Press Releases

The Federal Trade Commission has filed a complaint against a group of defendants masquerading as a nonprofit debt negotiation organization that has made millions of dollars deceiving consumers into...

A U.S. District Court judge has ordered John Ben Stewart, Jr. and his son, William Joseph Stewart, to pay $200,000, or face jail time, for violating the court's asset freeze order. In a complaint...

The Federal Trade Commission will host back-to-back workshops, “Hispanic Consumer Outreach Forum,” and “Hispanic Consumer Protection Law Enforcement Workshop,” on May 12-13, 2004, to explore...

Commission approval of final consent orders : By a vote of 5-0, the Commission has approved two final consent orders related to the FTC’s case against Vital Basics, Inc., Robert B. Graham, and Michael...

Every year millions of students apply for financial aid and scholarships to help finance their college education. Sometimes they fall prey to scholarship and financial aid scams. To help federal...

At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today filed a complaint in federal district court to obtain civil penalties against William H. Gates III for violating...

The FTC has told the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that “spyware appears to be a new and rapidly growing practice that poses a...

The FTC has cracked down on two spam operations that have clogged the Internet with millions of deceptive messages and violated federal laws. A complaint targeting Detroit-based Phoenix Avatar was...

The Federal Trade Commission today announced a proposed consent order with two leading industrial gas producers, L'Air Liquide (Air Liquide) and Messer Griesheim GmbH (Messer), under which Air Liquide...

Bureaus of Competition and Economics release model retail Second Request: The Commission’s Bureau of Competition and Bureau of Economics have drafted a Model Request for Additional Information and...

What: Press Conference First enforcement action targeting violations of the National Do Not Call Registry. Bogus “nonprofit” debt negotiation companies misled consumers. Where: FTC Headquarters...

What: Press conference to announce joint civil/criminal law enforcement initiative targeting spammers charged with engaging in mail fraud, violating the FTC Act, and violating the newly-enacted CAN...

The Federal Trade Commission today announced its Hispanic Law Enforcement and Outreach Initiative to address the growing problem of deceptive advertising aimed at Spanish-speaking consumers. The...

Publication of Federal Register notice: The Commission has approved the publication of a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register that would amend the Telemarketing Sales Rule to revise...

Commission authorization of the staff to file amicus brief : The Commission has authorized the filing of an amicus brief in the currently pending case, Cole v. U.S. Capital, Inc., et al., No. 03-3331...

The Federal Trade Commission today announced a settlement with Tactica International, Inc. (Tactica), under which the New York City-based company will pay a $300,000 civil penalty for allegedly...

The Federal Trade Commission will refer consumer complaints to the three major national consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) under a new program announced today. The FTC will send the CRAs – Equifax...

The Federal Trade Commission will host a press conference on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 , to address the growing problem of deceptive advertising aimed at Spanish-speaking consumers. Where: FTC...

The Federal Trade Commission today issued its fourth quarterly announcement summarizing the agency’s continued enforcement against telemarketing fraud and abuse. The quarterly enforcement update lists...

The Federal Trade Commission today announced a complaint against a set of North Carolina-based defendants who allegedly billed consumers, without their consent, for listing them in the National Do Not...