MilConsumer Blog Feed

As many companies shift to an in-person workplace, you and your employees face the opportunities and challenges of the new new normal. Today is the first in a five-part Back to Business blog series to help ease the transition back to the office, including steps you can take to reduce the risk that COVID scammers, data thieves, and financial fraudsters will follow you there. One consideration for companies: assuring you’re in control of sensitive...

As the fast-talking talent scout said in a hundred Hollywood classics, “I’m gonna put you in the movies!” MoviePass promised to put consumers in the movies – or at least in movie theaters – with its $9.95 per month “one movie per day” subscription plan. A proposed settlement outlines three concerns the FTC had with the company’s practices: 1) illegal tactics that MoviePass employed to block subscribers from using the service as advertised; 2)...

Even for people who work on the most arcane frontiers of technology, there is a line of questioning that leaves them scratching their heads wondering where to begin. It’s when a colleague, friend, or family member asks “OK, Mr. or Ms. Tech Guru. I read a scary article about online privacy. What should I do to protect myself?” or “I just bought this nifty smart device. How can I use it safely?” The FTC has a new resource to help you answer those...

The FTC’s Green Lights & Red Flags virtual workshop for business is “on the road again,” so it’s only appropriate that we’re heading to Dallas on June 24, 2021. Green Lights & Red Flags: FTC Rules of the Road for Business brings together national and state legal experts to provide perspectives for business executives, marketing professionals, and attorneys on how established consumer protection principles apply in today’s marketplace. Acting FTC...

People facing infertility have a lot to think about in exploring the options available to them. But one thing that shouldn’t be on that list are unapproved products that make questionable claims to “treat” infertility. That’s the warning the FTC and the FDA have sent to companies that have pitched products to consumers searching for answers to what can be a complex medical condition. The agencies sent joint warning letters to five companies...

When it comes to consumer privacy and data security, your clients and colleagues want the word on what’s been happening at the FTC – and they want it in an accessible, to-the-point format. The agency’s 2020 Privacy and Data Security Update is ready for you to read, post, and share. Enforcement Building on decades of experience in consumer privacy and data security enforcement, the FTC announced a number of notable cases in 2020. Here are a few...

The FTC takes a practical approach to its mission of protecting America’s consumers. That typically means law enforcement actions to challenge companies’ unfair or deceptive acts or practices. But depending on the facts, we may supplement law enforcement with other methods, including consumer education, business guidance, warning letters, national workshops, reports, and – in limited circumstances – staff closing letters. Closing letters from the...

Like the fighter pilots in the 80s action flick “Top Gun,” consumers selecting among internet service providers “feel the need – the need for speed.” In a just-filed lawsuit, the FTC and seven law enforcement partners allege that ISP Frontier Communications Corporation has made misleading representations that it would provide consumers with certain internet service speeds. The complaint also alleges that in many instances, Frontier has subscribed...

It’s not like the FTC to dive in to a major law enforcement initiative, make a splash, and then leave the pool. If industry members thought December’s Operation CBDeceit was the end of the agency’s interest in deceptive health-related representations for CBD products, they were mistaken. Today’s proposed settlement with Kushly, a company alleged to have made serious – and seriously false and unsubstantiated – health claims for CBD products...

Thinking about adding cryptocurrency to your investment portfolio? The number of Americans investing in cryptocurrency has increased. But as a new FTC Consumer Protection Data Spotlight suggests, the number who report getting stung by cryptocurrency investment scams has skyrocketed. You’ll want to read the Data Spotlight in detail, but here are five facts that suggests caution before sinking your savings into cryptocurrency. Consumers report...