The Federal Trade Commission is mailing checks totaling nearly $1.1 million to 87,256 consumers who paid for work-at-home opportunities based on the allegedly deceptive advertising practices of Bob Robinson, LLC and other related defendants. The defendants operated under various brand names, including Work At Home EDU, Work At Home Program, Work At Home Ecademy, Work […]
Category Archives: Federal Trade Commission
Online Lending Company Agrees to Settle FTC Charges It Engaged in Deceptive and Unfair Loan Servicing Practices
Avant, LLC, an online lending company, has agreed to settle the Federal Trade Commission’s charges that it engaged in deceptive and unfair loan servicing practices, such as imposing unauthorized charges on consumers’ accounts and unlawfully requiring consumers to consent to automatic payments from their bank accounts. “We have alleged that Avant gave the run-around to […]
FTC Charges Telemarketing Operation with Misleading Job Seekers and Making Millions of Illegal, Unsolicited Calls
The Federal Trade Commission has charged a telemarketing operation and its owners with making millions of illegal, unsolicited calls about educational programs to consumers who submitted their contact information to websites promising help with job searches, public benefits, and other unrelated programs. According to the FTC’s complaint seeking civil penalties, corporate defendants Day Pacer, LLC and […]
Marketer of Water Filtration Systems to Pay $110,000 Civil Penalty for Deceptive Made-in-USA Advertisements in Violation of 2017 Order
A Georgia-based distributor of water filtration systems has agreed to pay a $110,000 civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated a 2017 Federal Trade Commission administrative order by making false claims that wholly imported Chinese water filtration systems were made in the United States. As part of the settlement, the defendants […]
FTC Data Spotlight Shows Steep Rise in Complaints about Social Security Scams, Overtaking IRS Scam Complaints
It was just a few years ago that the Federal Trade Commission was flooded with complaints about scammers pretending to be from the IRS who called consumers and falsely told them they owed taxes. In its peak year, consumers reported losing $17 million to these IRS scams. With tax day right around the corner, we […]
FTC to Hold Workshop on Certificates of Public Advantage in Healthcare Markets
On June 18, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission will hold a public workshop in Washington, DC to assess the impact of certificates of public advantage (“COPAs”) on prices, quality, access, and innovation for healthcare services. This workshop is part of a broader COPA Assessment Project announced in November 2017, when staff issued a request for empirical […]
At FTC’s Request, Court Permanently Stops A-1 Janitorial Office Supply Scam
At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a U.S. district court judge permanently halted a New York-based office supply scam operated by a business known as A-1 Janitorial. In late 2017, the FTC charged the defendants with targeting small businesses and charging them for supposedly free samples of cleaning and other products. Under the court order […]
FTC Hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century Continue with a Discussion of Merger Retrospectives
What: The Federal Trade Commission will host the 13th session of its Hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century. When: Friday, April 12, 9:00 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. Where: FTC Headquarters600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580Room 432 Who: The hearings will feature opening remarks by FTC Chairman Joe Simons and further […]
Payment Processor and Owner Agree to Permanent Payment Processing Ban and $1.8 Million Judgment to Settle FTC Charges They Violated 2009 Order
Thomas Wells and his payment processing company, Priority Payout Corp., have agreed to settle FTC charges that they repeatedly violated a 2009 court order issued against them. The settlement permanently bans Wells and Priority Payout Corp. from engaging in, and assisting others with, payment processing, and includes a $1.8 million contempt judgment against them. The […]
FTC Requires Divestitures by Tronox and Cristal, Suppliers of Widely Used White Pigment, Settling Litigation over Proposed Merger
Tronox Limited and Cristal, two of the largest suppliers of the white pigment chloride process titanium dioxide, have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges by divesting Cristal’s North American titanium dioxide assets, thereby preserving competition in the market for this important and widely used compound. The settlement comes after the FTC won key victories […]