FTC-FCC warning letters suggest a different kind of distancing
By: Lesley Fair | May 20, 2020 1:43PM
Just as consumers are engaging in social distancing to stop the spread of COVID-19, businesses, too, should distance themselves from companies using robocalls to spread coronavirus-related scams. That’s the message of joint warning letters just sent by the FTC and the Federal Communications Commission.
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Big concerns about small business loan pitches
By: Lesley Fair | May 18, 2020 2:06PM
Many small businesses are looking for a financial life preserver to help them stay afloat until the COVID-19 wave subsides. But joint warning letters just sent by FTC staff and the Small Business Administration raise concerns that some companies – including lead generators – are making questionable claims about their affiliation with SBA-administered programs designed to offer emergency relief to struggling businesses.
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Nursing homes and assisted living facilities: Hands off residents’ stimulus checks
By: Lois Greisman, Elder Justice Coordinator, FTC | May 15, 2020 11:01AM
If you have clients who operate nursing homes or assisted living residences, a word of advice from you now can save them from making a serious misstep. We’ve heard that some facilities are requiring residents on Medicaid to sign over their stimulus payments to the facility. That contradicts the CARES Act, so you’ll be doing your clients a favor by cautioning them against that practice – and here’s why.
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Fighting Coronavirus scams: Taking stock
By: Andrew Smith, Director, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection | May 8, 2020 9:01AM
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the FTC has released dozens of warning letters against people trying to make an illegal buck off the Coronavirus. More than a month in, it seems like a good time to look back at what’s happened. If you follow this blog, you’ll know these have been busy weeks – with advice about spotting the many scams we’re all facing, news of the warning letters sent on a wide range of scams, and some enforcement actions filed.
45 more companies get coronavirus warning letters
By: Lesley Fair | May 7, 2020 11:29AM
FTC staff just sent letters to 45 more companies making COVID-19 prevention, treatment, or cure claims. There’s a lot to cover in this post, but it’s indicative of the breadth of questionable representations conveyed to consumers in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Antitrust review at the FTC: staying the course during uncertain times
By: Ian Conner, Bureau of Competition | Apr 6, 2020 11:36AM
As we navigate uncharted waters in our work and home lives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a few changes have happened quickly. We claimed “home office” space to take on the challenges of working remotely. Bureau of Competition staff shifted from in-person meetings to conference calls, made from unlikely venues (such as couches) without all the usual professional trappings (sweatpants optional, children entirely possible).
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New Coronavirus warning letters: Who can it be now?
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 27, 2020 5:10PM
Years ago, the Australian group Men at Work asked the musical question “Who Can It Be Now?” In the ongoing battle against Coronavirus scams, FTC staff just sent warning letters to nine companies reminding them of the potential ramifications of behind-the-scenes involvement in illegal COVID-19 promotions.
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Resuming early termination of HSR reviews
By: Ian Conner, Bureau of Competition | Mar 27, 2020 2:08PM
On Friday, March 13, as part of the Bureau’s response to the COVID-19 coronavirus situation, and in partnership with the Antitrust Division of DOJ, we announced that the Bureau’s Premerger Notification Office would adopt a
Changes in Bureau procedure during COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic
By: Ian Conner, Bureau of Competition | Mar 16, 2020 5:02PM
Like many other agencies, organizations, and employers across the country, we in the Bureau of Competition are adjusting to the realities of working during the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis. As part of that adjustment, we are taking a variety of measures to respond to these new and challenging circumstances. Our two main priorities will continue to be: first, the health and well-being of our personnel, their families, and parties and organizations who appear before us; and, second, the continuity of our mission to protect competition and consumers.
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