FTC Actions Posts

CFPB, FTC Announce Crackdown on Deceptive Mortgage Advertising

Nov 20, 2012

CFPB, FTC Announce Crackdown on Deceptive Mortgage Advertising

On November 19, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that they have launched a new coordinated effort to protect consumers, focusing on mortgage advertisements that they say are deceptive. The CFPB and the FTC worked together to review roughly 800 mortgage ads. These ads were produced by entities involved…

POM Loses a Round in Its Advertising Dispute With FTC, But Battle Continues

Oct 11, 2012

POM Loses a Round in Its Advertising Dispute With FTC, But Battle Continues

POM Wonderful LLC recently received a setback in its longstanding dispute with the Federal Trade Commission. On Sept. 30, 2012, U.S. District Judge Richard Roberts in the District of Columbia dismissed the juice maker’s declaratory judgment action against the FTC. The judge’s ruling, though, does not put an end to the POM-FTC battle, which is…

‘Results Will Vary,’ But FTC’s Cases Against Weight-Loss Companies Remain the Same

Oct 4, 2012

‘Results Will Vary,’ But FTC’s Cases Against Weight-Loss Companies Remain the Same

The Federal Trade Commission recently announced a settlement with Jason Pharmaceuticals regarding its use of consumer testimonials and health benefits claims. Any company that relies on testimonials in its advertising, even a company that like Jason Pharmaceuticals, sells products that often have beneficial health results, must become aware of this settlement. Jason Pharmaceuticals sells Medifast…

‘Get-Rich-Quick’ Systems Penalized by FTC to Tune of $478 Million

Sep 24, 2012

‘Get-Rich-Quick’ Systems Penalized by FTC to Tune of $478 Million

As part of the Federal Trade Commission’s ongoing efforts to shut down scams that target financially vulnerable consumers, a U.S. district judge has issued a $478 million judgment at the request of the FTC against the marketers of three get-rich-quick systems that the agency says are used for deceiving consumers. The order is the largest…

With $22.5 Million Google Settlement, FTC Sends a Clear Message

Aug 20, 2012

With $22.5 Million Google Settlement, FTC Sends a Clear Message

On August 9, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Google has agreed to pay a $22.5 million penalty to settle the FTC’s charges that it violated a consent order regarding consumer privacy. This is the largest civil penalty that the FTC has ever exacted for a violation of one of the agency’s orders, and…

‘Your Baby Can Read,’ Targeted for Dubious Ads, Closes Its Doors

Jul 25, 2012

‘Your Baby Can Read,’ Targeted for Dubious Ads, Closes Its Doors

After nearly a decade of persuading hundreds of thousands of parents that their babies were geniuses, the popular company, Your Baby Can Read, is shutting its doors. Its demise is the result of an FTC investigation prompted by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood advocacy group, which challenged claims by the company that newborns have…

Why POM Wonderful Can Celebrate FTC Judge’s Ruling in Advertising Case

May 23, 2012

Why POM Wonderful Can Celebrate FTC Judge’s Ruling in Advertising Case

Pomegranate juice maker POM Wonderful has declared victory against the FTC . . . in spite of an administrative law judge’s ruling that upholds many claims in the agency’s complaint. But the California company has good reason to celebrate: certain FTC standards, the ones that POM cried foul on, were rejected by the court. The…

Should FTC Protect Gamers Against Unhappy Endings?

May 22, 2012

Should FTC Protect Gamers Against Unhappy Endings?

Whether you or not you are an avid gamer, you have probably realized that a significant segment of the general population takes gaming quite seriously. Probably a little too seriously sometimes. It seems that the ending to the popular game Mass Effect 3 (“ME3”), which is produced by BioWare, disappointed many devoted players so much…

FTC Obtains Injunction, Asset Freeze on Alleged Mortgage Scam

Apr 2, 2012

FTC Obtains Injunction, Asset Freeze on Alleged Mortgage Scam

The Federal Trade Commission has obtained an order from the federal court for the Central District of California for a preliminary injunction and asset freeze against all the defendants in an alleged mortgage modification scam. The complaint was filed against California-based Sameer Lakhany and a number of related corporate entities for violating the Federal Trade…

Identity Theft Continues to Top FTC’s List of Consumer Complaints

Mar 26, 2012

Identity Theft Continues to Top FTC’s List of Consumer Complaints

For more than a decade, the Federal Trade Commission has been releasing its list of the top ten categories of consumer complaints received by the agency in the previous year. This list always serves as a good indication of the areas toward which the FTC may choose to direct its resources and increase its scrutiny….