Month: May 2023
FTC Obtains $16.7M Judgment Against Principals and Celebrity Endorsers of Real Estate Investment Training Program
By Richard B. Newman |
On May 22, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission announced that as a result of a lawsuit filed along with the Utah Division of Consumer Protection, 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…
FTC Compliance and Defense Lawyer Discusses Existential Threat to Lead Generation Industry
By Richard B. Newman |
As previously blogged about here, the FCC recently proposed a rule that would turn the lead generation on its head. The proposed new rule goes quite a bit further than simply requiring wireless carriers to block texts from illegitimate numbers. See more, here. In addition to carrier investigation and blocking obligations, as well as an extension of DNC…
Roundup of Recent Deceptive Pricing and False Sense of Urgency Lawsuits
By Richard B. Newman |
As discussed here, the FTC’s Deceptive Pricing Guides address different types of pricing representations. These include, without limitation, representations that a current price is a sales price or a discount from the former price, comparison prices and special prices based upon the purchase of other products (e.g., Buy-One-Get-One – “BOGO” offers). Generally speaking, advertisers must…
FTC Continues Assault on Sham Charities and Fundraisers That Participate in the Deception
By Richard B. Newman |
In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission announced “Operations Donate with Honor,” as law enforcers united to challenge deceptive fundraising. At the time, 54 Attorneys General from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, and Puerto Rico, and 16 additional state agencies that oversee charities joined forces to announce a coordinated effort to…