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Let’s call it The Recliner Interval – the time it takes for an obscure niche product to start running prime time TV commercials. It’s a made-up metric, of course, but a few hours in front of the TV will demonstrate that advertising for cryptocurrency has gone mainstream. Now here’s a metric that isn’t made up. According to the latest FTC Consumer Protection Data Spotlight , since the start of 2021, more than 46,000 people have reported losing...

In a complaint against Twitter announced today, the Federal Trade Commission alleged the company deceptively used Twitter users’ phone numbers and email addresses, which were collected for security purposes, for other purposes from 2014 to 2019. Users provided phone numbers or email addresses to Twitter for a variety of security purposes, such as for two-factor authentication or to unlock an account where Twitter detected suspicious or malicious...

The FTC has long stressed the importance of good incident response and breach disclosure as part of a reasonable information security program, both through cases and business guidance resources. [1] In some instances, the FTC Act creates a de facto breach disclosure requirement because the failure to disclose will, for example, increase the likelihood that affected parties will suffer harm. Both security breach detection and response are vital to...

Scammers often target job seekers and prospective entrepreneurs with bogus employment and money-making offers. We know that because the FTC has investigated and stopped many of them. But scammers are a relentless breed and continue to make deceptive pitches in online ads, on job websites, and on social media platforms. Knowing some of the red flags can help you spot these scams. Job scams come in a variety of guises. Some fraudsters falsely claim...

Consumers’ health information is already a particularly sensitive category. But health information and other personal data from kids as young as eight? That can raise privacy concerns to the stratosphere. A $1.5 million FTC settlement with WW International, Inc. – you know them by the previous name Weight Watchers – and its subsidiary Kurbo, Inc., underscores the principle that collecting and maintaining that kind of information raises a company...

In the old TV show Dragnet, Sergeant Joe Friday was famous for saying “Just the facts, ma’am.” But like “Play it again, Sam” in Casablanca, that quotable quote was never actually said by the lead character. But when we tell you that the FTC’s just-released 2021 Consumer Sentinel Data Book gives you “just the facts,” be assured that’s what you’ll get. And one of those facts – the most commonly reported forms of fraud in 2021 – should be of...

When Congress passed the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, it created minimum dollar thresholds to limit the burden of premerger reporting. In 2000, it amended the HSR statute to require the annual adjustment of these thresholds based on the change in gross national product. As a result, reportability under the Act changes from year to year as the statutory thresholds adjust. The PNO fields many questions about the upcoming...

It’s a “tale as old as time.” But unlike Beauty and the Beast, in the online version, the transformation often goes in the opposite direction with the entrancing lover ultimately revealed to be a monster. Of course, everyone knows at least one Romance of the Century that began online. However, people may be reticent to reveal the episodes that led to heartbreak, identity fake, and wallet take. As Valentine’s Day approaches, your BFFs at the FTC...

Online dating can be a great way to find lasting love – or even your next fling. But reports to the FTC suggest it also creates opportunities for scammers. In the past five years, people have reported losing a staggering $1.3 billion to romance scams, [1] [2] more than any other FTC fraud category. The numbers have skyrocketed in recent years, and 2021 was no exception – reported losses hit a record $547 million for the year. That’s more than six...

Social media is a gold mine for scammers, and in the latest FTC Data Spotlight, we’re digging deeper into this deceptive trend happening across social media platforms. Why do we repeatedly ask people to file reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov to let us know when they spot questionable conduct? Because – among other things – the FTC and law enforcement members of the Consumer Sentinel Network use that information to spot, track, and ultimately...