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We usually wouldn ’ t suggest you read someone else ’ s mail, but FTC staff just sent letters to 19 providers of VoIP telephone services and the underlying message about the breadth of liability for consumer protection violations is relevant to other businesses. In many contexts, VoIP offers substantial benefits to consumers. But when it comes to robocalls and deceptive telemarketing pitches, VoIP can be a fraudster’s best friend. That’s because...

I am pleased to announce several management changes in the Bureau of Competition. While Michael Moiseyev is on detail, Dan Zach is serving as Acting Assistant Director for the Mergers I Division. Dan has served as Deputy Assistant Director of Mergers I since 2012 , and he recently was lead counsel in the Commission’s successful challenge to the consummated merger between Otto Bock and Freedom Innovations. Lynda Lao is currently serving as Acting...

You Don't Say: An FTC Workshop on Voice Cloning Technologies convenes today, January 28, 2020, at 12:30 ET to consider the consumer protection implications of voice cloning technologies. If you aren’t able to attend in person, watch the webcast to hear what experts on the subject are saying. A LIVE WEBCAST link will activate just before the start time. In addition, FTC staff will be tweeting from @FTC using the hashtag #voicecloningFTC.

When people report scams, deceptive practices, or identity theft, the FTC and other members of the Consumer Sentinel Network regularly use that data for law enforcement purposes. But now we’re examining the information in innovative and interactive ways – and you can, too. The FTC just produced a video featuring Paul Witt, the Bureau of Consumer Protection’s Sultan of Stats. Give Paul two minutes and he’ll walk you through how to use the FTC’s...

Have you had this experience? You hear about a remarkable innovation, but before you can finish the phrase “That’s amaz . . . .” you’ve already jumped ahead to the questions and concerns it raises. That’s how many people are responding to voice cloning – emerging technologies that let users make near-perfect reproductions of a person’s voice. It’s also the subject of You Don’t Say: An FTC Workshop on Voice Cloning Technologies , scheduled for...

The new year has just begun, but the FTC already has delivered its answer to the annual question: Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? The answer? If you’re a past defendant in an FTC case, the FTC won’t forget you. Today, the FTC announced two related law enforcement actions naming business opportunity promoter Jay Noland and several co-defendants. Twenty years ago, the FTC sued Noland and others for operating an online...

California-based mortgage broker Mortgage Solutions FCS also does business under the name Mount Diablo Lending. And according to the FTC, the company gave consumers a devil of a time if they posted negative reviews on Yelp. Is your business pondering how to address unfavorable consumer comments? Heaven knows you should avoid Mount Diablo’s approach, which, according to the complaint, violated Regulation P, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the...

Cruise ships should conjure up images of umbrella drinks, shuffleboard, and the Lido Deck – not a sea of annoying robocalls. But according to the FTC, Grand Bahama Cruise Line and others unleashed a tidal wave of illegal calls purportedly pitching free vacations to consumers. The FTC has filed suit against the company and six related defendants. Also announced today: settlements with a call center and three individuals involved in the operation...

Certificates of Existence, Status, or Good Standing – sounds like an existential crisis, right? Instead of a philosophical commentary on the meaning of life, the certificates in question refer to business documentation from your state or local government. In a new twist on an old scam, some not-so-honest outfits may try to confuse you into thinking they’re from the government and that you need to pay for certain documents to operate your business...

They say hindsight is 20/20, but what about foresight? We’re not ones to prognosticate, but a look at notable FTC cases and initiatives from the past year suggests some topics likely to be top of mind in months to come. Here is a non-exhaustive list of issues in our 2019 rearview mirror and likely visible through the 2020 windshield. Consumer privacy. The FTC’s $5 billion enforcement action against Facebook made history and headlines, but the...