The Humane Society once again has department store chain Kohl’s in its sights for allegedly advertising a product online that contains real raccoon dog fur and passing it off as “faux,” saying the company is in violation of FTC’s Fur Products Labeling Act and has deceived consumers.

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UPDATE: Kohl’s has issued an apology and removed the parka from its website. The retailer is offering refunds to customers who bought these coats believing they contained fake fur.
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The Humane Society purchased a men’s parka — that as of this writing, is still available online here — whose online product description says “features faux-fur trim on the hood.”

The group bought that parka back in June and says that testing shows that the faux fur trim is real raccoon dog fur.

The Human Society’s President and CEO Wayne Pacelle blogged about the parka in question, writing:

In general, selling animal fur as “faux fur” is a violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” in commerce. And because the fur is on a piece of apparel, Kohl’s is also in violation of the FTC’s Fur Products Labeling Act because it failed to give the name of the animal killed, and in which country, in the online advertisement.

The investigation report (PDF) also includes a photo of the parka’s tag, which actually does list the trim as containing real fur, reading: “Real fur collar – raccoon — fur origin — China” — something an online shopper wouldn’t see until after the item arrived.

We reached out to Kohl’s for comment on the Humane Society’s allegations but have not heard back yet.

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