If you’ve ever dreamed of making six figures a month from an online store, you weren’t alone—but for hundreds of consumers, that dream turned into a financial nightmare. And now, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has stepped in with a decisive blow. In March 2025, the FTC announced that it secured permanent bans and monetary …
Case Information: Allegations at a Glance: The FTC alleges that Blackrock Services and its affiliates engaged in deceptive and abusive debt collection practices, including falsely representing debts, threatening legal action, and impersonating law firms. The scheme allegedly involved fraudulent claims that consumers owed money and would face lawsuits, wage garnishments, or credit score damage if …
Made in USA labels will finally mean goods were made in America The Federal Trade Commission finalized a new rule that will crack down on marketers who make false, unqualified claims that their products are Made in the USA. Under the rule, marketers making unqualified Made in USA claims on labels should be able to …
Agency charged the company with deceiving loan applicants about hidden fees Online lender LendingClub Corporation agreed to pay $18 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that the company deceived consumers about hidden fees that it charged and about whether their loan applications were approved. In addition, the settlement bars LendingClub from making misrepresentations to …
The Federal Trade Commission is sending refunds totaling more than $223,000 to people who lost money to a student loan and mortgage debt relief operation. The FTC alleged that A1 DocPrep Inc., Streamlined Marketing, and their owner, Horman Ardalan falsely claimed to be from the Department of Education, and promised to reduce borrowers’ monthly payments …
The Federal Trade Commission is sending checks totaling more than $316,000 to 10,689 people who lost money to a student loan debt relief scheme. In a complaint first announced in March 2020, the FTC alleged SLAC (which also used the name Aspyre), Navloan, and Student Loan Assistance Center, and their owner, Adam Owens, falsely told …
In a newly filed amended complaint, the Federal Trade Commission alleges that merchant cash advance provider RCG Advances and other defendants made multiple unauthorized withdrawals from small businesses’ banks, sometimes taking thousands of dollars more than the agreed repayment amount. The amended complaint also alleges that RCG, formerly known as Richmond Capital Group, LLC and …
Career Education Corporation refund distribution, averaging more than $3,700 per person, is the largest per person average in agency’s history The Federal Trade Commission is sending nearly $30 million in refunds to people tricked by agents working on behalf of Career Education Corporation (currently operating as Perdoceo Education Corporation), the operator of several post-secondary schools. …
Since October 2020, consumers have reported losing more than $80 million to cryptocurrency investment scams, an increase of more than ten-fold year-over-year, according to a new data analysis from the Federal Trade Commission. In a new consumer protection data spotlight, the FTC breaks down the contents of nearly 7,000 reports received from consumers about these …
The operators of a student loan debt relief scheme are banned from providing debt relief services and have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they collected illegal upfront fees and falsely promised to lower or even eliminate consumers’ loan payments or balances. In its 2019 complaint the FTC alleged that Student Advocates Team …