MilConsumer Blog Feed

We’ll lay our cards on the table: Protecting small businesses from deceptive and unfair practices is a key priority for the FTC. That includes taking action when payment processing companies that offer small business owners access to the credit and debit card system allegedly use illegal tactics to pitch their services. According to the FTC, Texas-based First American Payment Systems made misleading statements about fees and cost savings, used...

To paraphrase that famous question of acoustics and philosophy, if research falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it still make a sound? The FTC needs to hear from you by Friday, July 29, 2022, if you have research about consumer privacy or data security that you would like considered for the agency’s seventh annual PrivacyCon. Bringing together academics, industry representatives, consumer advocates, and government regulators, PrivacyCon...

Take a closer look at some of the companies that publicly proclaim to “Support Our Troops” and you may find illegal conduct suggesting that a more accurate slogan for them could be “Thwart Our Troops.” The FTC and 18 states just announced a settlement with Harris Jewelry, a national retailer alleged to have targeted military families with a host of deceptive and unfair practices, including violations of the Military Lending Act. Among other...

Among the most sensitive categories of data collected by connected devices are a person’s precise location and information about their health. Smartphones, connected cars, wearable fitness trackers, “smart home” products, and even the browser you’re reading this on are capable of directly observing or deriving sensitive information about users. Standing alone, these data points may pose an incalculable risk to personal privacy. Now consider the...

Kaput. Kerflooey. On the fritz. Regardless of what you call it, when products break down, consumers have a choice. They can go back to the dealer. They can visit a local fix-it shop. Or they can try some DIY. But when companies place illegal restrictions on how and where people can get their stuff repaired, consumers see red – and they aren’t alone in that concern. The FTC has announced proposed settlements with grill maker Weber-Stephen Products...

Millions of Americans look to Walmart as their go-to place to pick up essentials. According to a complaint filed by the FTC, among the people who have come to rely on Walmart for their day-to-day needs are fraudsters who have allegedly used the retail giant’s money transfer services to bilk consumers out of millions of dollars. The FTC lawsuit charges that Walmart’s practice of looking the other way in the face of massive fraud and illegal...

You’d like to think you can count on your bae to treat you right, but not if you’re doing business with an outfit called Grant Bae. According to the FTC and the State of Florida, Grant Bae and its owner Treashonna P. Graham induce minority-owned small businesses to pay for grant writing and business consulting services with the false promise of “guaranteed” grants of between $25,000 and $250,000 – depending on how much people pay the defendants...

In a drive toward truth and transparency in the car buying process, the FTC is considering a rule designed to fight deceptive advertising, crack down on bait-and-switch marketing, and put a stop to hidden add-on charges when consumers go vehicle shopping. Read the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and let us know what you think about what the FTC has in mind. Go all the way back to 1 F.T.C. 1 and you’ll see law enforcement actions in virtually every...

The dual dynamos that power our economy are America’s 32 million small businesses and the more than 60 million people they employ. So when small businesses become targets for misleading claims, deceptive tactics, and flat-out intimidation, the FTC takes notice. That’s the gist of the agency’s 2020 lawsuit against merchant cash advance outfit RCG Advances, LLC and owner Robert Giardina. A just-announced settlement will return more than $2.7...

The FTC’s seventh annual PrivacyCon is scheduled for November 1, 2022. It’s not the upcoming Bonnaroo festival, and it won’t be headlining Stevie Nicks, J. Cole, Herbie Hancock, and Robert Plant. But then again, how much can you learn about the latest privacy- and security-related trends and research from “Landslide”? Follow the Business Blog for updates about the agenda for the November 1st virtual event. And keep in mind another important date...