The Federal Trade Commission provided $4.86 million in refunds to individuals who were victimized in debt collection scams last year, the regulator noted in a summary it sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau regarding its enforcement of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The FTC took action against 17 …
Read More »Debt Relief Scammers Banned From Industry, to Pay $425k in Penalties
The operators of a debt relief scam have agreed to a permanent ban from the industry and will pay $425,000 out of a $5.3 million fine as part of a settlement that was announced by the Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General of Florida. The FTC and Florida AG …
Read More »FTC Returns More Than $3.7 Million To Consumers Harmed by Online Lender Avant
The Federal Trade Commission is returning more than $3.7 million to consumers who lost money because of unfair and deceptive loan servicing practices by online lender Avant, LLC. The FTC sued Avant in April 2019, alleging that the company falsely advertised that it would accept payments by credit or debit cards, …
Read More »FTC Publishes Biennial Report to Congress About Do Not Call Registry
The Federal Trade Commission has published its biennial report to Congress detailing information about the national Do Not Call registry, which now has more than 244 million phone numbers on it, while also revealing that consumers filed more than 5 million complaints during the 2021 fiscal year, with robocalls being …
Read More »Collectors Banned From Industry in Settlement with FTC
The remaining defendants in a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission have reached a settlement, under which they will be permanently banned from participating in the collection industry as well as surrender funds in a number of bank accounts and the title to a Mercedes as part of a …
Read More »3M New Names on DNC List; 1M More Robocall Complaints: FTC
Nearly 3 million additional people added their phone numbers to the national Do Not Call registry during the 2021 fiscal year, which ended September 30, according to data released by the Federal Trade Commission just before Thanksgiving last week, bringing the total number of actively registered numbers on the list …
Read More »FTC Bans Payment Processor From Debt Relief After Involvement in Scam
The Federal Trade Commission has permanently banned a payment processor from processing debt relief payments after it was accused of facilitating a student loan debt relief scheme while also requiring the company and its owner pay $500,000 that will be used to refund individuals who were duped by the scam. …
Read More »FTC Report Analyzes How Fraud and Scams Affect Communities of Color
Debt collection, student loan debt relief, payday loans, and government impersonators are just a few of the categories highlighted in a Federal Trade Commission report that analyzes the regulator’s effort at addressing fraud and consumer issues that are affecting communities of color, which was released earlier this week. In the …
Read More »FTC Resurrects Penalty Tool in Crackdown on For-Profit Universities
The Federal Trade Commission yesterday announced a crackdown on deceptive and unfair practices used by for-profit universities by reviving a long-dormant enforcement tool that could have implications into how the regulator takes action against companies in the accounts receivable management industry. The FTC had been using a provision in the …
Read More »House Passes Bill to Give FTC Back Its Financial Power
The House of Representatives this week passed a bill that aims to restore the Federal Trade Commission’s ability to seek monetary redress in court, after a Supreme Court ruling determined that Congress did not intend to give the regulator that power. H.R. 2668, the Consumer Protection and Relief Act, was …
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