Tag Archives: Consumer Protection

A U.S. district court has halted a phony job placement operation that allegedly stole money from job seekers by promising them full-time work, with benefits, that never materialized, the Federal Trade Commission announced today. The court shut down the job placement operation until a hearing on a preliminary injunction can be held, and froze its […]

The FTC has announced new fees starting on October 1, 2009, for telemarketers accessing phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry. All telemarketers making calls to consumers in the United States are required to download the numbers on the Do Not Call list to ensure they do not call consumers who have registered […]

The Federal Trade Commission today announced December 1 and 2, 2009, as the dates on which it will begin a series of workshops titled “From Town Criers to Bloggers: How Will Journalism Survive the Internet Age?” The workshops previously were scheduled to begin on September 15, 2009. The workshops will bring competition, consumer protection, and […]

The amount spent on cigarette advertising and promotion by the five largest cigarette companies in the United States declined from $13.11 billion in 2005 to $12.49 billion in 2006, according to a report released today by the Federal Trade Commission. The largest spending category – spending on price discounts – fell from $9.78 billion in […]

For a long time, layaway plans have provided an alternative to paying cash or using credit. The retailer holds merchandise in reserve until the consumer pays for it in full. In recent years, Internet layaway sites have provided online shoppers with a similar option. According to a new consumer alert from the Federal Trade Commission, […]

The Commission has reopened the public comment period for the review of its Rule Concerning the Use of Prenotification Negative Option Plans at the request of an organization and state and local governments seeking additional time. The public comment period has been extended for 60 days, until October 13, 2009. Information on how and where […]

In the wake of a Federal Trade Commission complaint against a company that deceptively sold electronics to hundreds of British consumers, the company has agreed to stop its allegedly illegal tactics until the case is decided in federal court. Using the Web site names www.bestpricedbrands.co.uk and www.bitesizedeals.co.uk, the California company tricked consumers into believing that […]

Today is the final day of a public event the Federal Trade Commission and the Searle Center on Law, Regulation, and Economic Growth at Northwestern University School of Law are hosting on consumer protection issues in debt collection proceedings. This is the first in a series of FTC roundtable discussions on these topics. WHAT: “Protecting […]

The Federal Trade Commission extended its crackdown in the billion-dollar prepaid calling card industry, asking a U.S. district court to permanently halt the illegal practices of a major calling card distributor and its principals. The FTC has charged Diamond Phone Card, Inc., a distributor of prepaid calling cards based in Elmhurst, New York, and its […]

In an ongoing effort to better protect financially distressed consumers, the Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on proposed rules to combat deceptive and abusive telemarketing of debt relief services – services that purportedly can reduce consumers’ credit card and other unsecured debt. In the Noticed of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) announced today, the Commission […]