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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...

Invitation Homes Inc., FTC v.

The Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission is taking action against Invitation Homes, the country’s largest landlord of single-family homes, for an array of unlawful actions against consumers, including deceiving renters about lease costs, charging undisclosed junk fees, failing to inspect homes before residents moved in, and unfairly withholding tenants’ security deposits when they moved out.

Invitation Homes has agreed to a proposed settlement order that would require the company to turn over $48 million to be used to refund consumers harmed by its actions. The corporate landlord will also be required to clearly disclose its leasing prices, establish policies and procedures to handle security deposit refunds fairly, and stop other unlawful behavior.

Type of Action
Â鶹´«Ã½
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
202 3170
Case Status
Pending

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

Opendoor Labs, Inc.

Opendoor Labs Inc. promised to revolutionize home selling by offering to buy consumers homes for market value while reducing transaction costs. It promised to provide speed and certainty to home sellers while saving them thousands compared to selling on the market or selling traditionally, as the company describes such sales. Although Opendoor generally delivered on its promises to provide a faster and more certain transaction, it did not save consumers money. In fact, consumers who sold to Opendoor typically lost thousands compared to what they would have made on the market. Contrary to the company's marketing, it made submarket offers and had associated costs higher than in traditional sales. The company's marketing and the opacity of the transaction, however, left consumers unaware that they had lost money. The Commission approved a final order in this matter in October 2022. In April 2024, the FTC announced it was sending nearly $62 million in refunds to sellers deceived by advertising and marketing claims made by online real estate business.

Type of Action
Administrative
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
1923191
Case Status
Pending

Nudge, LLC

As a result of a lawsuit filed by the Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission and the Utah Division of Consumer Protection (DCP), the principals of a Utah-based real estate investment training company will pay $15 million and be banned from selling money-making opportunities under a court order they have agreed to. In addition, two of the primary real estate celebrities who endorsed the training have agreed to orders that require them to pay $1.7 million.

The Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission is sending more than $10 million in refunds to consumers who paid for a real estate investment training program that allegedly made empty promises about earning big profits “flipping†houses.  

Type of Action
Â鶹´«Ã½
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
182 3016

Vision Online Inc. and Ganadores IBR, Inc., FTC v.

Under the terms of proposed federal court orders, several defendants in the case—including the companies behind Ganadores, the companies’ owners and managers Richard and Sara Alvarez, and an employee who played a key role in the marketing of the scheme, Bryce Chamberlain—will be permanently banned from selling ecommerce or real estate coaching services and will be required to turn over substantial assets to the FTC, which will be used to provide refunds to consumers harmed by the scam

Type of Action
Â鶹´«Ã½
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
212 3056
Case Status
Pending

Lanier Law, LLC

The Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission is sending more than $222,000 in refunds to consumers harmed by a deceptive mortgage relief operation known as Lanier Law. The scheme collected thousands of dollars in upfront fees from homeowners by promising to lower their monthly payments but then failed to deliver.

Type of Action
Â鶹´«Ã½
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
142 3038
X140039

Consumer Defense, LLC, et al.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada has ruled in favor of the Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission in a case against the operators of a scheme that deceived financially distressed homeowners by falsely promising to make their mortgages more affordable.  The defendants also charged consumers illegal advance fees and unlawfully told consumers not to pay their mortgages to or communicate with their lenders.

In January 2024, The FTC sent more than $1.2 million in refunds to consumers who lost money to Consumer Defense.

Type of Action
Â鶹´«Ã½
Last Updated
FTC Matter/File Number
172 3021