A federal appeals court has granted a request from 16 attorneys general to allow them to intervene in a long-running legal challenge to billions of dollars in federal subsidies provided by the Affordable Care Act. [More]
Search results for: acai
American Airlines Flight Turns Around After Bird Strike Leaves 2-Foot Dent In Plane
By 4.28.16
A bird might be small compared to a jetliner, but get a whole bunch of them together and they can do some pretty serious damage. Passengers on an American Airlines flight out of Seattle found that out yesterday, when the plane was forced to turn around after a bird strike left a two-foot dent in the nose of the aircraft. [More]
Company That Marketed Weight-Loss Products With Fake News Sites Must Return $11.9M To Consumers
By 4.6.15
UPDATE: The Federal Trade Commission has revised the judgement amount that LeadClick Media must return to consumers. The company must provide $11.9 million in redress, down from the previous judgement of $16 million. The $4.1 million previously ordered to be surrendered by CoreLogic was actually part of the total $11.9 million that the company was ordered to pay, an FTC representative tells Consumerist. The headline and text below have been updated to accurately reflect this revised figure.
The Federal Trade Commission’s crackdown on deceptive weight-loss marketers continued today, as the agency announced an affiliate marketing network and its parent company must return $11.9 million to consumers who were lured into purchasing a range of weight-loss products through fake news websites. [More]
Dr. Oz Grilled By Senator Over “Miracle” Weight-Loss Claims
By 6.17.14
Since he started appearing on pal Oprah Winfrey’s show a decade ago, and especially since he launched his own inexplicably popular daytime talk show in 2009, Dr. Mehmet Oz has had a history of being a bit overly enthusiastic about some of the alternative and nontraditional treatments he’s highlighted, resulting in countless scammers cashing in on the questionable weight-loss treatments he’s described as “miracles,” like the green coffee extract that is the subject of an ongoing federal action. This morning, Dr. Oz is appearing before a Senate subcommittee and admitting that his “cheerleading” for products that he admits are just “crutches” has caused trouble for himself and for the Federal Trade Commission. [More]
FTC Settles Charges Of Deceptive Advertising Against Four Weight-Loss Marketers For $34M
By 1.7.14
Put down that shaker of Sensa. Those promises of shedding 30 pounds while eating french fries and sitting on the couch aren’t real. We know — who would have thunk it? Well, the Federal Trade Commission for starters, which announced today that four marketers of fad weight loss products settled FTC charges on deceptive advertising for $34 million. [More]
Vitaminwater Labeling Lawsuit Can Continue, But Plaintiffs Probably Won’t Be Able To Seek Damages
By 7.19.13
It’s been more than four years since the Center for Science in the Public Interest and others filed its lawsuit against Coca-Cola for allegedly overstating the health benefits of vitaminwater and the case has still not been resolved. It has, however, inched closer to trial after a federal magistrate recommended that the case go forward as a class-action suit with regard to the products’ labeling, but that the plaintiffs could not sue for damages as a group. [More]
FTC Pulls Plug On Sites That Made $359 Million On Bogus "Free" Offers
By 2.24.12
If you’re a Consumerist reader, you’re probably the type of online shopper that would be wary of a website promising a “free trial” period. But every year, millions of Americans think they’re getting something for nothing — only to end up much poorer because they didn’t read the fine print. [More]
FTC Finally Permanently Shuts Down Fake News Sites Shilling For Acai Berries
By 1.26.12
It was nine months ago that the Federal Trade Commission announced its crackdown on companies that created sites aimed to look like news reports that were really just advertisements for supplements and other weight loss products made from acai berries. Now, as part of a settlement agreement, six online marketers will permanently stop the deceptive practice. [More]
Those "1 Tip For A Tiny Belly" Ads Are (Shocker!) A Scam
By 7.11.11
Probably the most shocking part of this story is that it took so long to reveal what seems to be kind of a given: Those ubiquitous “1 Tip for a Tiny Belly” ads are a scam, says the Federal Trade Commission. [More]
FTC Crackdown Does Little To Curb Ads For Fake News Sites
By 6.29.11
Even though the Federal Trade Commission recently appeared to be coming down hard on “news” sites shilling for things like acai juice, it looks like those sites are not only still around, but links to them are popping up on major, legitimate news sites. [More]
Debt Collectors Out To Prove They Are Not All Zombie Bullies Who Want To Eat Your Face
By 6.13.11
For decades, U.S. debt collectors have plied their trade under the watchful but lazy eye of the Federal Trade Commission, which has the authority to go after the worst of the bunch but can’t create new rules governing these businesses. But later this summer, debt collectors will come under the supervision of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau… and that scares them, especially after complaints about debt collectors jumped 17% last year to 140,036. [More]
Science Finds Way To Add Probiotics, Fiber & Antioxidants To Your Hot Fudge Sundae
By 4.26.11
The other night, while I was going hog-wild on a pint of something containing fudge, peanut butter, sprinkles and unicorn horn, I thought to myself, “If only there could be some health benefit to eating this.” Now I find out that a food scientist at the University of Missouri is tantalizingly close to squeezing all sorts of goodness into the gobs of gluttony in my ice cream. [More]
FTC Cracks Down On Fake News Sites Shilling For Acai Berries
By 4.20.11
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is taking a harsh legal stand against 10 companies and individuals marketing acai berry weight-loss products online by using fake news websites which imply endorsement from major media outlets — including our sibling publication Consumer Reports. [More]
Morning Deals
By 9.30.10
- Clothing
Acai Berry Company Temporarily Shut Down By FTC Over Billing Practices
By 8.17.10
Last summer, Central Coast Nutraceuticals settled a deceptive practices charge from Arizona’s Attorney General by promising to pay $1.4 million in fines. Now the company, which peddles acai berry and colon cleansing products, has been forced to temporarily stop selling or marketing its wonder products completely under an injunction obtained yesterday by the FTC. [More]
Morning Deals
By 8.11.10
- Clothing
Who's Showing Love For Consumerist Today?
By 4.8.10
Our more scholarly siblings over at Consumer Reports recently sat down for an interview with David Vladeck, director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission. And while Mr. Vladeck had all sorts of important things to say about scams, frauds and various sorts of hoodwinkery, the most important thing is that he likes us… he really likes us. [More]
24 Ways To Make Some Extra Money
By 2.15.10
If you’re between jobs, underemployed, or just have a lot of extra time on your hands now that you’ve give up expensive hobbies like smoking or shopping, here’s a list of 24 ways you can you earn some extra money. They’re not full time jobs, or sometimes even part-time jobs, but they’re a good starting point if you need some inspiration on how to bring in a little extra cash. [More]
