"Point Your Antenna Towards Seaford"
The Federal Trade Commission has stopped a scheme that allegedly bilked millions of dollars out of consumers burdened with student loan debt by pretending to be affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education in violation of the FTC’s Impersonation Rule, collecting illegal advance…
The staff of the Federal Trade Commission have issued a report detailing key findings from the agency’s first-ever undercover Funeral Rule phone sweep, which found several funeral providers failed to provide pricing information required by law. The FTC’s Funeral Rule requires providers to give information…
A federal court has ordered Harris Jewelry to reopen its claims process and renotify consumers, most of whom are active duty servicemembers, to submit their claims for refunds. The court found Harris Jewelry violated its prior settlement with the Federal Trade Commission…
The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against coffee shop franchise Qargo Coffee and its founders for failing to disclose critical information required by the Franchise Rule, including one founder’s ties to burger franchise BurgerIM, leaving prospective franchisees in the dark when…
The Federal Trade Commission has extended by two weeks the deadline for members of the public to comment in response to the agency’s Request for Information (RFI) on franchise agreements and franchisor business practices, including how franchisors may exert control over franchisees and their…
The Federal Trade Commission has awarded Kathy Broderick, a retired Postal Inspector in the U.S. Postal Inspection Services’ Chicago Division, with the Commission’s 2024 Criminal Liaison Unit Consumer Shield Award. The award recognizes a criminal investigator exemplifying the spirit of cooperation that the…
Online career-training company, Career Step, LLC has been ordered to pay $43.5 million in debt cancellation and cash to resolve charges brought by the Federal Trade Commission that alleged the company lured consumers, specifically servicemembers and their families, with deceptive ads that…
The Federal Trade Commission has stopped the operators of a scheme that it says tricked financially strapped consumers seeking student loan relief into paying hundreds of dollars in junk fees. The operators often targeted Spanish-speaking consumers in Puerto Rico, pretended to be affiliated…
The Federal Trade Commission has adjusted for inflation three monetary exemption thresholds used to determine whether the sale of a franchise qualifies for an exemption under the agency’s Franchise Rule. The rule requires franchisors to disclose key information prospective buyers need to evaluate…
Today, the Federal Trade Commission and its staff took a suite of actions to address growing concern about unfair and deceptive practices by franchisors—to ensure that the franchise business model remains a ladder of opportunity to owning a business for honest small…