The marketer of a popular children's vitamin is refunding nearly $2.1 million to customers after acknowledging its pills contained only a fraction of a nutritional substance the packaging claimed.
For customers who purchased Reebok EasyTone and RunTone shoes that were part of a Federal Trade Commission settlement, your refund check is in the mail. The refund is part of a settlement reached between the federal government and the popular shoe maker over allegations of deceptive advertising claims that their shoes were better than regular shoes at strengthening and toning leg and buttock muscles.
The federal government filed suit Tuesday against Wyndham Hotels after sensitive customer data, including credit card numbers and personal information, allegedly were stolen three times in less than two years.
A Federal Trade Commission official announced that Twitter users will be able block personal data from being shared with third-party websites.
For overweight Americans, and those looking for a healthier lifestyle, the claim was almost too good to be true -- wear Skechers Shape-ups footwear and watch the pounds melt away. At a news conference Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission said the shoemaker's claims weren't true and alleged Skechers violated federal law by misleading consumers.
An undercover investigation by the Federal Trade Commission found funeral homes nationwide deceived customers into making purchases they weren't required to make and failed to give up-front pricing to customers.
After years of focusing on home mortgage scams, the Federal Trade Commission is turning its sights on what it calls bogus auto loan modifications. The FTC says fraud artists are moving from mortgage loan modification schemes and targeting consumers who are underwater on their auto loans.
For the 12th year in a row, identity theft was the number one consumer complaint -- irking consumers more than debt collectors, imposter scams and shady credit repair companies.
The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled a new online bill of rights intended to protect consumers' privacy when they surf the Web.
Is that app you just downloaded surreptitiously gathering data to push targeted ads to your 6-year-old? Quite possibly.
The Federal Trade Commission has slapped a prominent debt collector with a $2.5 million penalty for misrepresenting its debt collection powers.
A website managed by the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday became the latest government site taken down by individuals calling themselves Anonymous.
Facebook has agreed to 20 years of privacy audits to settle a lengthy complaint from the Federal Trade Commission, which says Facebook misled its members about its use of their private data.
Reebok got a kick in the keester on Wednesday. The Federal Trade Commission announced that the company had to pay $25 million for "deceptively" advertising its shoes for having buttock-toning abilities.
Borrowers who were overcharged by Countrywide Financial more than three years ago are finally going to get what's due to them.
Google went on the defensive about its business practices on Friday as it acknowledged that is the subject of a government probe.
The Federal Trade Commission has filed suit against three companies that allegedly served as fronts for scams, including fraudulent promises to help customers earn $10,000 a month from lucrative Internet businesses.
Following increased pressure from the FTC, Google and Mozilla are introducing opt-out features to their Chrome and Firefox browsers.
Many companies that charge big upfront fees to consumers drowning in debt are skirting new federal rules that ban abusive debt-settlement practices, according to consumer advocates and government officials.
You know what I like about the Internet trackers -- the ones that follow my every move on the Web? They care about me. They don't mind that I'm 50, that I've been kicked out of the prized 18-49 year old demo.
The Federal Trade Commission proposed this week that consumers should have a "do not track" option for the Internet, similar to the "do not call" list that exists to block telemarketers.
It's been exactly one year since the Federal Trade Commission implemented a new set of rules intended to crack down on bloggers who don't disclose that they've received freebies or money from brands.
Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley kicked up a firestorm last week when he said users "should get some kind of referrer's fee" when they get their online followers to buy items like movie tickets.
All new televisions will soon include labels that estimate the TV's annual energy cost, and compare its consumption to that of other models, the Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has called off its investigation of Google's "Street View" mapping program without issusing fines to the company, according to a letter sent from the FTC to Google on Wednesday.
Companies that claim to settle your debts for less than you owe can no longer charge up-front fees for their services. Instead, they have to wait to collect from consumers until they actually deliver on the promise.
The makers of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice say that the drink improves blood flow and heart health, prevents and treats prostate cancer, and works 40 percent as well as Viagra (whatever that means). All for about four bucks a bottle.
Despite being rich in antioxidants, pomegranate juice is probably not an effective treatment for heart disease and other serious health conditions.
Debt collectors are getting desperate and dirty.
Twitter agreed to settle charges that it "deceived customers" and failed to protect their personal information, the Federal Trade Commission said Thursday.
Mortgage lender Countrywide Home Loans Inc. agreed to pay $108 million Monday to settle government claims that it charged homeowners facing foreclosure inflated service fees.
Google won regulatory approval Friday for its $750 million acquisition of mobile ad firm AdMob.
The Federal Trade Commission is gearing up to possibly challenge the proposed merger between Google and mobile advertising giant AdMob on the grounds that it violates antitrust laws, according to news reports.
For years, catchy advertisements have convinced viewers that if they don't log on to a Web site offering a free credit report, they could end up living in their parents' basement or working at a seafood restaurant.
Federal regulators said Tuesday that LifeLock has agreed to pay $12 million to settle charges the company made deceptive claims about its ability to protect customers from identity theft.
While today's Federal Trade Commission action against semiconductor giant Intel recycles some now familiar charges -- abuses of monopoly power that were the subject of suits previously filed against the company by rival AMD and regulators with the European Commission, Japan, Korea, and the New York State Attorney General's office -- it also advances new factual allegations and enlists some fresh and untested legal theories into the fray.
The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday it is suing Intel Corp., the world's largest chipmaker, for alleged anticompetitive practices.
The Federal Trade Commission is going after bloggers, celebrities and tall tales in the first revision of its rules for endorsements and product reviews in nearly 30 years.
Starting Tuesday, many "robocalls" from telemarketers will be illegal.
The Federal Trade Commission is attempting to shut down three companies that the agency alleges have bombarded millions of consumers since 2007 with deceptive "robocalls" to sell them phony extensions to their original vehicle warranties.
In the wake of an Obama administration program to rescue troubled homeowners, several federal agencies are teaming up to fight mortgage and foreclosure scams, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said Monday.
CNNMoney: Avoiding scam artistsupdated: Thu Mar 12 2009 10:09:00
The federal government's plan to revive the ailing economy is stimulating business already - for con artists at least.
Tobacco companies can be sued under state laws for deceptive advertising of "light cigarettes," the Supreme Court ruled in a closely divided ruling Monday.
Six months after Rob Hruskoci closed his business, a debt collector called and demanded payment that day for the $5,000 balance on his business credit card.
The Supreme Court will decide if a woman who lost an arm because of a prescription drug can sue the drug company. CNN's Kelli Arena reports.
The nation's largest food and beverage companies spent about
$1.6 billion in 2006 marketing their products -- especially carbonated
drinks -- to children, according to a Federal Trade Commission
report
Linda Avey, co-founder of genetic testing company 23andMe, says genetic information can be illuminating, but ought to be taken with a grain of salt
Intel says it has received a subpoena from the Federal Trade Commission concerning its practices in the microprocessor market
The Federal Trade Commission unfurled Tuesday results of an enormous telemarketing fraud sweep, saying it had filed more than 180 cases that represent thousands of alleged victims and millions of dollars in losses.
For years, Big Pharma has kept competition from generic drug makers at bay by essentially paying its would-be rivals to stay out of its business. Now government watchdogs have declared war on these financial deals - a move that could bring cheaper drugs to market faster while costing giant drug developers billions in lost revenue.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout speaks with Detective Inspector Peter Devoy about a possible cyber-crime network in New Zealand.
A bogus e-mail warning consumers that cell phone numbers will soon be released to telemarketers is making the rounds again
The cherished dinner hour void of telemarketers could vanish next year for millions of people when phone numbers begin dropping off the national Do Not Call list
The cherished dinner hour void of telemarketers could vanish next year for millions of people when phone numbers begin dropping off the national Do Not Call list.
The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday it warned more than 200 companies about "potentially deceptive" mortgage advertisements that give borrowers a false impression of the cost of home loans.
The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday it found no evidence of market manipulation by refiners and other sellers in gasoline prices - spiking at more than $3 a gallon during the summer of 2006.
Health Minute: Organic food
A federal appeals court on Thursday denied a request from the Federal Trade Commission to temporarily block Whole Foods Market Inc. from merging with rival Wild Oats Markets Inc., a Whole Foods spokeswoman said.
U.S. antitrust authorities asked a federal court for permission to temporarily block organic grocer Whole Foods Market Inc.'s merger with rival Wild Oats Markets Inc., a spokesman for the Federal Trade Commission said Friday.
Whole Foods' $5.6 billion in sales make it the largest purveyor of organic and natural food. Its planned acquisition of Wild Oats would make it even bigger, but the government wants to halt the deal. The 53-year-old founder and CEO answers your questions about the merger as well as some from Fortune's Matthew Boyle.
Is the Whole Foods-Wild Oats merger dead or does the deal still have the faintest hope of a heartbeat?
Simple, cost-effective steps to prevent data theft
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said Thursday that the Austin Board of Realtors agreed to end a policy the FTC claims violates anti-trust laws and harms consumers by inflating costs.
Government regulators are cracking down on companies that claim to remove negative information from consumer credit reports.
We're all subject to life's little frustrations. Take, for example, those annoying subscription cards that fall out of magazines. It's enough to drive you batty.
Authorities have cracked down on scores of "scam artists" across the United States who cheated thousands of consumers out of millions of dollars with illegal business ventures, officials said Tuesday.
Federal regulators are targeting what they say is an elusive culprit contributing to the soaring hospital costs of recent years: mergers, Monday's Wall Street Journal reported.
The Federal Trade Commission charged a group of individuals and companies Tuesday with spamming sexually explicit advertisements that are against the law.
Money Magazine: Quotablesupdated: Sun Aug 01 2004 00:01:00
"You'll be spammed if we do and spammed if we don't" --Federal Trade Commission spokesman on why the agency won't launch a do-not-spam registry, for fear spammers will target the list
Not all telemarketers have gotten the hint that consumers really don't want to take their calls.
The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday it won't endorse a national 'do-not-e-mail' registry, saying current plans are so flawed they might actually boost the amount of junk e-mail.
The Federal Trade Commission plans to require that pornographic e-mail spam carry explicit messages in what amounts to an electronic version of the plain brown wrapper, a person familar with the plan said.
The number of individuals falling victim to identity theft has soared while the Internet continues to prove a lucrative breeding ground for shady operators who are able to steal millions from unwitting victims.
If you plan to purchase exercise equipment to fulfill on one of your New Year's resolutions, there are a few things you need to know, experts say.
Money Magazine: Sorry, Wrong Numberupdated: Wed May 01 2002 00:01:00
For the 31,147 angry consumers who filed telemarketing-related complaints with the Federal Trade Commission last year, help is on the way: The agency has proposed the creation of a national "do not...
Are the words "Internet privacy" an oxymoron? Some folks think so--including Scott McNealy, CEO of hardware giant Sun Microsystems. In January, the notoriously motor-mouthed McNealy told a group of...
Money Magazine: Are You Being "Crammed"?updated: Thu Oct 01 1998 00:01:00
What's the biggest phone gripe these days? It's not slamming (finding your long-distance service switched without permission). It's "cramming," a rapidly growing phenomenon in which charges for unw...
Last month's sweeping tobacco settlement appears to herald a new era in which heavily regulated cigarette makers must disclose the true health hazards of their products and make do without popular ...
The proposed merger of Staples and Office Depot is being subjected to unusually close scrutiny--from bureaucrats, businessmen, and antitrust junkies everywhere. As of press time, the Federal Trade ...
Lately, some credit-card issuers have been making it tough for customers to dispute unauthorized charges on their bills. The Federal Trade Commission, for example, has recently filed a lawsuit agai...
Money Magazine: Coming up updated: Mon Nov 01 1993 00:01:00
You're less likely to be scammed by a 900 number after Nov. 1. That's when an FTC rule kicks in requiring those toll-call services to tell you their cost as soon as you phone them. You'll then have...
Money Magazine: Coming up updated: Mon Jul 01 1991 00:01:00
Second-quarter corporate earnings reports will be out this month. Look for profits to be 10% lower than a year ago, signaling that the recovery hadn't begun. And the Federal Trade Commission will h...
After snoozing through much of the 1980s, the Federal Trade Commission seems to have recently stepped up efforts to protect consumers against fraudulent and misleading advertising and marketing cla...
Since the rare-coin market is risky and largely unregulated, many investors have begun to put their faith in services claiming to provide standardized appraisals by encasing coins in plastic slabs ...
If you're a TV viewer who mindlessly flicks through the channels with a remote control, the blazing car pictured above may be a familiar sight. It's a demonstration for Liquid Lustre car wax ($34.9...
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