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Accepts pets? Affordable rent? Close to work? Whatever the must-haves are for your next rental home, you can bet there’s a fake listing that checks all the boxes. Since 2020, people have reported nearly 65,000 rental scams to the FTC with about $65 million in losses. [1] And since most scams are never reported to a government agency, this likely reflects only a fraction of the actual harm. [2] Scammers create fake rental listings that look very...

Consumers often rely on reviews to help them choose between everything from home repair companies to apartments to lawyers. When those reviews reflect honest feedback from real people who have actually used a product or service, the feedback can be invaluable. When companies try to game the review system — by using fake reviews or providing money or incentives for only positive reviews — they distort the marketplace and harm consumers relying on reviews to make purchasing decisions. That’s why today the FTC sent warning letters to alert a number of companies of potential violations of the Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials.

Price can be one of the most important factors people consider when looking for housing. But what happens when the rental price advertised doesn’t represent the price your tenants end up paying? According to the FTC’s recent settlement with Greystar — the largest owner and operator of rental apartments in the country — the answer is: nothing good.

The FTC is committed to fighting illegal telemarketing. For proof, look no further than the recently announced settlement with Citizens Disability, LLC and its subsidiary, CD Media, LLC (collectively, “Citizens”), which sell services to assist consumers with Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claims. According to the FTC, Citizens was responsible for tens of millions of illegal telemarketing calls that often sought to mislead consumers seeking information about their benefits.

If you run a business, you might have employees on Medicare. Or maybe you know family or friends on Medicare or employees with family or friends on Medicare. Here’s how to help everyone avoid scams during Medicare open enrollment, which starts October 15 and runs through December 7.

Small businesses are the engine of the American economy. Whether you own a bakery, an accounting firm, a local repair shop, or something else, you want to protect what you’ve built. Sometimes that means protecting it from scammers who try to use your company’s good name.

Is your business in the fundraising business? Want a refresher on the rules of the road? Check out the FTC’s recent settlement with Kars-R-Us.com, Inc. (“Kars”), a company that collected donations on behalf of the United Breast Cancer Foundation (UBCF).

Deceptive and unfair labor market practices hurt American workers and honest businesses that comply with the law. Protecting workers and ensuring fair, honest, and competitive labor markets is a top priority of Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson. In February, Chairman Ferguson made clear that the FTC would stay vigilant as he announced the formation of the agency’s Labor Task Force focused on maximizing the agency’s broad-based jurisdiction and interdisciplinary expertise to confront the challenges facing American workers. In the Bureau of Consumer Protection, this mission includes continuing to fight employment-related scams, which year on year cost Americans searching for jobs hundreds of millions of dollars.

Nowadays people can use subscription services for almost all areas of life: entertainment, food, gifts, fitness, education. These (often monthly) charges can add up, so if someone decides they want to cancel a subscription they should, well, be able to cancel it. Too often, consumers must navigate confusing and difficult cancellation processes to stop their subscriptions — which wastes time and costs them money. The FTC is committed to stopping unlawful subscription billing and cancellation practices. For a recent example, check out today’s settlement with the education technology company, Chegg.

You already know how important trademarks and patents are to protecting your intellectual property. But do you know how to tell the difference between the real United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and scammers pretending to be the USPTO? Here’s how the scam is playing out for businesses.