FTC and states challenge “charity” telefunders responsible for 1.3 billion robocalls
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 4, 2021 12:07PM
You know those friendly calls from people contacting you on behalf of charities whose missions are close to your heart?
FTC and states challenge “charity” telefunders responsible for 1.3 billion robocalls
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 4, 2021 12:07PM
You know those friendly calls from people contacting you on behalf of charities whose missions are close to your heart?
How a “funding” company and business coaching outfits joined forces to deceive consumers
By: Lesley Fair | Jan 29, 2021 1:19PM
For people who were looking to run their own businesses, the lesson of the FTC’s proposed $2.1 million proposed settlement with Las Vegas-based Seed Consulting, LLC, is that neither their future nor their fortune was in the cards – credit cards, that is. The defendants’ modus operandi was to file falsified credit card applications in consumers’ names – a service for which they charged a hefty fee – so that consumers could use those lines of credit to pay for “business seminars” offered by third-party outfits with whom Seed Consulting was in cahoots.
FTC settles with VoIP service provider for role in illegal telemarketing operation
By: Lesley Fair | Sep 22, 2020 10:10AM
Oh, what a tangled web they weave,
When with telemarketing scams they do deceive.
Continue Reading FTC settles with VoIP service provider for role in illegal telemarketing operation
Faith, hype, and charity: Settlement offers tips for charities and fundraisers
By: Lesley Fair | Sep 16, 2020 12:07PM
Fundraiser Outreach Calling’s telephone pitches were persuasive. Generous Americans opened their hearts and wallets to fund personal care packs for hospitalized veterans, support services for women with breast cancer, “financial assistance for families of officers killed in the line of duty,” and other charitable programs – or so they thought.
Continue Reading Faith, hype, and charity: Settlement offers tips for charities and fundraisers
FTC moves to name TV real estate celebs Dean Graziosi and Scott Yancey in Nudge lawsuit
By: Lesley Fair | Sep 3, 2020 12:19PM
Last year the FTC and the Utah Division of Consumer Protection sued Nudge, LLC, and related companies and individuals, alleging they used bogus money-making claims to lure people into buying real estate training programs – a scheme the two agencies say ultimately took consumers for more than $400 million. Soon after that, the parties entered into a stipulated preliminary injunction.
COVID-19 report data “on the daily”
By: Karen Hobbs, Assistant Director, Division of Consumer & Business Education, FTC | Aug 26, 2020 9:49AM
Every day, the FTC is collecting data, watching the numbers, and spotting the trends. We’re also spreading the word about COVID-19-related scams that target consumers and businesses. Because the more you know about what’s happening, the easier it will be to protect yourself and others from these scams.
Whose life?! MyLife charged with creating misleading background reports
By: Seena Gressin | Jul 27, 2020 5:04PM
As adage-writers go, whoever penned, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” should have looked for another line of work. And, the writer should have hoped that prospective employers wouldn’t spot a promotion for MyLife.com, saying they could see the writer’s criminal and sexual offender records by subscribing to MyLife’s background reports.
Continue Reading Whose life?! MyLife charged with creating misleading background reports
FTC challenges tactics of online payday lender
By: Lesley Fair | May 22, 2020 1:10PM
For a company called Harvest Moon, its business practices sure leave consumers in the dark about key aspects of its payday loans. That’s what the FTC alleges in a case filed in federal court in Nevada.
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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.
Continue Reading FTC-FCC warning letters suggest a different kind of distancing
$40.2 million reminder about the importance of due diligence and monitoring
By: Lesley Fair | May 20, 2020 12:41PM
Companies that deceive consumers often don’t act alone. Pull back the curtain and you may find behind-the-scenes businesses that lend a hand. The FTC alleges that Atlanta-based First Data Merchant Services and its former vice president, Chi “Vincent” Ko, engaged in conduct that helped scammers rake in megabucks at consumers’ expense.
Continue Reading $40.2 million reminder about the importance of due diligence and monitoring
The risk that “no risk” offers pose to your business
By: Lesley Fair | May 13, 2020 12:08PM
Small businesses and nonprofits should never be on the receiving end of another company’s deceptive practices. An FTC action challenges the methods of companies that allegedly pitch offers for “no risk” business publications and then follow up with hefty bills for unauthorized orders. But it doesn’t stop there.
Continue Reading The risk that “no risk” offers pose to your business
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.
Joint letters take new steps to stop illegal Coronavirus robocalls
By: Lesley Fair | Apr 3, 2020 1:57PM
Consumers hate illegal robocalls. And as the thousands of reports pouring into the FTC indicate, they also hate robocalls that exploit concerns about Coronavirus. In recent months, the FTC has taken innovative steps to take on not only illegal robocallers, but also companies that “assist and facilitate” their conduct.
Continue Reading Joint letters take new steps to stop illegal Coronavirus robocalls
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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Seven Coronavirus scams targeting your business
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 25, 2020 1:33PM
We’ve warned consumers about Coronavirus-related scams, but businesses are at risk, too. Keep your guard up against these seven B2B scams that try to exploit companies’ concerns about COVID-19. In addition to sharing this information with your employees and social networks, read on for how you can report Coronavirus scams to the FTC.
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FTC takes on unproven health claims and “own-dorsements”
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 19, 2020 4:38PM
It’s a disturbing trend. Companies are targeting older consumers, claiming to have easy answers for serious diseases for which there may not be a proven cure. That’s one allegation in the FTC’s action against Nevada-based telemarketer Health Center, Inc. Another count challenges what we call “own-dorsements.”
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Folder-in-due-course doctrine?
By: Lesley Fair | Feb 11, 2020 11:23AM
You’ve heard of the holder-in-due-course doctrine. An FTC settlement with two Oregon-based businesses introduces the folder-in-due-course doctrine: the principle that it’s illegal to make misleading claims to induce small businesses to buy advertising space in promotional folders. It’s the latest FTC action challenging deceptive practices that target smaller companies.
Null and VoIP: FTC reminds service providers of the letter of the law
By: Lesley Fair | Jan 30, 2020 11:23AM
We usually wouldn’t suggest you read someone else’s mail, but FTC staff just sent letters to 19 providers of VoIP telephone services and the underlying message about the breadth of liability for consumer protection violations is relevant to other businesses.
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FTC says Grand Bahama Cruise Line’s robocalls ran aground
By: Lesley Fair | Jan 10, 2020 3:42PM
Cruise ships should conjure up images of umbrella drinks, shuffleboard, and the Lido Deck – not a sea of annoying robocalls. But according to the FTC, Grand Bahama Cruise Line and others unleashed a tidal wave of illegal calls purportedly pitching free vacations to consumers. The FTC has filed suit against the company and six related defendants. Also announced today: settlements with a call center and three individuals involved in the operation.
Continue Reading FTC says Grand Bahama Cruise Line’s robocalls ran aground
FTC consumer protection year in review offers 2020 vision for your business
By: Lesley Fair | Jan 8, 2020 9:26AM
They say hindsight is 20/20, but what about foresight? We’re not ones to prognosticate, but a look at notable FTC cases and initiatives from the past year suggests some topics likely to be top of mind in months to come. Here is a non-exhaustive list of issues in our 2019 rearview mirror and likely visible through the 2020 windshield.
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