FTC

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 […]

Kaboom! It turns out that the cases announced this week against American Precious Metals LLC (APM)  by the CFTC and FTC were part of a geographically localized law-enforcement initiative that sprouted from “Operation Broken Trust,” a major national initiative undertaken last year by the U.S. Department of Justice and partner agencies as part of the […]

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: UPDATED 3:50 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) The FTC has gone to federal court to halt what it described as a $467 million, online fraud scheme operating across international borders. The scheme was exposed through international cooperation among the FTC, the Canada Competition Bureau, Service Alberta, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Alberta Partnership Against Cross […]

BULLETIN: UPDATED 3:07 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) The SEC has gone to federal court in Dallas to halt the operations of what it described as a highly complex fraud and Ponzi scheme involving a purported VOIP/telecommunications firm and more than 40 individuals and companies. A federal judge has frozen the assets of China Voice Holding Corp., […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: If this federal and state action doesn’t get the attention of the out-of-control, direct-sales crowd that divines itself the right to plant the seed that an “offer” is endorsed by famous companies and people, well, perhaps nothing will. Even as this story is being written, affiliates of Club Asteria, a purported “passive” investment […]

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., […]

The World Bank confirmed to the PP Blog this morning that a person named Andrea Lucas left its employment in December 1986, nearly 25 years ago. But Lucas was never a member of the World Bank’s board of directors, as many members of business “opportunity” known as Club Asteria have implied in online, MLM-style promotions […]

We highly recommend an even-handed series the Salt Lake Tribune published on the subject of multilevel marketing in Utah. (Link appears at bottom of post.) The series includes comments from MLM enthusiasts, the Direct Selling Association, attorneys for well-known MLM companies, MLM critics and the FTC. Meanwhile, the series shows that MLM has some political […]

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 […]