Federal Trade Commission

BULLETIN: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Canadian Competition Bureau have taken down an alleged ‘Yellow Pages” scam in which businesses in the United States and Canada were deceived into paying for unwanted listings in online business directories. The scam was centered in Europe, authorities from both countries said. The Competition Bureau said it […]

UPDATED 12:15 P.M. ET (U.S.A., FEB. 6, 2012) An Internet Marketer based in Calfornia used domains with “co.uk” extensions and duped British customers into believing they were doing business with a firm based in the United Kingdom, the Federal Trade Commison said. The actions of Jaivin Karnani and his associated firms, including a company known […]

BULLETIN: In the third such action in the United States since March 30, the CFTC has gone to federal court in Florida to block what it described as a “precious metals” scam that incorporated fictitious trading. Charged with fraud in the case were Sammy J. Goldman of Delray Beach, Fla., and Harry Robert Tanner Jr. […]

BULLETIN: The Federal Trade Commission has gone to federal court in Fort Myers to seek contempt sanctions against Florida companies accused of encouraging prospects to misrepresent information on applications to receive Food Stamp benefits. Prospects who followed the advice could be charged with a crime, the FTC said. The companies and their principal also are […]

Two weeks after an employee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was accused of stealing confidential information from a government database to profit from illicit stock trades, another government employee accused in a separate case of taking advantage of his position to commit a crime has pleaded guilty. Harold Hughes, 58, of Arlington, Va., […]

BULLETIN: (UPDATED 3 P.M. ET (U.S.A.) The first experience some people seeking to become U.S. citizens had was to be duped by Americans, the Federal Trade Commission has alleged. After a probe involving multiple government agencies, the FTC has gone to federal court in Nevada to block what it described as an “immigration scam.” 3 […]

UPDATED 4:56 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) Calling the operations of Arizona-based Central Coast Nutraceuticals Inc. (CCN) and affiliated companies a “$30 million” scam in 2009 alone, the Federal Trade Commission has obtained a court-ordered asset freeze in an acai-berry fraud case. Charged along with CCN were Graham D. Gibson, Michael A. McKenzy and four companies that […]

In 2009, Oprah Winfrey sued more than 40 companies for trademark infringement amid claims they were fleecing the public by implying she endorsed their Acai berry products. Winfrey, an American television and business icon, is based in Chicago. Harpo Productions, which produces The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Dr. Oz Show, filed the infringement lawsuit […]

A Florida multilevel marketing (MLM) company that says its license-plate data system can help law enforcement and the AMBER Alert program locate abducted children now says it is working against cities “worldwide” in their efforts to enforce traffic laws. Data Network Affiliates (DNA) announced that it was offering “DNA Protective Spray” by the case to […]

UPDATED 4:51 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) A convicted felon who emerged from prison and almost immediately launched a $1 million fraud scheme known as PPSN threatened to prosecute and sue a consumer who had filed an online complaint, federal prosecutors said. Although the threat caused the consumer to withdraw the complaint against Philip Pestrichello, Pestrichello’s bid […]

As the attention of the United States and much of the world is riveted on the oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico, the Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers that schemers will try to take advantage of the environmental disaster to lines their own pockets. “It’s no secret that scam artists follow the headlines, […]