Every year the FTC brings hundreds of cases against individuals and companies for violating consumer protection and competition laws that the agency enforces. These cases can involve fraud, scams, identity theft, false advertising, privacy violations, anti-competitive behavior and more. The Legal Library has detailed information about cases we have brought in federal court or through our internal administrative process, called an adjudicative proceeding.
Kohl's Department Stores, Inc.
Kohl’s Department Stores, Inc. agreed to pay a civil penalty of $220,000 to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that the retailer violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by refusing to provide complete records of transactions to consumers whose personal information was used by identity thieves.
HyperBeard, Inc.
HyperBeard, a developer of apps that are popular with children has agreed to pay $150,000 and to delete personal information it illegally collected from children under 13 to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations. In a complaint filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the FTC, the Commission alleges that HyperBeard, Inc. violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule (COPPA Rule) by allowing third-party ad networks to collect personal information in the form of persistent identifiers to track users of the company’s child-directed apps, without notifying parents or obtaining verifiable parental consent. The ad networks used the identifiers to target ads to children using HyperBeard’s apps.
Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Noah Joshua Phillips Regarding HyperBeard, Inc.
Tapplock, Inc., In the Matter of
Tapplock settled FTC allegations that it deceived consumers by falsely claiming that its Internet-connected smart locks were designed to be “unbreakable” and that it took reasonable steps to secure the data it collected from users.
Statement of Commissioner Rohit Chopra Regarding Miniclip and the COPPA Safe Harbors
Jasjit Gotra (Alliance Security)
In March 2018, the FTC filed a complaint and motion for preliminary injunction alleging that Alliance Security Inc., a home security installation company, and its founder, directly and through its authorized telemarketers, called millions of consumers whose numbers are on the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry. At the same time, two of Alliance’s authorized telemarketers and their principals agreed to settle charges that they made illegal calls on Alliance’s behalf. In August 2019, the court issued two orders against the remaining defendants in the case. The first permanently bars Alliance from telemarketing and obtaining or using consumer credit reports without written authorization. The second, a preliminary injunction, imposes the same ban on the company’s CEO and founder Jasjit “Jay” Gotra. In May 2020, the FTC announced that Gotra had settled the case against him under a court order barring him from nearly all outbound telemarketing.
Retina-X Studios, LLC, In the Matter of
Retina-X Studios, LLC, reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that the company and its owner failed to secure the data collected by its “stalking” apps and ensure the apps were used for legitimate purposes.
T&M Protection Resources, LLC, In the Matter of
T&M Protection Resources, LLC, settled Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company misrepresented its participation in and compliance with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework.
BoostMyScore LLC
Statement of Commissioner Rohit Chopra Joined by Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Regarding Data Security and the Safeguards Rule
Concurring Statement of Commissioners Christine S. Wilson and Noah Joshua Phillips
Office Depot, Inc.
Office Depot, Inc. and its tech support software provider Support.com, Inc., settled Federal Trade Commission allegations that the two companies tricked customers into buying millions of dollars' worth of computer repair and technical services by deceptively claiming their software had found malware on the customers' computers.
Incentive Services, Inc., In the Matter of
Incentive Services, Inc., settled Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company made false claims in connection with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework, which enables companies to transfer consumer data legally from European Union countries to the United States.
Global Data Vault, LLC, In the Matter of
Global Data Vault, LLC, settled Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company made false claims in connection with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework.
Click Labs, Inc., In the Matter of
Click Labs, Inc. settled Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company made false claims in connection with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework.
TDARX, Inc., In the Matter of
TDARX, Inc., settled Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company made false claims in connection with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework.
LotaData, Inc., In the Matter of
LotaData settled Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company falsely claimed certification under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework.
DCR Workforce, Inc., In the Matter of
DCR Workforce, Inc. reached a settlement with the FTC over allegations that the company made false or misleading representations about its participation in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework.
EmpiriStat, In the Matter of
EmpiriStat settled Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company falsely claimed certification under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework.