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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION SNIPS
01-27-2026 - FTC Secures Settlement Banning Growth Cave Defendants from Marketing and Selling Business Opportunities and Credit Repair Programs - FTC alleged defendants took nearly $50 million as part of deceptive business opportunity, credit repair scheme - "Defendants behind a wide-ranging operation known as Growth Cave, including its co-CEOs, are permanently banned from marketing and selling business opportunities and credit repair programs as part of an FTC settlement to resolve allegations that their scheme cost consumers nearly $50 million. As part of that settlement, Growth Cave’s co-CEOs also will be required to liquidate millions of dollars’ worth of assets, including a multimillion-dollar house, to provide consumer redress." Google this topic if you're interested in the details.
01-21-2026 - The Federal Trade Commission released the agenda for its January 28, 2026, workshop that will examine a range of issues related to age verification and estimation technologies. The workshop, which will be held online and in-person, will explore age verification and estimation technologies, which can help companies obtain age information of potential visitors to websites and other online services. FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson will kick off the event with opening remarks. The workshop will also feature remarks by Commissioner Mark R. Meador and Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Christopher Mufarrige, as well as four panel discussions that will focus on such issues as: Why age verification matters; Types of age verification tools; Navigating the regulatory maze around age verification; How to deploy age verification at scale; and The interplay between age verification technologies and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule.
01-14-2026 - The Federal Trade Commission finalized an order with General Motors and OnStar settling allegations that they collected, used, and sold consumers’ precise geolocation data and driving behavior data from millions of vehicles without adequately notifying consumers and obtaining their affirmative consent. Under the order finalized by the Commission, General Motors LLC, General Motors Holdings LLC, and OnStar, LLC (collectively GM), which are owned by General Motors Company, are prohibited from sharing certain consumer data with consumer reporting agencies. They also are required to take steps to provide greater transparency and choice to consumers over the collection, use, and disclosure of their connected vehicle data.
01-06-2026 - The Federal Trade Commission has launched a refund claims process for some consumers who were charged for a subscription to the anonymous messaging app NGL without their authorization.
In July 2024, the Federal Trade Commission and Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office alleged that NGL and two of its co-founders engaged in a host of law violations related to their anonymous messaging app, including unfairly marketing the service to children and teens. The agencies charged NGL and its co-founders with sending fake messages that appeared to come from real people and tricked users into signing up for paid subscriptions to NGL Pro by falsely claiming that doing so would reveal the identity of the senders of messages. NGL and its co-founders also failed to obtain consent for recurring charges, the agencies alleged. The order settling the agencies’ complaint banned the defendants from marketing anonymous messaging apps to kids and teens under 18 and required them to pay $4.5 million to provide refunds to impacted users. The FTC is using that money to provide payments to customers who meet the following requirements:
paid for NGL Pro between January 2022 and July 2024; and experienced unauthorized charges. Consumers must be at least 18 years old to submit a refund claim form. Users under 18 need their parent or guardian to complete and submit the form on their behalf. All claims will be reviewed before eligibility is determined.
Consumers who meet these requirements can submit a claim online at www.ftc.gov/NGL. The claims period will be open until April 6, 2026. The FTC will review and validate claims. Payment amounts will depend on several factors, including how many people file claims. Consumers who have questions about the process can contact the claims administrator by phone at 800-351-7161 .
12-31-2025 - A federal judge has approved an order requiring Disney to pay $10 million to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company allowed personal data to be collected from children who viewed kid-directed videos on YouTube without notifying parents or obtaining their consent as required by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule).
A complaint, filed in September by the Department of Justice upon notification and referral from the FTC, alleged that Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. and Disney Entertainment Operations LLC (Disney) violated the COPPA Rule by failing to properly label some videos that it uploaded to YouTube as “Made for Kids” (MFK). The complaint alleged that by mislabeling these videos, Disney allowed for the collection, through YouTube, of personal data from children under 13 who viewed child-directed videos and use of that data for targeted advertising to children.
Under the settlement order finalized by a federal judge last week, Disney is required to:
Pay a $10 million civil penalty for violating the COPPA Rule; Comply with the COPPA Rule, including by notifying parents before collecting personal information from children under 13 and obtaining verifiable parental consent for collection and use of that data; and Establish and implement a program to review whether videos posted to YouTube should be designated as MFK—unless YouTube implements age assurance technologies that can determine the age, age range, or age category of all YouTube users or no longer allows content creators to label videos as MFK. This forward-looking provision reflects and anticipates the growing use of age assurance technologies to protect kids online.
12-23-2025 - FTC Warns 10 Companies About Possible Violations of the Agency’s New Consumer Review Rule - The Rule prohibits fake reviews and allows the Commission to seek civil penalties for violations.
Federal Trade Commission staff sent letters to 10 companies, warning them of potential violations of the agency’s Consumer Review Rule, which prohibits certain deceptive or unfair conduct related to the use of product reviews in advertising and marketing.
“Fake or false consumer reviews are detrimental to consumers’ ability to make accurate and informed choices about the products they are buying – something of particular importance during the holiday season,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “As consumers increasingly depend on online reviews, the FTC is committed to ensuring companies comply with this Rule.”
The Rule prohibits reviews and testimonials that misrepresent whether a reviewer’s experience was positive or negative, or whether the reviewer used the product or service at all. It also prohibits businesses from conditioning compensation or other incentives on reviewers expressing a particular sentiment, either positive or negative, or from failing to disclose when reviews are written by company insiders or their immediate relatives. The Rule contains additional provisions relating to company-controlled review websites, suppressing certain reviews, and misusing indicators of social media influence like the number of followers or views.
The letters, which were based on consumer complaints and information provided by the companies, are not formal determinations that the recipients have violated the Consumer Review Rule. The letters, however, remind the recipients of their obligations under the Rule, and warn them that Rule violations can result in the filing of a federal lawsuit or other legal action, and civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation.
12-22-2025 - FTC Analysis shows Consumers Have Lost Millions to Rental Scams - People 18-29 were three times more likely to report losing money to a rental scam than other adults - New analysis from the Federal Trade Commission shows that since 2020 consumers reported nearly 65,000 rental scams, many of which originated from fake listings on sites like Facebook and Craigslist, and losses totaling about $65 million.
Rental scams usually involve fake rental listings, which can often look very real and copy information from legitimate listings but are posted with the scammer’s contact information on different sites, according to the FTC’s latest Consumer Protection Data Spotlight.
Many of these ads are found on social media sites. In fact, the FTC found that about half of people who reported a rental scam in the 12 months ending June 2025 said the scam originated with a fake ad on Facebook. People ages 18 to 29 were three times more likely than other adults to report losing money to a rental scam.
Reports show these scams can take different forms including:
Scammers pressure consumers to provide money upfront before seeing the rental property in person.
Scammers push consumers to prove they are creditworthy by sending screenshots of their credit scores. They send consumers affiliate links to websites to sign up for a credit check for little cost, but this may enroll the consumer in a paid membership with recurring fees.
Scammers collect personal information from consumers such as their Social Security number, driver’s license or paystubs to steal their identity. Some ways to help avoid rental scams include searching for the rental address online to see if the same property is listed with different prices, contact information, or is listed as being for sale. Consumers should also avoid sharing personal information until they have agreed to rent a property. In addition, consumers should check out typical rents. If the advertised rent of a listing is much cheaper than rents for similar rentals in the same area, that could be a sign of a scam.
12-18-2025 - Today, the Federal Trade Commission announced that grocery delivery provider Instacart will pay $60 million in refunds to consumers to settle allegations that the company engaged in numerous unlawful tactics that harmed shoppers and raised the cost of grocery shopping for Americans. Instacart will be required to cease its deceptive practices under a proposed FTC order, and consumers who were charged for Instacart+ without their express informed consent will receive refunds as a result of the settlement. “Instacart misled consumers by advertising free delivery services—and then charging consumers to have groceries delivered—and failing to disclose to consumers that signed up for a free trial that they would be automatically enrolled into its subscription program,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC is focused on monitoring online delivery services to ensure that competitors are transparently competing on price and delivery terms.”
12-15-2025 - FTC and States File Amended Complaint Against Uber for Deceptive Billing and Cancellation Practices -The Federal Trade Commission—joined by 21 states and the District of Columbia—today filed an amended complaint alleging that Uber charged consumers for its subscription without their consent, failed to deliver promised savings including $0 delivery fees, and made it difficult for users to cancel the subscription. The FTC sued Uber in April over allegations it engaged in deceptive billing and cancellation practices related to its Uber One subscription. The states and the District of Columbia joined the FTC in filing the amended complaint, which includes a request for civil penalties for alleged violations of the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act and state laws. In addition to the District of Columbia, the states joining the FTC lawsuit include: Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Uber markets a monthly or annual subscription, Uber One, that it claims will qualify consumers for certain discounts or promotions, such as $0 in delivery fees and $25 in monthly savings. Some consumers say they did not receive the promised monthly savings or had to pay fees on deliveries despite the $0 delivery fee promise, according to the complaint. Many consumers also say that Uber enrolled them in its Uber One subscription without their knowledge or consent and makes it exceedingly difficult to cancel, despite claims that consumers can “cancel anytime.” For example, many consumers who signed up for a free trial offer were automatically enrolled and charged for the subscription before the trial ended. Others report being charged for Uber One despite never knowingly signing up for the subscription at all. Users who try to cancel can be forced to navigate as many as 23 screens and take as many as 32 actions to cancel, according to the complaint. The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the amended complaint was 2-0. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
12-11-2025 - The Federal Trade Commission today released the National Do Not Call Registry Data Book for Fiscal Year 2025, which shows that, while overall complaints rose in FY 2025, unwanted calls remain about 48% lower than in FY 2021, when the FTC received approximately five million reports about unwanted calls. The FTC’s annual data book provides detailed information on robocall and live-caller complaints, the topics consumers report most often, and a state-by-state breakdown of registrations and complaints per 100,000 people. As in prior years, calls about reducing debt, imposters, and medical and prescription issues remained among the topics consumers most frequently reported in FY 2025. The National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry lets consumers add their phone numbers and opt out of most legal telemarketing calls. In FY 2025, more than 4.7 million additional phone numbers were added to the Registry, bringing the total to about 258.5 million active registrations as of September 30, 2025—an increase of roughly 1.9% over FY 2024 and nearly 6% higher than FY 2021.
12-11-2025 - The Federal Trade Commission is sending checks totaling more than $9.6 million to eligible consumers impacted by CarShield’s misleading claims about its vehicle service contracts. In July 2024, CarShield, a seller of vehicle service contracts, and American Auto Shield, LLC (AAS), the administrator of such contracts, agreed to pay nearly $10 million to settle an FTC complaint. The complaint alleged CarShield’s advertisements and telemarketing for vehicle service contracts were deceptive and misleading, and that purchasers found many repairs were not “covered,” despite making payments of up to $120 per month. The FTC alleged CarShield’s ads deceptively represented that all repairs to consumers’ vehicles, or to “covered” systems within their vehicles, would be paid for under the plans; consumers would receive a rental car at no cost if their car broke down; and consumers could use the repair facility of their choice for repairs. Under the order settling the FTC’s allegations, CarShield and AAS are prohibited from making deceptive and misleading statements in the future when advertising their vehicle service contracts and they are required to ensure their endorsers’ testimonials are truthful, accurate, and not deceptive.
12-09-2025 - 7-Eleven, Inc. and its parent company, Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd., (collectively 7-Eleven) will pay $4.5 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit alleging that the convenience store chain violated a 2018 FTC consent order by acquiring a fuel outlet in St. Petersburg, Fla. without providing the Commission prior notice. The $4.5 million penalty marks the largest civil penalty ever collected in an FTC case involving a prior-notice violation. It is also the largest negotiated settlement of any order violation in the FTC Bureau of Competition’s history.
12-09-2025 - The Federal Trade Commission is sending payments totaling more than $27.6 million to consumers who were enrolled, without their knowledge, in plans where they were shipped and charged repeatedly for products marketed to promote weight loss, clear skin, and other healthcare benefits. According to the FTC’s July 2024 complaint, defendants Legion Media, LLC, KP Commerce, LLC, Pinnacle Payments, LLC, Sloan Health Products, LLC, and their principals, operated two types of unauthorized billing scams. In the first, the FTC alleged that the defendants defrauded consumers who bought CBD and Keto-related products by charging them more than the advertised price and enrolling them in continuity plans without their consent in which they are charged for products they never intended or agreed to buy. Several defendants participated in a second scheme where consumers paid a small shipping fee for a supposedly free “gift.” However, after consumers used their credit and debit cards to pay the fee, they incurred recurring unauthorized charges on their cards.