January 2013
R-you up on the R-value Rule?
It’s the time of year when some people are crooning “Baby, it’s cold outside.” Whether it’s winter or summer, proper insulation can keep things comfortable. But how are consumers supposed to make heads or tails of competing claims when buying insulation? That’s where the R-value Rule comes in.
Room for improve-mint
The Hobby Protection Act is something of a misnomer. Most hobbies don’t need much by way of protection. But if you or your clients are involved in the sale of coins or certain collectibles, it’s a law you need to know about. The FTC’s settlement with the National Collector’s Mint and Avram C.
Bank data security (but not that kind of bank)
You spend a good portion of your time trying to protect sensitive information on your network from high-tech hijackers. That’s important, of course. But don’t let it take your eye off the risks posed by good old-fashioned — make that bad old-fashioned — theft. That’s the message businesses can take from the FTC’s settlement with cord blood bank, Cbr Systems, Inc.
Fighting phantom phone fees
A sure way to see smoke coming out of consumers’ ears: Put charges on their phone bills for services they never ordered and didn’t authorize. In a lawsuit just filed against Montana-based American eVoice, Steven Sann, and others, that’s what the FTC says is going on.
Call a time-out before investing in "coaching"
Coaching isn’t just about clipboards, lanyards, and saying “Listen up” a lot. What do winning coaches bring to a team? Leadership, personal attention, and a proven system for success. The people who spent more than $100 million on “coaching” services sold by Ivy Capital and related companies thought that's what they were buying. But according to an FTC lawsuit filed against dozens of defendants — and a settlement with all but five of them — that’s not what Ivy
FTC rules POM ads were false and deceptive
The Federal Trade Commission has ruled that the marketers of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice and POMx supplements engaged in false and deceptive advertising in touting their products. We’re still working our way through the 53-page decision — stop by for more in the next few days — but here are some need-to-know nuggets.
Delete your heart out
As we mentioned yesterday, it’s the small business scam du jour. What looks like an email from the FTC notifying a company about a pending complaint is really a phishing attempt from a con artist. Here are four steps you can take to help protect your business.
Scammers target businesses with fake emails
A favorite trick for rip-off artists is to pretend to represent a trustworthy and respected organization. Today — and we mean that literally — we’re hearing from businesses that have received email exploiting the good name of the Federal Trade Commission. We don’t want you to lose money or valuable information to a scam artist sending a phony message claiming you’re a target of the FTC.
Ready, willing, and label
Two of a kind can be a good thing in a card game, but it’s not so great when you’re filing energy data with government agencies. For manufacturers weary of sending the same information to both the FTC and the Department of Energy, here’s some good news. Now, energy data filers can do some one-stop shopping by submitting their required reports to a single place: the Department of Energy’s new online database, known as the Compliance Certification Management System (CCMS). The FTC has
Background screening reports and the FCRA: Just saying you're not a consumer reporting agency isn't enough
You know that phrase “If it quacks like a duck. . .