Tag Archives: ftc

Considering Purchasing A Work-At-Home Program? The FTC’s Business Opportunity Rule Is Here To Help

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s Business Opportunity Rule has been approved for changes that will ensure consumers have information needed when considering buying a “work-at-home” program or other similar business opportunities. Now simplified are the disclosures that business opportunity sellers must provide to prospective buyers. The disclosures will help consumers considering a purchase of such [...]

Scam Recovery Kits Business Continues To Scam Buy Selling Scam Recovery Kits

(Try saying that title ten times fast) In March of this year the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stepped up it’s efforts against scams that targeted financially strapped consumers with more than 90 actions brought by the commission and its law enforcement partners in a investigation called “Operation Empty Promises.” Within this investigation the FTC looked [...]

FTC Cracking Down on Scams using “Free” Trail Offers

The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on online marketing scheme’s using “Free” Trail offers as a way to scamming consumers of their money. A federal court stopped an online operation that allegedly stole more than $450 million from consumers in the US and other countries at the request of the FTC. The alleged ringleader, [...]

FTC Releases New Guide: Debt Relief Services & the Telemarketing Sales Rule: What People Are Asking

I just got word from the FTC they released a new guide to help people understand the new telemarketing sales rule for debt relief products. You’ll find the guide below. You’ll also find that it helps to clarify the rule and slams the door closed on some of the ways people were trying to evade [...]

GAO Takes Closer Look at Home Loan Modification Scams

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) comprised a report, Homeownership Preservation: Federal Efforts to Combat Foreclosure Rescue Schemes Are Under Way, but Improved Planning Elements Could Enhance Progress, based on “information available to federal and state agencies and nonprofit organizations, such as consumer complaints and the number of enforcement actions.” The report revealed two predominant schemes [...]

Banks Target MVBs, Most Vulnerable Bankers, to Keep Overdraft “Protection” Before Regulation E Comes Into Effect

Overdraft “protection” as we know it in America will make a positive change August 15, 2010. Considering to protect something means to cover or shield from exposure, injury, damage, or destruction, overdraft “protection” is anything but that. I view it as one of those “convince” fees. Let’s just call it what it is: a service [...]

In China, Credit Card Debt Enslaves. Anyone Surprised?

It isn’t a big shock to find out that the credit craze and panic is exploding around the world. The credit craze and panic works like this: Stage One: Craze – apply and get approved for credit and go crazy racking up the balance. Stage Two: Panic – after you’ve expended your credit resources you [...]

The Debt Collection Industry From The Eyes of Former Debt Collectors

CNNMoney.com released a fascinating showcase of the life behind closed doors of debt collectors. They took ten different collectors ranging in 2 – 20 years of service in the field of debt collecting and asked their insight and thoughts on the debt collection industry and process of today. The interviews were very nicely balanced between [...]

FTC Catches Bad Press For Doing Job Over Nestlé Milk

The Christian Science Monitor posted an article, “Does the FTC really protect consumers?” straight from Mises Economics Blog. The article claimed that the FTC was putting protecting consumers from fraud on the back burner and appeared to be more concerned with “expanding the federal government’s monopoly over food-and-drug-related speech”. This bold statement was made over [...]

FTC Hopes to Eradicate Broken Debt Collection Litigation and Arbitration

A report released by the Federal Trade Commission Monday featured the FTC’s complaints about debt collection in our country today. The report featured the conclusion that “consumers are not adequately protected in either debt collection litigation or arbitration.” The FTC put forth recommendations to both the federal and state governments on how to make the [...]

Caught In The Web : Debt Collectors Find Fleeting Debtors Via Social Networking Websites

I feel the personal need to thank a one, Vanessa Romo, a reporter at NPR for her most recent and compelling article “Elusive Debtors Foiled By Their Social Media Sites“. This article delved into a world I had never considered existed. No not Pandora, but a realm of debt collectors using social media and networking [...]

Victory and Disappointment for the Debt World Today: Total Debt Falls While Harassment Complaints Rise

CNN Money’s recent article, “Debt collectors get nasty” showed some real insight into the current debt collection process in this country. They touched on information reported by the Federal Trade Commission, FTC, about the number of complaints of debt collector harassment issues on the rise. Apparently these debt collectors haven’t heard of a little thing [...]

Andrew Houser from TASC Pleads With FTC, “Please Don’t Ban Upfront Advance Debt Settlement Fees.”

Andrew Houser from Freedom Debt Relief and board member of The Association of Settlement Companies (TASC) recently sent a letter to the FTC pleading that banning advance fees would hurt consumers. I know, how funny and unbelievable is that? Apparently what TASC can’t get through their head is that there is no good reason why [...]

TASC and USOBA Slammed Again by Attorney Generals’ Office to FTC

This record of a conference call was just recently placed on the public record. That call occurred on June 30, 2010. On Monday, June 28,2010, representatives from the Attorney General offces of Ilinois, North Carolina, and Texas participated in a telephone conference with FTC Commissioner Rosch, his attorney advisor, and FTC staff members to discuss [...]

Texas Attorney General Office Speaks Up to FTC to Please Ban Advance Fees

In a recent article I covered how debt settlement trade associations had returned to the FTC to make their pitch that banning advance fees for debt settlement services was a rotten idea. You can read that article here. A couple of weeks after the trade associations had slogged up to the FTC offices, and after [...]