Blog

Pardon our pride, but we’re delighted to report that the most recent recipient of the Roger W. Jones Award for Executive Leadership is Lois Greisman, Associate Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Presented annually since 1978 by American University’s School of Public Affairs, the Roger W. Jones Award honors public servants in the federal government whose careers are marked by “outstanding executive leadership.” We can’t think of...

Social media can be a great way to connect with friends while the pandemic has you keeping your distance. But reports to FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network suggest that that social media websites and apps have become popular hangouts for scammers, too. Reports that people lost money to scams that started on social media 1 more than tripled in the past year, with a sharp increase in the second quarter of 2020. Reports about scams that started on...

The FTC welcomes comments on its recent HSR Rulemaking initiative, and to facilitate a robust and thoughtful set of public comments, the Commission is holding a series of three live virtual workshops in November to answer the public’s questions before comments are due. On September 21, the Commission announced that it would seek public comments on proposed changes to the rules and interpretations that implement the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. This...

Ohioans know how to handle the virtually impossible. Take Clawde, a rare blue lobster that was destined for a dinner plate this July when a sharp-eyed worker in a Cuyahoga Falls Red Lobster restaurant spotted him, fished him from a holding tank, and started events that landed Clawde in posh new digs at the Akron Zoo — where a veterinarian’s exam led Clawde to be redubbed Clawdia. According to the zoo, blue lobsters occur one in every 2 million...

“UNLIMITED Minutes.” “UNLIMITED TALK.” “‘UNLIMITED MINUTES’ We do not charge ‘per-minute’.” Those are notable claims for anyone shopping for telecom services, including consumers who want to maintain family ties with relatives who are incarcerated. But according to an FTC lawsuit, two companies and two individuals bilked unsuspecting parents, spouses, children, and other loved ones out of more than $1 million by selling them misleading “unlimited...

I am pleased to announce several leadership changes in the Bureau's Mergers I and Mergers IV Divisions. Mark Seidman has been named as the Acting Assistant Director for the Mergers IV Division. Mark has served as Deputy Assistant Director for Mergers IV for the past six years. Prior to becoming Deputy Assistant Director, Mark served as Counsel to the Director under former Bureau Directors Debbie Feinstein and Rich Feinstein. Mark joined the...

With the conclusion of FY2020, we look back on a year unlike any other in the history of the Bureau of Competition. The year has been marked by a combination of exceptional commitment from the Bureau’s staff, enforcement achievements that would be remarkable in any year but which are nothing short of incredible in this one, and a string of enforcement and policy successes. The first measure of our success in any year is our work to protect...

If you saw an email from FTC Chairman Joseph Simons, it wasn’t. From him, that is. Scammers pretending to be him are emailing, though. They’re trying to trick you into turning over personal information, like your birth date and home address, which could help them scam you. So: if you get an email from the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission about getting money because of an inheritance or relief funds related to the impact of the COVID-19...

Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. And possibly face criminal charges. That’s the message of Operation Corrupt Collector, a coast-to-coast crackdown by the FTC, three other federal agencies, and partners from 16 states. Operation Corrupt Collector encompasses more than 50 actions challenging some of the worst-of-the-worst debt collection tactics, including phantom debt collection – the practice of coercing consumers to pay debts they don’t owe...

What’s in a name? According to an FTC lawsuit filed in April, if you’re an outfit that uses the name “SBA Loan Program” – and you falsely claim to be an approved lender for the Small Business Administration’s coronavirus relief lending program – what’s in your name is deception. Under the terms of a settlement, that shady tactic stops right here, right now. For many small businesses struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic, SBA’s Paycheck...