Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Displaying 1 - 20 of 442

Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission Act

Mission
Competition
Consumer Protection
Law
15 U.S.C. §§ 41-58, as amended
The Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission Act is the primary statute of the Commission. Under this Act, as amended, the Commission is empowered, among other things, to (a) prevent unfair methods of competition and...

Ecom Genie

As a result of a Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission lawsuit, a federal court has temporarily shut down the operations of a business opportunity scam that has taken more than $12 million from consumers with false promises of big returns selling goods through Amazon and Walmart.

According to a complaint filed by the FTC, since at least 2022, the scheme operated under the names Lunar Capital Ventures, Ecom Genie and Profitable Automation, and before that as the now-dissolved company Valiant Consultants Inc. Under each of these names, the scheme has made enticing but bogus claims that consumers could earn lavish profits by paying tens of thousands of dollars to start online e-commerce businesses. The promised earnings rarely, if ever, materialize, and most consumers lose substantial amounts of money.

Type of Action
Administrative
Last Updated
Case Status
Pending

Lyft, Inc., U.S. v.

The FTC is taking action against rideshare operator Lyft for making deceptive earnings claims about how much money drivers could expect to make per hour and how much they could earn in special incentives.

Lyft has agreed to a proposed settlement that would require its claims about drivers’ pay to be based on typical earnings. In addition, Lyft has agreed to back up with evidence any claims it makes about drivers’ pay, clearly notify drivers about the terms of its “earnings guarantee†offers, and pay a $2.1 million civil penalty.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed the lawsuit and proposed settlement upon notification and referral from the FTC.

Type of Action
Â鶹´«Ã½
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
222 3028
Case Status
Pending

Weblio

At the FTC’s request, a federal court has temporarily halted the operation of a sprawling business opportunity scheme that has taken in millions of dollars from consumers with bogus promises of huge returns. The scheme has operated since at least 2018 under a number of names, including “Blueprint to Wealth,†according to the FTC’s complaint. Three individuals -- Samuel James Smith, Robert William Shafer and Charles Joseph Garis, Jr. -- and a company owned by one of them -- Business Revolution Group -- are charged in the complaint with operating the scheme.

The defendants in the case agreed to settlements with the FTC that include monetary judgements, industry bans, and prohibitions on certain conduct.

Type of Action
Â鶹´«Ã½
Last Updated
Case Status
Pending

Telemarketing Sales Rule

Rule Updated Date
The Telemarketing Sales Rule, which requires telemarketers to make specific disclosures of material information; prohibits misrepresentations; sets limits on the times telemarketers may call consumers...

Zurixx, LLC

The operators of a massive real estate investment coaching scheme face permanent bans and will pay approximately $12 million for consumer redress as part of a settlement in a lawsuit filed by the Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission and the Utah Department of Commerce Division of Consumer Protection (UDCP).

The FTC and UDCP alleged that Zurixx, LLC, its owners Cristopher Cannon, James Carlson, and Jeffrey Spangler, and a number of associated companies operated a real estate investment coaching scheme that sold live seminars and telephone coaching using false earnings claims that convinced tens of thousands of consumers to pay them thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

The Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission is sending more than $12 million in refunds to consumers who paid Zurixx, LLC for a real estate investment training program that allegedly made empty promises about earning big profits by “flipping†houses.

Type of Action
Â鶹´«Ã½
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
182 3063
X190047
Case Status
Pending