Many small businesses go to online retailing platform CafePress when they want to buy or sell customized items. However, according to a proposed FTC settlement, the company’s lax security practices...

For people trying to gain a financial foothold, the promise of “$10,000 per week” is a heavyweight representation. But all too often, they wind up losing their life savings to the promoters of bogus...

Consumers’ health information is already a particularly sensitive category. But health information and other personal data from kids as young as eight? That can raise privacy concerns to the...

Two years into the pandemic and you thought you’d seen it all? How about an herbal tea that claims to cure COVID in 24-48 hours? It’s a representation the FTC says is steeped in deception. So we’ve...

Do you have employees or colleagues who went to DeVry? Or perhaps you attended. You might have already gotten money back from the FTC. That’s thanks to a 2016 FTC settlement with the school over...

In the old TV show Dragnet, Sergeant Joe Friday was famous for saying “Just the facts, ma’am.” But like “Play it again, Sam” in Casablanca, that quotable quote was never actually said by the lead...

For many money-making ventures, the only people who seem to make money are the promoters pitching the venture. That’s the lesson of decades of FTC litigation challenging unsubstantiated earnings...

Protecting consumers from illegal robocalls is a battle the FTC is waging on all fronts. Two recent actions to enforce Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) issued to VoIP service providers demonstrate...

It’s a “tale as old as time.” But unlike Beauty and the Beast, in the online version, the transformation often goes in the opposite direction with the entrancing lover ultimately revealed to be a...

For many Americans, owning a fast food franchise seems like a promising way to secure their financial future. Hamburger chain franchisor Burgerim sold more than 1,500 franchises, pocketing tens of...

As a result of a $3.5 million FTC settlement, Vision Path – the online seller of Hubble contacts – must eye its legal responsibilities through a stronger lens. But even if your business isn’t covered...

Social media is a gold mine for scammers, and in the latest FTC Data Spotlight, we’re digging deeper into this deceptive trend happening across social media platforms. Why do we repeatedly ask people...

Online customer reviews of products and services have become increasingly important in the marketplace. Many consumers rely on them to decide what to buy or where to buy it, and many companies rely on...

It’s the oldest trick in the book: Now you see it, now you don’t. This illusion is fine on a Las Vegas stage, but on an online retailer’s website, making negative reviews disappear is hardly magical...

Shoppers can find a plethora of apps, trackers, and sensors that hold or capture almost every conceivable form of personal health information. If your business or nonprofit offers products like that...

The Omicron variant has consumers saying “Omigosh,” but even before the current surge, advertisers have been using questionable COVID-related claims to promote their products. FTC staff sent 25 more...

Small businesses, the FTC is on your side. According to a proposed FTC settlement with Dun & Bradstreet, D&B took big bucks from small businesses with the promise to improve their credit reports, but...

As a certain elusive children’s videogame character will attest, precise geolocation can be highly sensitive information. According to a settlement the FTC just announced with OpenX Technologies, Inc...

Gift cards may be at the top of your holiday gift giving list. But there’s another list that gift cards top, and it’s decidedly less festive. According to the FTC’s latest Consumer Protection Data...

As the holidays – and the end of the tax year – draw near, people are likely to approach small business owners with requests for charitable contributions. But scammers are hard at work with their own...