Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

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On June 2, 2014, U.S. Federal Trade Commission member Julie Brill, speaking at the European Data Protection Supervisor’s workshop on privacy, consumer protection and competition in Brussels, said that companies’ privacy protection regimes focused on limiting or stopping harmful uses of data overlook the potential damage to consumers’ privacy through the incremental accumulation of small…

On May 27, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission issued a long-awaited report on the data broker industry.  The report, titled “Data Brokers: A Call for Transparency and Accountability,” is the result of an eighteen-month study of certain data brokers that represent a cross-section of the industry.

The report encouraged Congress to step in to enact…

On May 7, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Case No. 4:14cv1262, against GoLoansOnline.com (“GoLoansOnline”), an online company that finds potential borrowers for mortgage companies, alleging violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Mortgage Acts and Practices Advertising Rule, the Truth…

Asset Capital and Management Group (“Asset”), a debt collector based in Southern California, has agreed to a $4 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission to resolve allegations that it extorted payments from consumers by using false threats.  According to the FTC, Asset and its principals employed a vast network of related companies and used…

The two principal owners of Rincon Debt Management – Jason R. Begley and Wayne W. Lunsford – will surrender more than $3.3 million worth of assets that will be used to provide refunds to victims under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.  In addition to the permanent ban from the debt collection business…

This week, nearly 5,000 consumers will receive refund checks of $25.13 pursuant to a settlement between the Federal Trade Commission and Arizona-based telemarketing company National Card Monitor, LLC (“NCM”).  According to the Commission, NCM began cold-calling consumers in early 2011 and falsely claiming that it could offer low-rate credit cards to consumers, onto which they…

Two data brokers settled charges brought by the FTC for $1.5 million based  on allegations that they violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) when selling consumer data.

The FTC alleged the companies operated as consumer reporting agencies when providing reports about consumers to users such as prospective employers and landlords.  The complaints filed by…

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continued “Operation Steer Clear” – a crackdown on deceptive advertising by automobile dealers – with a tenth settlement with a dealer accused of misrepresenting the terms of available consumer leases.

Courtesy Auto Group, Inc., a Massachusetts auto dealer, agreed to a proposed settlement with the FTC under which…

This month, the Federal Trade Commission charged an Arkansas auto dealer, Abernathy Motor Company, and its two principals, with failing to display a “Buyers Guide” on used vehicles offered for sale, as required by the FTC’s Used Car Rule. Before being charged, the FTC had visited the dealer in December 2012 and identified issues of…

As part of the CFPB’s annual report to Congress on the federal government’s efforts to implement the FDCPA, the FTC submitted highlights from its 2013 enforcement actions signaling that the Commission will continue to play an active role in enforcing the FDCPA in collaboration with the CFPB and state attorneys general.

The FTC noted that…