Legal Resources
Use the filters to find legal resources like cases, reports, staff opinions, and events. You can sort by topic, type or industry.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30
The Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement with PayPal, Inc. over allegations that the company told users of its Venmo peer-to-peer payment service that money credited to their Venmo balances could be transferred to external bank accounts without adequately disclosing that the...
Press Release: FTC Announces Agenda for March 9 FinTech Forum on Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain Technology
The Federal Trade Commission today announced the agenda for its March 9, 2017, FinTech Forum focusing on the consumer implications of two rapidly developing technologies: artificial intelligence and blockchain. The forum, which is the third in an ongoing event series, will take place from 9:00 a.m...
The Western Union Company (Western Union), a global money services business headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, has agreed to forfeit $586 million and enter into agreements with the Federal Trade Commission, the Justice Department, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices of the Middle District of...
The Federal Trade Commission will host its third FinTech Forum on March 9, 2017, focusing on the consumer implications of two rapidly developing technologies: artificial intelligence and blockchain. Artificial intelligence focuses on the capability for machines to mimic human thinking or actions,...
Press Release: Operators of Bitcoin Mining Operation Butterfly Labs Agree to Settle FTC Charges They Deceived Consumers
Butterfly Labs and two of its operators have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they deceived thousands of consumers about the availability, profitability, and newness of machines designed to mine the virtual currency known as Bitcoin, and that they unfairly kept consumers’ up-...
Two Maine-based marketers of weight-loss supplements and their owners will surrender substantial personal and business assets and will be prohibited from making deceptive claims about health products and engaging in deceptive marketing practices under a settlement reached with the Federal Trade...
Press Release: App Developer Settles FTC and New Jersey Charges It Hijacked Consumers’ Phones to Mine Cryptocurrency
Defendants’ app installed malware that left phones with drained batteries, depleted data plans
Press Release: T-Mobile to Pay At Least $90 Million, Including Full Consumer Refunds To Settle FTC Mobile Cramming Case
Note: A conference call for media with FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Jessica Rich, FCC Enforcement Bureau Director Travis LeBlanc and Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell occured as follows: Date: Dec. 19, 2014 Time: 1 p.m. ET The speakers were available to take questions from the...
Press Release: Defendants in Massive Spam Text Message, Robocalling and Mobile Cramming Scheme to Pay $10 Million to Settle FTC Charges
A series of defendants will pay approximately $10 million to the Federal Trade Commission to settle charges that they operated a massive scam that sent unwanted text messages to millions of consumers, many of whom later received illegal robocalls, phony “free” merchandise offers, and unauthorized...
Consumers who believe they were charged without their authorization can visit www.ftc.gov/att to submit a refund claim.
FTC order requires Google to change its mobile app billing practices to ensure consumers’ consent is obtained before charges are levied.
Ensuring that consumers are protected in the growing mobile environment is a top priority at the FTC.
A new staff report issued by the Federal Trade Commission finds that many mobile apps for use in shopping do not provide consumers with important information – such as how the apps manage payment-related disputes or handle consumer data – prior to download. The report, “What’s the Deal? An FTC...
Press Release: FTC Testifies Before Congress on Mobile Cramming Issues
In testimony before Congress today , the Federal Trade Commission provided an update on issues related to the placement of unauthorized charges on consumers’ mobile phone bills, a practice known as mobile cramming. Testifying on behalf of the Commission before the Senate Committee on Commerce,...
Press Release: FTC Alleges Amazon Unlawfully Billed Parents for Millions of Dollars in Children’s Unauthorized In-App Charges
FTC’s lawsuit seeks a court order requiring refunds to consumers for the unauthorized charges...
The Federal Trade Commission added new charges of mobile cramming to a complaint the agency previously filed against a group of scammers who allegedly sent millions of unwanted text messages and robocalls to consumers. The amended complaint adds the mobile cramming charges to the Commission’s...
Note: A conference call for media with FTC Consumer Protection Director Jessica Rich will occur as follows: Date: July 1, 2014 Time: 2:45 p.m. ET Call-in lines, which are for media only, will open 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. Jessica Rich and FTC staff will be available to take...
Press Release: FTC Approves Final Order in Case About Apple Inc. Charging for Kids’ In-App Purchases Without Parental Consent
Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order resolving FTC allegations that Apple Inc. unfairly charged consumers for in-app purchases incurred by children without their parents’ consent. The settlement was first announced by the Commission in January...
Apple Inc. has agreed to provide full refunds to consumers, paying a minimum of $32.5 million, to settle a Federal Trade Commission complaint that the company billed consumers for millions of dollars of charges incurred by children in kids’ mobile apps without their parents’ consent. Under the...
Press Release: FTC Moves Against Massive Mobile Cramming Operation That Heaped Millions in Unwanted Charges on Consumers’ Bills
The Federal Trade Commission is taking action to stop a mobile phone cramming operation that has placed tens of millions of dollars on consumers’ mobile phone bills without their permission. In its complaint, the FTC seeks to shut down the operation and recover money lost by consumers. The FTC’s...
Press Release: Mobile Crammers Settle FTC Charges of Unauthorized Billing
The operators of an Atlanta-based company have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that they crammed charges on consumers’ cell phone bills without their consent, causing more than $10 million in consumer injury. The two settlements, with Wise Media and its CEO, Brian M. Buckley...
Global mobile marketer Jesta Digital, LLC, will provide refunds to a large number of consumers and pay an additional $1.2 million to the Federal Trade Commission as part of a settlement with the FTC , which alleged that Jesta crammed unwanted charges onto consumers’ cell phone bills. According to...
Press Release: FTC Files Its First Case Against Mobile Phone "Cramming"
The Federal Trade Commission has taken legal action to shut down an operation that allegedly took in millions of dollars from placing charges on consumers’ mobile phone bills, many of which were “crammed” or unauthorized charges. The complaint against Wise Media, LLC, Brian M. Buckley and Winston J...
Press Release: FTC Staff Report Examines Growing Use of Mobile Payments
As part of its efforts to ensure that consumers are protected in the growing mobile marketplace, the Federal Trade Commission issued a staff report today highlighting key issues facing consumers and companies as they adopt mobile payment services. The report, titled “ Paper, Plastic… or Mobile? An...
Press Release: FTC to Host Mobile Cramming Roundtable May 8
The Federal Trade Commission will host a roundtable on May 8, 2013, in Washington, D.C., to examine unauthorized third-party charges on mobile phone bills – a practice known as mobile cramming. The roundtable will bring together consumer advocates, industry representatives, and government...
The Federal Trade Commission filed an amicus brief in the phone bill cramming case Moore v. Verizon Communications, Inc. (No. 2 CV 09-1823 SBA) before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, opposing a proposed class action settlement of the case because it is not fair,...
Press Release: FTC Staff Comment to CFPB Supports Protection of Consumers Who Use General Purpose Reloadable Cards
In a comment submitted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), staff of the Federal Trade Commission expressed support for protecting users of general purpose reloadable (GPR) cards and for the CFPB's proposal to solicit information about the costs and benefits of extending additional...
In response to a request by the Federal Communications Commission for comment, the Federal Trade Commission said that the “cramming” of unauthorized charges on wireless phone bills poses a serious problem for American consumers . The FTC said in its comment that wireless providers should be...
Press Release: FTC Forum in May 2011 Will Examine Ways to Protect Consumers From "Cramming" of Unauthorized Charges on Their Phone Bills
The Federal Trade Commission will host a forum on May 11, 2011, in Washington, DC, examining how the government, businesses, and consumer protection organizations can work together to prevent consumers from being hit with unauthorized third-party charges on their phone bills, a practice known as “...
In a landmark settlement, Access Resource Services, Inc. (ARS) and Psychic Readers Network, Inc. (PRN) have agreed to a stipulated court order stopping all collection efforts on accounts or claims from consumers who purchased or purportedly purchased their pay-per-call or audiotext services and...
