As a result of a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit, the operators of a telemarketing scam that called hundreds of thousands of consumers nationwide to pitch them expensive “extended automobile warranties” will face a lifetime ban from the extended automobile warranty industry and from all outbound telemarketing. The FTC’s press release is here.
Category Archives: Federal Trade Commission
Allison posted a couple days ago on the FTC’s proposed rule on “click to cancel” subscriptions and memberships. Relatedly, Michele Singletary at the Washington Post has this useful piece on the topic. Here’s a little excerpt that describes the practices targeted by the FTC proposal and why those practices can be bad: With a negative-option membership […]
The Federal Trade Commission has proposed a “click to cancel” provision requiring sellers to make it as easy for consumers to cancel their enrollment as it was to sign up. The proposal would make several specific changes, including implementing a simple cancellation mechanism, new requirements before making additional offers, and new requirements regarding reminders and […]
The panel, to be conducted by the Bureaus of Consumer Protection and Competition, will be on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm (EDT). Panelists include Alpa Davis, Health Care Division (BC), Eric Elmore, Mergers 2 Division (BC), Quinn Martin, Financial Practices Division (BCP), Rosario Mendez, Consumer & Business Education Division (BCP), Terry Thomas, Mergers 3 Division (BC), and Ricardo Woolery, Office of […]
A new Federal Trade Commission report to Congress details the consumer issues that affect American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations, as well as the FTC’s enforcement, outreach and education work on these issues. The report summarizes the agency’s efforts to hear directly from tribal leaders, community members, advocates, and others about issues affecting their […]
Shady auto dealer practices take center stage in the Federal Trade Commission’s latest report on its 2022 enforcement activities related to fair lending. Each year, the FTC submits a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recounting actions it took tied to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, a law to combat discrimination in lending. Last […]
The Federal Trade Commission has taken its first enforcement action under its Health Breach Notification Rule, The action, filed against the telehealth and prescription drug discount provider GoodRx Holdings Inc., alleges that the company failed to notify consumers and others of its unauthorized disclosures of consumers’ personal health information to Facebook, Google, and other companies. […]
Following a year of dramatic rent increases, growing scrutiny of tenant screening practices, and a general rise in housing insecurity, the White House recently issued a new Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights and announced new actions to bring more fairness to the rental housing market. In its declaration to promote tenants’ rights, the […]
The Federal Trade Commission has been busy the past few days: FTC Finalizes Order Requiring Credit Karma to Pay $3 Million and Halt Deceptive ‘Pre-Approved’ Claims (Jan. 23, 2023) FTC Order Requires HomeAdvisor to Pay Up To $7.2 Million and Stop Deceptively Marketing its Leads for Home Improvement Projects (Jan. 23, 2023) FTC Order Requires […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission are teaming up to fight “dark patterns” and “negative option” subscription charges. The regulators are concerned about deceptive practices that mislead people into subscriptions or other recurring payments for products and services they do not want. In a “circular” released this week, the CFPB described […]