Blog

“Rah, rah-ah-ah-ah. Roma, roma-ma. Gaga, ooh-la-la. Want your bad romance.” This Valentine’s Day if you find yourself gaga over an online love, the Federal Trade Commission – yes, the FTC – has advice on ways to tell if you could be caught in a “Bad Romance.” According to a new Consumer Protection Data Spotlight , in 2022 the Consumer Sentinel Network received nearly 70,000 reports of romance scams, with reported financial losses hitting a...

On December 14th, 2022, in collaboration with technologists on team CTO and attorneys in BCP, I gave a presentation at the Federal Trade Commission’s December Open Commission meeting on the systemic approach to security found in the Commission’s orders. The goal of this post is to first explain how the FTC has worked to strengthen its remedies to address the underlying causes of risk in complex systems. The post then highlights some of the...

The workplace is in transition, with people considering career changes or dealing with layoffs. But as the FTC has warned for years, scammers find a way to exploit every trend – and this time they have job seekers in their sights. Have you come across one of these placement pretenders? The FTC wants to hear about your experience. We’ll say this much about the new breed of crook: They can be very convincing. Sometimes they cast a wide net...

When home cooks bake an apple pie, many of them use Pyrex glass measuring cups – products promoted as, well, “American as apple pie.” But despite prominent claims that certain of their measuring cups were “proudly made in the USA,” the FTC says that between May 2021 and March 2022, some consumers shopping on Amazon actually received products made in China . Illinois-based Instant Brands manufactures and sells housewares under the Pyrex brand name...

It’s right up there with eating more vegetables and hitting the gym. A top New Year’s resolution for many Americans is keeping a closer eye on their personal finances – a goal more important than ever, given the economic impact of the pandemic. Chances are you know someone who is searching for a job, looking for a place to live, applying for a loan, or facing another consequential dollars-and-cents decision. Help them spot, avoid, and report...

Weather emergencies don’t take a winter vacation. Scammers don’t either. Just like you, they’re watching the weather reports and preparing for storms – and they’re counting on catching you unawares. Winter Storm Elliott affected the U.S. from coast to coast. The storm’s chilling effects from record cold and snow to the loss of electricity from high winds downing trees and power lines, were felt across much of the nation. If your business has been...

For a substantial segment of the buying public, environmental claims are highly material. That’s why green consumers see red when companies use misleading representations to pitch their products and services. To protect consumers from deception in the marketplace – and to protect honest businesses from shady claims by competitors – the FTC has taken law enforcement action against false or unsubstantiated environmental promise s. For companies...

The FTC’s $275 million proposed settlement with Epic Games, owner of Fortnite, alleges the company violated the law by collecting personal information from kids under 13 without parental consent and by enabling voice and text chat by default – an unfair practice that put kids and teens in risky contact with strangers. But to borrow a phrase from advertisers, “But wait! There’s more!” Much, much more in the form of a separate $245 million proposed...

Ask someone to picture the typical person who has experienced a scam and they may think of an older consumer taken in by a fast-talking fraudster. Regardless of the image they create, the results of the FTC’s latest Consumer Protection Data Spotlight suggest their impression may not be accurate. That’s because reports in the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel contradict some stereotypes about how fraud affects our communities and evoke a more nuanced...

Army brats like me grew up around the word “readiness.” We knew it meant weeks or even months of a parent away on deployment, training for “What if . . .” scenarios. One of the reasons so many veterans have made the successful transition to entrepreneurship is that they continue to put readiness first. A recent FTC proposed settlement serves as a reminder to veterans who own businesses – and to all business executives – about the ongoing threats...