TL;DR The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged a for-profit education corporation with systemic deception for lying to prospective students about their job prospects and potential earnings. The company used false and unsubstantiated claims, such as job placement rates “up to…
The Data Trap: ITMedia’s Predatory Loan Empire TL;DR A sprawling network of companies under the “ITMedia” banner operated over 200 websites like badcreditloans.com, luring financially vulnerable people with promises of “trusted lenders.” They collected highly sensitive data including Social Security…
A Scrap Giant’s Ozone Bill: Paid in Pennies TL;DR Scrap metal giant Alter Trading Corporation was cited for repeated violations of the Clean Air Act across at least six facilities in Wisconsin and Illinois. The company systematically failed to safely…
TL;DR SYSTEMIC FRAUD: Vivint Smart Home’s commission-only, door-to-door sales force engaged in widespread identity theft to sign up customers who failed credit checks. “WHITE PAGING”: Sales reps used a technique called “white paging”—finding an unrelated person with a similar name—to…
EvilCorporations.com — Investigative Report — October 2024 The Algorithm That Ate America How Amazon Built a Secret Price Machine, Destroyed Competition, and Extracted Billions From Your Wallet TL;DR The FTC, joined by 20 states and territories, sued Amazon for illegally…
TL;DR The Federal Trade Commission sued American Future Systems, Inc. (a.k.a. Progressive Business Publications) and its debt collector International Credit Recovery, Inc. (ICR) on May 13, 2020 in federal court, Case No. 2:20-cv-02266, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The scheme: Businesses,…
TL;DR The Facts: Fintech company Brigit marketed a $9.99/month subscription promising users living paycheck-to-paycheck access to “instant” cash advances of up to $250 to avoid overdraft fees. The Misconduct: The Federal Trade Commission alleges Brigit engaged in deceptive practices. Very…
FTC Complaint: Grand Canyon University’s For-Profit Scheme TL;DR The FTC is suing Grand Canyon University (GCU), its for-profit operator Grand Canyon Education (GCE), and CEO Brian E. Mueller for multiple deceptive practices. GCU allegedly lied about being a “nonprofit” to…
The Watchdog Was The Wolf TL;DR Avast, a company selling antivirus and privacy software, secretly harvested the detailed browsing histories of its users from at least 2014 to 2020. The software, marketed to “[b]lock annoying tracking cookies” and “[p]rotect your…
TL;DR The Accused: NGL Labs, LLC and its executives Raj Vir and Joao Figueiredo. The Plaintiff: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the District Attorney of Los Angeles County. The Scheme: The NGL app allegedly tricked its users, primarily teenagers,…