Mobile cramming: What's on the agenda
By: Lesley Fair | May 1, 2013 11:07AM
Law enforcers hate ‘em, legitimate businesses hate ‘em, and consumers — well, they really hate ‘em: unauthorized charges that show up on people’s cell phone bills. It’s called mobile cramming and The Good Guys are united in finding answers to the problem.
Updated FAQs to help keep your company COPPA-compliant
By: Lesley Fair | Apr 25, 2013 11:22AM
A lot has been happening on the COPPA front. A few years ago, the FTC announced it was taking a fresh look at the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule to make sure it was keeping up with the times. Hundreds attended a national workshop to offer their candid assessment of what could be done to improve the Rule. Then came more than 400 written comments from consumer groups, industry, educators, and parents. You suggested sensible steps to keep Moms and Dads in the driver's seat about the information companies collect from their kids online while also streamlining compliance for busin
Continue Reading Updated FAQs to help keep your company COPPA-compliant
Fraud harms 25.6 million people: Anyone you know?
By: Bridget Small | Apr 23, 2013 2:05PM
The FTC is always working to know more about the types of fraud being committed and who spends money on them. Periodically, we survey consumers and ask them to share details about their recent marketplace experiences and a bit about themselves. Our most recent survey found that nearly 11% of U.S. adults — an estimated 25.6 million people — paid for fraudulent products and services in 2011.
Continue Reading Fraud harms 25.6 million people: Anyone you know?
By: Lesley Fair | Apr 19, 2013 2:36PM
We can’t figure out why Hollywood hasn’t returned our call, but here's a great idea for an action movie. FTC attorneys go to court to stop a company from illegally billing people for text message-based subscription services they never asked for and didn’t authorize. We even have a can’t-miss title: Crambo.
By: Lesley Fair | Apr 17, 2013 11:02AM
The people with really cool glasses and fancier gadgets than the rest of us call it "the Internet of Things" — the fact that everyday devices are starting to communicate with each other and with us. Already we can use a smartphone to start the car, turn on the AC before we get home, and have the doctor monitor the trajectory of our blood pressure in traffic. But what if when we drive near a grocery store, our refrigerator lets us know we’re low on milk? Would that be convenient? Disconcerting? Or maybe a little bit of both?
By: Lesley Fair | Apr 12, 2013 10:00AM
It’s time for the FTC to recap the past year for The Boss. (We mean taxpayers, not Bruce Springsteen.) The FTC’s Annual Highlights is in an online format this time — be sure to check out the message from FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez — but it’s still packed with stats 'n' charts to show what we’ve been doing to protect America’s consumers.
How to Comply with the Funeral Rule
By: Alvaro Puig | Apr 10, 2013 11:00AM
The Funeral Rule establishes some basic requirements that apply to all funeral providers. Who’s considered a funeral provider? Any business that sells funeral goods and funeral services to the public, including funeral directors, funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematories, among other businesses.
One key provision requires those covered by the Rule to give potential clients a written price list of the goods and services their business provides. The Rule also spells out some practices that are not allowed. For example, it is not permitted to:
A basic "tenant" of credit reporting
By: Lesley Fair | Apr 3, 2013 11:13AM
Funny thing about the Fair Credit Reporting Act: It’s been around since 1970, it’s broad in scope, and yet a lot of businesses with obligations under the law may not be focusing on compliance. Warning letters the FTC just sent to six companies in a particular line of work underscore the need to double-check your FCRA responsibilities.
By: Lesley Fair | Apr 2, 2013 11:02AM
If this were a video blog, you'd see us doing that “Wayne’s World” gesture of admiration to our two new favorite people, Serdar Danis and Aaron Foss. And just what did they do to warrant our (and your) appreciation?
What kids’ apps won’t tell parents (but we will)
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 28, 2013 12:06PM
Consumers have made it clear: They want to know what their apps are up to. And when it comes to apps for kids, italicize that, put it in ALL CAPS, and multiply by 10. That’s why the FTC has released a new way of letting parents know just what their kids’ apps may be doing. Savvy app developers will want to take a look, too.
Continue Reading What kids’ apps won’t tell parents (but we will)
Entertainment ratings: How do retailers rate?
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 26, 2013 10:47AM
If you want to know which flix’s tix made for major boffola at the box office, you’ll have to consult the entertainment trade press. But a recent FTC “mystery shopper” survey offers other insights for your clients in the movie, music, or videogame industry.
Continue Reading Entertainment ratings: How do retailers rate?
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 20, 2013 1:01PM
Fair Guide. Is it a list of consumer protection laws? With summer coming, maybe ratings of the best funnel cakes and Ferris wheels? Forgive the flight of fancy, but we see it as a great title for a compendium of blog posts about business compliance. But that’s not what it is — not by a longshot.
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 19, 2013 10:06AM
In some ways, think of it as “faux faux fur.” No, that’s not a typo. It’s what results when national retailers advertise items of apparel as fake fur, when in fact, they contain, well, fur. Those are just some of the allegations in recent FTC complaints against The Neiman Marcus Group, Inc., DrJays.com, Inc., and Eminent, Inc. (which shoppers may know as Revolve Clothing).
Developing mobile apps? Watch it. (Our new video, that is).
By: Alvaro Puig | Mar 13, 2013 11:00AM
The mobile apps market is thriving and lots of app developers are striving to be players in the game. If you’re developing apps for smartphones, tablets or other mobile devices, there are some basic truth-in-advertising standards and privacy principles that apply to you.
Continue Reading Developing mobile apps? Watch it. (Our new video, that is).
FTC Reboots .com Disclosures: Four Key Points and One Possible Way to Bypass the Issue Altogether
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 12, 2013 2:04PM
FTC's Mobile Payments Report: 3 Points for Your Company to Ponder
By: Patti Poss | Mar 8, 2013 10:02AM
Paper, Plastic, . . . Mobile? The question isn’t about how you bag your groceries — it’s about how you pay for them. Are you going to use cold hard cash?
Continue Reading FTC's Mobile Payments Report: 3 Points for Your Company to Ponder
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 7, 2013 11:31AM
Do you like them on the screen
Of your mobile phone machine?
I do not like text message spam.
I do not like them, Sam I am.
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 6, 2013 11:08AM
The FTC just accepted final settlements with two of the largest paint manufacturers in the country — Sherwin-Williams and PPG Architectural Finishes. The complaints charged that the companies made deceptive “zero VOC” claims for their Dutch Boy Refresh and Pure Performance brands. But along with the settlements, the FTC issued an Enforcement Policy Statement that's a must-read if you're thinking about making similar claims and want to comply with
It's National Consumer Protection Week
By: Charles Harwood, Acting Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection | Mar 4, 2013 5:53PM
This is National Consumer Protection Week, and it’s the biggest and best NCPW in 15 years. Thanks to 64 federal, state and local agencies and nonprofits that are putting the spotlight on the critical consumer protection work they do year-round, consumers have easy access to a tremendous variety of timely, useful information about recognizing and reporting frauds and scams, managing credit and debt, using technology, and staying healthy and safe.
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 1, 2013 11:58AM
‘Tis the season for the entertainment industry to hand out statuettes for notable achievement. It’s also the time of year when the FTC singles out industries "nominated" by consumers for actions of a less admirable nature. According to the just-released Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book, the FTC received more than 2 million complaints from consumers in 2012 — the most ever. What industries show up on the one Top 10 list that companies want to avoid?
