entente sur des stratégies mixtes).

December 9, 1998

• For Release: December 9, 1998
  FTC Charges Florida Company with Operating Debt Consolidation Loan Scam
  The Federal Trade Commission has charged Franklin Credit Services, Inc., Amansco Credit Services, Inc., and the companies' principal owner, James Michael Christensen, with falsely representing to consumers that they would receive a low-interest, debt consolidation loan for a one time fee of $295.

• For Release: Decmber 9, 1998
  Iomega Corporation Agrees to Pay $900,000 Civil Penalty To Settle FTC Charges It Violated Mail Order Rule
  Iomega Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer of portable data storage products, has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated the FTC's Mail Order Rule when it failed to fulfill rebate and merchandise premium requests for its products.

• For Your Information: December 9, 1998
  Announced Action for December 9, 1998
  Following a public comment period, the Commission has made final a consent agreement with the following entity. The Commission action makes the consent order binding on the respondent.

December 8, 1998

• For Release: December 8, 1998
  Medical Association Settles False Advertising Charges Over Promotion of "Chelation Therapy"
  The American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it made unsubstantiated and false advertising claims that non-surgical, EDTA "chelation therapy" is effective in treating atherosclerosis, and that the effectiveness of the therapy has been proven by scientific studies.

• For Release: December 8, 1998
  Multi -Level Marketing Company to Settle FTC Charges That It Made Unsubstantiated Claims That Its "God's Recipe" Dietary Regimen Could Cure ADD/ADHD
  New Vision International, Inc., a multi-level marketing company that sells nutritional supplements, its affiliated company, NVI Promotions, L.L.C., and their principals, Jason P. Boreyko and Benson K. Boreyko (collectively "New Vision") have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they made unsubstantiated claims in their advertisements for a combination of New Vision dietary supplements they called "God's Recipe."

December 4, 1998

• For Your Information: December 4, 1998
  Announced Action for December 4, 1998
  The Commission has voted to approve Supervalu's request for a shortened comment period on its application to divest two stores in Casper, Wyoming, to Tidyman's LLC as noted in a press release issued on November 20, 1998. The Commission vote to shorten the comment period was 4-0.
  

December 3, 1998

• For Release: December 3, 1998
  FTC "Project Scofflaw" Defendant Sentenced
  Lonny Remmers Receives 46-month Prison Term

• For Release: December 3, 1998
  Dallas Telemarketers in FTC Investment Fraud Case Settle FTC Charges
  Daniel W. Fisher and J. Todd Tidmore, named as defendants in the Federal Trade Commission’s "Project Field of Schemes" investment fraud cases, have agreed in separate settlements to post performance bonds as a condition to any future involvement in the promotion of any investment, as part of an agreement with the FTC.
  

December 2, 1998

• For Your Information: December 2, 1998
  Announced Action for December 2, 1998
  The effective date of the Formal Interpretation under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR) rules setting forth the conditions under which the creation, or acquisition of an interest in, a Limited Liability Company will be reportable under the HSR Act has been extended until February 1, 1999, according to a Federal Register Notice published today, in order to review and analyze the comments received.
  

December 1, 1998

• For Release: December 1, 1998
  Defendant in "U.S. Consumer Protection Agency" Case Agrees to Settle Charges
  Robert M. Oliver, who promoted a business opportunity through material posted on an Internet site that promised potential purchasers that they could set-up the "Consumer Protection Agency" for the city or county chosen by the purchaser, has agreed to settle charges that he violated the Federal Trade Commission's Franchise Rule and Section 5 of the FTC Act.