During this unprecedented time, the Commission is working on all fronts to stop scams or deceptive practices related to the epidemic and to issue warnings to consumers and businesses. But our work continues in other areas as well. Today, we take a moment to reflect on some of the highlights of 2019.
Law and order. Fraudulent telemarketers, disgraced debt collectors, imposters, and other schemers follow the headlines and are good at what they do. That’s why FTC investigations and lawsuits are so important—they expose scammers’ lies and shut down their businesses. In terms of consumer protection, the Commission:
- Obtained 19 administrative orders, 97 orders seeking restitution, disgorgement and permanent injunctions, and 10 civil penalty orders; and
- Twenty-seven administrative proceedings, 41 cases, and eight civil penalty cases were filed in federal court.
Give consumers money. When we can, we recover refunds for those we lost – in 2019, the Commission recovered more than $232 million in refunds for consumers.
Breaking new ground. The Commission achieved some noteworthy “firsts” in 2019, such as the first case challenging fake paid reviews on an independent retail website and the first case against a VOIP service provider for playing a key role in facilitating deceptive schemes. A case.
Stay in the loop. 2019, The blog has nearly 83,000 subscribers 119 Blog Articles for Businessmen and Lawyers. During the same period, the public ordered more than 1.6 million copies of 17 business publications (English and Spanish) and viewed FTC business videos more than 165,800 times.
Talk to influential people. Last year, the Commission launched a new publication, Social Media Influencer Disclosure 101, to provide influencers and advertisers with guidance on how to communicate the “clear and conspicuous” standard in a legal and accurate manner. The playbook is designed to deliver messages in a way that resonates with a social media-savvy audience. The accompanying how-to video has been viewed more than 17,000 times in the first two months.
on the way. Last summer, the FTC held a “Green Light – Red Flag: FTC Rules” seminar in Atlanta that covered the truth about advertising, data security, the basics of antitrust law and other compliance topics. More than 200 business executives, corporate legal affairs, law firm practitioners, and advertising agency personnel participated.
