Military personnel, veterans, and their families face unique challenges that can affect them as consumers. The FTC has created a Military Task Force to focus on identifying the particular needs of military consumers and developing initiatives to empower servicemembers, veterans, and their families more effectively.
Resources for Servicemembers and Veterans
Workshops
- Protecting Military Consumers: A Common Ground Conference, Los Angeles, September 7, 2017
- Economic Liberty Task Force Roundtable: Streamlining Licensing Across State Lines: Initiatives to Enhance Occupational License Portability, Washington, DC, July 27, 2017
- Military Consumer Financial Workshop: Protecting Those Who Protect the Nation, San Antonio, July 19, 2017
- Working Together to Protect Colorado Consumers: A Common Ground Conference, Denver
- Fraud Affects Every Community, Washington, DC
- Western Region Common Ground Conference, San Francisco
- The Road Ahead: Selling, Financing & Leasing Motor Vehicles
- Second FTC Roundtable to Discuss Motor Vehicle Sales and Financing Issues; Focus on Military Consumers, Financial Literacy, and Fair Lending, San Antonio
Related Cases
Bogus business opportunities
- Max Results Marketing, phony grants and money-making opportunities
- Advertising Strategies, online investment scam
Debt collection
- BAM Financial, unlawful collection practices
- National Check Registry, unlawful collection practices
- Goldman Schwartz, unlawful collection practices
Education
- Sunkey, lead generation for post-secondary schools
- Victory Media, advertising and marketing
- Strategic Student Solutions, student loan debt relief and credit repair
- Stepping Stonez, high school diploma mill
- Capitol Network Distance Learning Programs, high school diploma mill
- DeVry, advertising and marketing
- Ashworth College, advertising & marketing
Imposters
- American Veterans Relief Foundation, sham charity
- NHS Systems, Inc., government imposter scheme
- Help the Vets, Inc., sham charity
- Veterans of America, sham charity
Mortgage debt relief
- Mortgage Investors Corporation of Ohio, unlawful telemarketing and advertising of veterans home loan refinancing services
- Prime Legal Plans, mortgage assistance relief scam
Other Cases
- Volkswagen, deceptive clean diesel claims
- LearningRX Franchise., deceptive claims about brain training program
- Harris Jewelry
- FloatMe
- Old Southern Brass
Other Initiatives
- FTC and States Combat Fraudulent Charities That Falsely Claim to Help Veterans and Servicemembers
- FTC Staff Report on Occupational Licensing
- FTC Staff Report Examines Ways to Improve Occupational License Portability Across State Lines
- A Closer Look At the Military Consumer Financial Workshop: The Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission Staff Perspective
- Statement of Acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen
- FTC Releases Annual Summary of Consumer Complaints
- FTC Unveils Mobile-Friendly Financial Readiness Website for Military Members and Personal Financial Managers
- FTC and Veterans Administration Sign Agreement Furthering Efforts To Protect Service Members Who Use Military Education Benefits
- FTC, Partners To Recognize Second Annual Military Consumer Protection Day
- FTC Staff Comment Before the Department of Defense (DoD) on Proposed Amendments to DoD’s Regulations Implementing the Military Lending Act
- Â鶹´«Ã½ Government Launches New System to Gather Complaints From Military Veterans, Servicemembers Regarding Higher Education Institutions
Congressional Testimony
- Prepared Statement: Soldiers As Consumers: Predatory and Unfair Business Practices Harming the Military Community
- FTC Details Its Â鶹´«Ã½ Actions to Crack Down on Fraud Against the Military Community in Testimony Before House Oversight Subcommittee
- FTC Testifies Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs About the Agency’s Work to Crack Down on Fraud and Related Threats Against the Military Community
Working Group Participation
- Liaison to ABA’s
- Liaison to ABA’s
- Member, Military Lending Act Interagency Group
Military Task Force Team Leads
- Carole Reynolds
Bureau of Consumer Protection, Division of Financial Practices - Terri Miller
Bureau of Consumer Protection, Division of Consumer & Business Education