Trade Commission

As many Americans spiraled deeper into financial disrepair last year, a record number of consumers fell victim to companies seeking to profit from their misfortune, according to the federal governments consumer complaints report released Wednesday.

Last year, distressed homeowners became particularly vulnerable to financial rescue schemes, the complaints data show. Companies that, for instance, offer mortgage modifications or foreclosure relief programs generated one consumer complaint in 2008—and nearly 8,000 in 2009.

The Huffington Post Investigative Fund is documenting these schemes in the ongoing series, Hard Times Profiteers. Credit and mortgage schemes are often advertised on roadside signs, according to consumer advocates. If youve seen such an ad, snap a picture and send it to the Investigative Fund. And if you are the victim of a scheme, send the Investigative Fund your story at huffpostfund.org/profiteers.

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Nothing legitmate about eluxuryin.com I just purchased a fake LV for $267. They assure you that the bag is authentic and it is a cheap plastic replica, that you can get off the streets in New York for $25 dollars. I have reported them on the FBI and Federal Trade Commission. They have a place where you can file for Internet fraud. The chat room sells people, are fake, it is a fake agency from China, Lucy, Hao Zing some of you may have chatted with them. This is really disappointing. They are making tons of money from all of us. They don’t want to give me the return address, in order for me to send back the handbags so I have had to go to the next level. Luckily I have contact my ATM company J.P. Morgan Chase and they advised me to send it back and they will be contacting them. Don’t send them checkc or money orders. Also I noticed they don’t use American Express also, because they would open up a dispute with the company. Beware and take action. Be SMART!

They wanted to give me $80 dollars for a $267 purchase.

Send the information to the FBI and FTC Internet Crime websites.

I will let you know when I get my money back!

BEWARE OF THEIR WEBSITE. PLEASE THEY ARE FRAUDS. THEY DO NOT WANT TO HONOR THEIR POLICY
Returns or exchanges are permitted, provided the customer purchased the product through website and it is within 30 days of the receiving date.
Please contact us if you need to return or exchange.
All packages should be sent via a trackable method, such as US Mail Delivery Confirmation, UPS, or Federal Express. eluxuryin.com is not responsible for packages lost in transit.
Once we receive your return, please allow up to 5 business days to complete your return or exchange.

i’m having the same problem. i called my credit card co. and they are reversing the charges. where did you send your back to? first i saw an address to san francisco, ca and now it’s off the website. luckily i wrote it down. may send it there.

There’s a lot of misinformation going around about an alleged “new YouTube rule” that you must disclaim all products shown in your videos or else the FTC will fine you $11,000. None of that is true. You only need to put a disclaimer in your video if a manufacturer or advertiser gave you a product for free and/or is paying you in exchange for your review and endorsement of it. People who claim otherwise are misinformed and are relying on incorrect rumors and bogus scare tactics and conspiracy theories. Unlike them, I did the real research to back up what I say, including reading the 81-page FTC guidelines document itself. You can also go to the FTC’s own YouTube channel, “FTCvideos,” for more information.

We live in an age of instant communication, which also unfortunately gives the opportunity for instant misinformation to be widely spread. Now more than ever, it is a good idea to research a variety of reputable sources before you believe or pass on any rumors or speculation you may have heard or read.

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A short photostory on the duties and responsibilities of the Federal Trade Commission

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If youve been ripped off or scammed, complain to the Federal Trade Commission. It can help put the bad guys out of business. To file a complaint, just go to www.ftc.gov/complaint or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.

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The Federal Trade Commission has recently updated their guidelines for blogs and endorsements. Regular bloggers will find they fall under different guidelines than celebrities, but all bloggers need to be aware of new the new rules or they will incur stiff fines.

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I foolishly allowed my balance to reach the card limit of $250, but I made a $50 payment on time. After all fees were assessed and applied, my new balance is $219. Logic would state that my available credit is $31. However, this particular company states that my available credit is $2. That’s TWO DOLLARS. Can anyone explain how this could possibly be OK, and if I should consider contacting the FTC (Federal Trade Commission)?
*I submitted an inquiry to the company.

You need to get a break down of the current statement or most recent transaction. Because you let the card get to the limit, there could have been a fee added on that could have pushed you over the limit (over limit fee) or maybe the payment was applied late and there is a Late fee (not saying that it was) or a fee to make a payment. These fees are usually billed to the card automatically and would have cause you to go over resulting in additional charges. For a quicker response call the customer service department for clarification. Is this one of the credit building credit cards that also charge you a monthly account maintenance fee of like $6 or so? This could have been a factor if so.

FTC Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour discusses online safety challenges on mobile devices and the FTC’s efforts to keep kids safe online.

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The Federal Trade Commission has sued Intel, the world’s largest chip maker.In filing suit, the FTC is looking to block pricing deals and other tactics the government said the company has used to snuff out competition. (Dec. 16)

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I think there should be a grass roots effort to push this through to apply for all political campaigns. If it’s good enough for small business, it’s good enough for our politicians!

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/adv/bus35.shtm

What truth-in-advertising rules apply to advertisers?
Under the Federal Trade Commission Act:

Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive;
Advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims; and
Advertisements cannot be unfair.
Additional laws apply to ads for specialized products like consumer leases, credit, 900 telephone numbers, and products sold through mail order or telephone sales. And every state has consumer protection laws that govern ads running in that state.

What makes an advertisement deceptive?
According to the FTC’s Deception Policy Statement, an ad is deceptive if it contains a statement – or omits information – that:

Is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances; and
Is "material" – that is, important to a consumer’s decision to buy or use the product.

As much as I agree with what you are saying (I personally feel that all ads should go through factchecker.org or something like that before they can be released), I think it does not apply since no one is purchasing a product or service based on the ad. In the FTCs terms, we are not "consumers" of anything.