FTC – News Stories About FTC - Page 2

$Biden Questions Oil Companies' Math$

Nov 17, 2021 4:52 PM CST

Biden Questions Oil Companies' Math

President wants investigation into why pump prices are up when costs are down

(Newser) - President Biden wonders why the cost of producing gasoline is dropping while prices at the pump are rising. Maybe "illegal conduct" is to blame, he wrote the chair of the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday, asking Lina Khan to investigate oil and gas companies and "bring all of...

Dating Scam 'Surge' Bamboozled the Lonely During Pandemic

Broken Hearts, Empty Wallets:
Seniors Catfished for $139M

Oct 22, 2021 5:20 PM CDT

Broken Hearts, Empty Wallets: Seniors Catfished for $139M

FTC report says there was a 'surge' in 2020 in romance scams bamboozling Americans 60 and over

(Newser) - Last month, the Department of Justice announced money laundering and wire fraud charges brought against nearly a dozen "romance scammers," and that's only scratching the surface of what the Washington Post calls a "surge" in such deceptions made worse by the pandemic, especially for the senior...

FTC Is Investigating
McFlurry Machines

Sep 2, 2021 11:20 AM CDT

FTC Is Investigating McFlurry Machines

Company accuses manufacturer of 'multimillion-dollar repair racket'

(Newser) - McDonald's notoriously finicky McFlurry machines may be in violation of antitrust law, Gizmodo reports, based on a new investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. The agency is investigating why the machines so often fail amid a legal fight between the manufacturer, which has a monopoly on repairs, and a...

How MoviePass Tried to Keep
Users From Seeing Movies

Jun 9, 2021 7:33 AM CDT

How MoviePass Tried to Keep Users From Seeing Movies

FTC outlines deceptive practices after offer of unlimited movies

(Newser) - MoviePass promised unlimited movie tickets for $9.95 a month, but the result was altogether different. Executives made it very difficult for people to actually use the service, forcing password resets, installing surprise limits on accounts, and exposing personal data, according to the FTC . "MoviePass and its executives went...

FTC Sues Huge Dating Site for Alleged Fraud

FTC Accuses
Match.com
of Fraud

Sep 27, 2019 10:44 AM CDT

FTC Accuses Match.com of Fraud

But site calls the claims 'outrageous'

(Newser) - Catch someone's eye on Match.com? That someone was often a scammer, and the company knew it—at least according to an FTC lawsuit filed Wednesday, TechCruch reports. The FTC claims Match.com lured possible subscribers with emails saying another user was interested, after flagging that user as a...

The FTC Is Probing Juul

Aug 29, 2019 1:38 PM CDT

The FTC Is Probing Juul

Specifically, the vaping company's marketing practices, reports the 'Wall Street Journal'

(Newser) - Juul has long been blamed for contributing to a rise in teen vaping—from 2017 to 2018, the habit jumped 78%—and now the e-cigarette company is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, according to sources who spoke to the Wall Street Journal . The FTC is reportedly attempting to...

Facebook Slammed With $5B FTC Fine Over Privacy

Facebook Hit With Biggest FTC
Fine Ever for Tech Firm

Jul 24, 2019 9:17 AM CDT

Facebook Hit With Biggest FTC Fine Ever for Tech Firm

Company slammed with $5B penalty over privacy; Zuckerberg escapes serious personal liability

(Newser) - Federal regulators have fined Facebook $5 billion for privacy violations and are instituting new oversight and restrictions on its business—but they're only holding CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally responsible in a limited fashion. The fine is the largest the Federal Trade Commission has levied on a tech company, though...

FTC Votes 3-2 to Hit
Facebook With $5B Penalty

Jul 12, 2019 5:00 PM CDT

FTC Votes 3-2 to Hit Facebook With $5B Penalty

Settlement caps privacy investigation

(Newser) - The Federal Trade Commission has voted to approve a roughly $5 billion settlement with Facebook over its handling of user privacy. The agreement, which probably would include restrictions on Facebook, caps a lengthy investigation, the Wall Street Journal reports. The commissioners voted 3-2 along party lines, with the majority Republicans...

Facebook’s FTC Fine
Could Be Massive

Apr 24, 2019 4:20 PM CDT

Facebook’s FTC Fine Could Be Massive

The FTC has been investigating possible privacy violations

(Newser) - Facebook said it could face a fine of up to $5 billion as the result of an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, the AP reports. The agency has been investigating Facebook for possible privacy violations, but has not announced any findings yet. The company set aside $3 billion in...

Regulators
May Go After
Zuckerberg
Personally

Apr 19, 2019 3:08 PM CDT

Regulators May Go After Zuckerberg Personally

Facebook and FTC discuss new oversight of CEO

(Newser) - Federal regulators are considering ways to hold Mark Zuckerberg responsible for Facebook's handling of its users' personal information. Possible new oversight of the CEO has been discussed by FTC officials and Facebook as part of the government's investigation into how the networking site uses the data, the Washington ...

Love Seekers Lost $143M
to Scammers in 2018: FTC

Feb 13, 2019 9:15 AM CST

Love Seekers Lost $143M to Scammers in 2018: FTC

That's more than any other type of consumer fraud found by the agency last year

(Newser) - If you wanted the Federal Trade Commission's take on Valentine's Day, here it is: Beware of getting scammed seeking love online. The warning comes via the agency's latest revelation, which cites more than 21,000 reports of people getting swindled by internet "paramours" in 2018, NPR...

How to Lose Your
Life Savings on Amazon

longform

Jan 5, 2019 5:30 AM CST

How to Lose Your Life Savings on Amazon

Matt Behdjou and Mike Gazzola insist their methods are sound

(Newser) - Ever buy a plastic wine aerator on Amazon? If so, you may have done business with a couple who lost their life savings and are mad as hell—at marketers who told them Amazon-selling was a good idea, Alana Semuels writes for the Atlantic . "It's a scam,"...

Sarah Palin
Really Wants
You to Drink
This 'Skinny Tea'

Apr 23, 2018 12:37 PM CDT

Sarah Palin Really Wants You to Drink This 'Skinny Tea'

But did she get paid as an 'influencer' to promote it on Instagram?

(Newser) - Move over, Beyonce and Dwayne Johnson : There's apparently a new Instagram influencer in town. That would be Sarah Palin, per CNN , who only showed up on the social media platform in October, yet already has more than 26,000 followers and has now taken to promoting a "skinny"...

FTC Is Now on
Ashley Madison's Case

Jul 5, 2016 7:20 AM CDT

FTC Is Now on Ashley Madison's Case

New CEO says they're 'truly sorry' for the site messing up people's lives

(Newser) - Two new executives at cheaters dating site Ashley Madison are offering up a mega-mea culpa for last year's hack -and- leak of user information, but that's likely not going to stem the flow of issues its parent company is now facing, including class-action lawsuits and an investigation by...

'Creepy'
Search Engine
Taps Into
Private Webcams

'Creepy' Search Engine Taps Into Private Webcams

How to secure the Internet of Things?

(Newser) - Ever wonder how hackable your private webcams are? Not only are they hackable, a search engine exists that has a section devoted to unsecured webcam images, showing everything from cribs to kitchens to private laboratories, Ars Technica reports. Called "creepy" by Quartz , the Shodan search engine can access webcams...

FTC Sues DeVry University, Claims It Misled Students

Jan 28, 2016 12:04 AM CST

FTC Sues DeVry University, Claims It Misled Students

FTC chair says some grads end up working as delivery drivers

(Newser) - Another large for-profit college is under government scrutiny—this time, it's DeVry University. The FTC on Wednesday sued DeVry, alleging that it misled consumers about students' job and earnings prospects. Illinois-based DeVry has more than 55 campuses across the country and offers online or on-campus degree programs in...

Feds Looking Into the
University of Phoenix

Jul 30, 2015 8:20 AM CDT

Feds Looking Into the University of Phoenix

Online college under the microscope by the FTC

(Newser) - The University of Phoenix, which runs an online college popular among military veterans, is under federal investigation for possible deceptive or unfair business practices, its parent company the Apollo Education Group told shareholders yesterday. In an SEC filing, the company disclosed that it had received a "civil investigative demand"...

Snuggies Maker
to Pay $8M for
Deceiving You

Mar 5, 2015 11:25 AM CST

Snuggies Maker to Pay $8M for Deceiving You

That Snuggie wasn't really $19.99

(Newser) - If you have a Snuggie stuffed away in a drawer, you may have been had, at least according to the Federal Trade Commission. Snuggie maker Allstar Marketing Group has settled with the FTC to the tune of $7.5 million over allegations that the as-seen-on-TV company levied unreasonable "processing...

Revenge Porn Figure Asks Google for Privacy Help

Feb 25, 2015 4:03 PM CST

Revenge Porn Figure Asks Google for Privacy Help

Craig Brittain wants photos, certain web pages removed

(Newser) - Irony alert: A guy who ran a website that trafficked in revenge porn and encouraged men to post unauthorized photos of exes is now asking Google to protect his privacy. Craig Brittain, who ran the website IsAnybodyDown.com before the FTC booted him from the business last month , wants Google...

Dr. Oz's 'Magic' Diet Bean Loses Lone Study Backing It

Oct 22, 2014 8:13 AM CDT

Dr. Oz's 'Magic' Diet Bean Loses Lone Study Backing It

Authors retract claims he cited after FTC alleged results 'hopelessly flawed'

(Newser) - In 2012, celebrity TV doctor Mehmet Oz endorsed green coffee bean extract as a "magic weight-loss cure" even though only one scientific study backed these claims—and it was funded by the extract manufacturer. This week Oz is backed further into a corner as the study's two writers...