Tag: Consumer Protection

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...

For many Americans, owning a fast food franchise seems like a promising way to secure their financial future. Hamburger chain franchisor Burgerim sold more than 1,500 franchises, pocketing tens of...

As a result of a $3.5 million FTC settlement, Vision Path – the online seller of Hubble contacts – must eye its legal responsibilities through a stronger lens. But even if your business isn’t covered...

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...

Online customer reviews of products and services have become increasingly important in the marketplace. Many consumers rely on them to decide what to buy or where to buy it, and many companies rely on...

It’s the oldest trick in the book: Now you see it, now you don’t. This illusion is fine on a Las Vegas stage, but on an online retailer’s website, making negative reviews disappear is hardly magical...

Shoppers can find a plethora of apps, trackers, and sensors that hold or capture almost every conceivable form of personal health information. If your business or nonprofit offers products like that...

The Omicron variant has consumers saying “Omigosh,” but even before the current surge, advertisers have been using questionable COVID-related claims to promote their products. FTC staff sent 25 more...

Small businesses, the FTC is on your side. According to a proposed FTC settlement with Dun & Bradstreet, D&B took big bucks from small businesses with the promise to improve their credit reports, but...

As a certain elusive children’s videogame character will attest, precise geolocation can be highly sensitive information. According to a settlement the FTC just announced with OpenX Technologies, Inc...

Gift cards may be at the top of your holiday gift giving list. But there’s another list that gift cards top , and it’s decidedly less festive. According to the FTC’s latest Consumer Protection Data...

As the holidays – and the end of the tax year – draw near, people are likely to approach small business owners with requests for charitable contributions. But scammers are hard at work with their own...

With more than a century of consumer protection experience under our belt, we at the FTC know that hard times for American families can be boom times for scammers. Today’s COVID-19 pandemic is the...

November 11th is Veterans Day, a time to honor the nation’s former military personnel. Every year more than 180,000 servicemembers leave the military to join the ranks of the nation’s 18 million...

If recent headlines about ransomware attacks on companies have you worried, your concerns are well-founded. Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure...

The FTC just sent almost $60 million in checks and PayPal payments to eligible drivers who had their tips illegally taken by Amazon. Our advice to Amazon Flex drivers: Watch your mailbox for a check...

If businesses make coronavirus prevention or treatment claims for their products, it’s time to get up to speed on the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act. The Department of Justice and the FTC just filed...

Money-making claims have been around for as long as there’s been money. They show up in promotions for gig work, multilevel marketing, “be your own boss” seminars, and work-from-home offers. But when...

The FTC just released a report based on data received from major players in the mobile Internet market and A Look at What ISPs Know About You: Examining the Privacy Practices of Six Major Internet...