When the FCC adopted the Open Internet Order (most people call it “net neutrality”) in 2015, then-Commissioner Ajit Pai railed against the idea. Now that he’s FCC Chairman, Pai is already quietly working to roll back those rules. [More]
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Amazon Stops Fight With Feds Over Kids’ In-App Purchases; Parents May Finally Get Refunds
By 4.4.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Almost a year after Amazon was found liable for unfairly billing parents for kids’ in-app purchases, consumers are one step closer to getting refunds for those unauthorized charges after the Federal Trade Commission and the e-commerce giant decided to stop fighting over the process. [More]
NetSpend To Pay $53M To Resolve Allegations It Misled Prepaid Card Customers
By 4.3.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
NetSpend, one of the nation’s largest providers of prepaid debit cards, will pay $53 million to resolve federal regulator’s accusations that it misled users about access to funds deposited to the cards. [More]
Feds Shut Down “Risk-Free” Online Marketing Scheme Peddling Golf, Kitchen Products
By 3.24.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
As we’ve mentioned before, many companies try to lure consumers into purchasing products — be it skincare treatments or weight-loss supplements — by plastering offers for “free” or “risk-free” trails on advertisements. But as federal regulators reminded us once again, these deals often aren’t free, and don’t come without risk. [More]
Spammers Must Pay $500K After Using Hacked Emails To Push Diet Pills
By 3.17.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Last summer, federal regulators charged the operators of an alleged spam scam of hijacking hacked email accounts to spread the word about a slew of unproven weight-loss products. Now, the three affiliate marketers have agreed to pay $500,000 to put the case behind them. [More]
Watch Out For Department Of Health And Human Services Impostors On The Phone
By 3.10.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Health care and the government are in the news lately, but they shouldn’t be on your phone. If someone calls you up and asks for personal information, don’t give it to them, even if the caller ID says “HHS Tips” or “Federal Government,” or the call appears to be coming from the 202 area code in Washington, DC. The people making these calls are impersonating the government. [More]
4 Scams You Should Always Be Aware Of
By 3.6.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
In honor of National Consumer Protection Week — don’t worry; we forgot to get you a gift too — we wanted to take a few moments to remind everyone of some of the most common scams so that they can do their best to avoid them. [More]
Watch Out: That “Free” Trial Of Wrinkle Cream Could Cost You Big Bucks
By 3.6.17
It’s always good to keep in mind that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Like an empty subway car on a hot summer day, or the email telling you you’ve just inherited millions from a dead Nigerian king. Or an offer for a “free” trial of beauty cream that ends up actually costing you hundreds of dollars. [More]
FCC Officially Blocks Part Of ISP Privacy Rule From Taking Effect
By 3.1.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
As it was foretold, so it has come to pass: The Federal Communications Commission, under the direction of its new Chairman Ajit Pai, has taken action to block a portion of its own new privacy rule for internet service providers. [More]
FCC Chair Faces Blowback Over Decision To Undo ISP Privacy Rule
By 2.27.17
Last week, FCC Chair Ajit Pai declared that he would halt the Commission’s new privacy rule before it kicks in on March 2. That last-minute decision is now under fire from within the FCC and beyond. [More]
We Dissected This Fake News Site Linking Denzel, Stephen Hawking To Brain-Boosting Pills
By 2.27.17
For years, marketers of sketchy dietary supplements have cooked up fake news websites and used bogus “reporters” to push their product online. But we stumbled on one site that quadruples down on the fiction, attributing utterly made-up endorsements to bona fide stars of stage, screen, sports, and science. [More]
Feds Investigate Auto Lender For Its Use Of GPS Device To Remotely Disable Cars
By 2.22.17
Once upon a time, if you fell behind on your car loan, the repo guy came out in the middle of the night and took your collateral-on-wheels back. These days, there are small GPS devices that can remotely disable the ignition until the borrower pays up. However, one auto lender is currently facing a federal investigation for its use of this technology. [More]
FTC Investigation Finds 23% Of Funeral Homes Don’t Provide Price Lists
By 2.15.17
The Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule is a bit of consumer protection that one doesn’t think about much unless until shopping for funeral services. Fortunately, the FTC sends undercover investigators out across the country to check whether individual funeral homes are treating customers in a way that complies with the rule. [More]
Feds: Drug Company Delayed Cheaper Generics By Flooding The FDA With Paperwork
By 2.7.17 — Updated: 2.12.17
Given that a brand-name prescription drug stands to lose a significant chunk of its market share once a lower-price generic becomes available, you can understand why a drug company would want to do anything it can to delay the cheaper alternative, even if you disagree with their intentions. We’ve seen companies accused of paying millions to stave off competition through alleged “pay for delay” deals, and we’ve also seen examples of “product hopping” to prevent competitors from entering the field. Now here’s another method for keeping generics off the market: allegedly flooding the Food and Drug Administration with pointless paperwork. [More]
Vizio To Pay $2.2 Million For Watching TV Watchers Without Telling Them
By 2.6.17
There is a new truism for our era: If something can connect to the internet, it collects data. That’s true for everything from wearable fitness trackers to “smart” washing machines. But one TV company went farther than most, in collecting, aggregating, and selling your data, and now it’s in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission. [More]
How To Avoid Losing Money To The “Utility Company” Scam
By 2.2.17
When the weather outside is frightful, losing your heat or electricity is the last thing you want to have happened. But don’t let your fear of such an event push you into falling for a common scam perpetrated by fraudsters trying to pass themselves off as utility company employees on the phone. [More]
Looking For “Facebook Customer Service” Online? Don’t Call This Scammy Number
By 2.1.17
When it comes to customer service, Facebook is notoriously difficult deal with, which is why people go searching on Google and elsewhere for any sort of reliable contact information for the site. But beware: There’s a scammy phone number lurking on the internet, passing itself off as “Facebook customer service.” [More]
FTC Opens Antitrust Investigation Of Mylan Over EpiPen’s Market Dominance
By 1.30.17 — Updated: 1.31.17
The EpiPen was a perfect symbol of the current state of pharmaceutical companies and health care expenses: It was a life-saving drug that had been around for decades, often used by children, and with a price that kept rising. The controversy over the epinephrine injectors led to news stories, a Congressional hearing, a $465 million settlement for overcharging Medicaid, and investigations by the states of New York and West Virginia. [More]
