Commission authorization of the staff to file amended complaint:

The Commission has authorized the staff to file an amended complaint in the case currently pending against The College Advantage, Inc. et al. The Commission filed this action as part of the Southwest Netforce sweep on May 7, 2003, alleging that the defendants misrepresented several claims made to consumers regarding their ability to obtain 100 percent of all the funds necessary for college, including tuition, room and board, books, and all incidental expenses and fees. Through this action, the FTC has added Claudia L. Jacobs and Donna S. Baron, the wives of the individual defendants named in the complaint, as relief defendants and sought to freeze the assets held solely in their names. The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the amended complaint was 5-0. (FTC File No. X030052; staff contact is Gary D. Kennedy, FTC Southwest Region, 214-979-9379; see press release dated May 15, 2003.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.