Payments from pharmaceutical companies touch hundreds of thousands of doctors. The 17 companies we’ve tracked spent $1.4 billion in 2013 alone. Here are our top five takeaways from following all that money. (David Sleight/ProPublica) This…
The Federal Trade Commission has halted the abusive debt collection practices of an operation that used fictitious names and threatened consumers into paying debts they may not have owed. Under settlements with the FTC and…
Move America Forward has collected millions to send care packages to U.S. troops. But its appeals often rely on images and stories borrowed without permission, and its assets have been used to benefit political consulting…
The Gaming Division of the Department of Consumer Protection is warning consumers that a person or persons in the Bridgeport and Norwalk areas are selling instant lottery tickets that have been altered to appear to…
A confidential report and a fired examiner’s hidden recorder penetrate the cloistered world of Wall Street’s top regulator—and its history of deference to banks. by Jake Bernstein Barely a year removed from the devastation of…
At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a U.S. district court in Florida has temporarily halted a diploma mill that allegedly grossed more than $11 million from marketing and selling fake high school diplomas online to…
Critics say the 1968 federal law that allows collectors to take 25 percent of debtors’ wages, or every penny in their bank accounts, is out of date and overly harsh. by Paul Kiel, ProPublica, and…
ICON Health & Fitness, Inc. (ICON) and its related entities have agreed to pay $3 million in civil penalties to settle FTC charges that the companies violated the Commission’s 1997 consent order by advertising that…
By: Lisa Chedekel After months of delays, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed state Veterans Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz as the new Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning in the U.S. Department…
By: Kate Farrish The Connecticut Medical Examining Board Tuesday ordered an employee of Laser55 of West Hartford to stop using an infrared laser device to heat fat tissue for potential weight loss, saying it constitutes…
Bureau Seeks More than $500 Million In Relief For Borrowers of Corinthian’s Private Student Loans Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sued for-profit college chain Corinthian Colleges, Inc. for its illegal predatory lending scheme….
According to FTC, Defendant Falsely Claimed Mortgage Refinancing Was “Free,” Carried No Hidden Fees, and Would Save Consumers $2,000 a year. The Internet-based operation that finds potential borrowers for mortgage refinancing lenders will pay a…
By: Lisa Chedekel A preliminary review by the Office of the Child Advocate of conditions at the state’s controversial locked treatment program for troubled girls in Middletown raises concerns about the improper use of restraints,…
The Federal Trade Commission has halted two health care scams that were designed to trick consumers into paying for phony “discount” cards, which the scammers falsely claimed would provide consumers with health insurance, or help…
A Texas-based company, Applied Food Sciences, Inc. (AFS), has settled Federal Trade Commission charges that it used the results of a flawed study to make baseless weight-loss claims about its green coffee extract to retailers,…
By: Peggy McCarthy | Conley Monk, a Vietnam War veteran who has been fighting for decades to have his military discharge status upgraded, expressed hope Friday that new Pentagon guidelines will help him and other…
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection is alerting parents and children’s caregivers to a new recall of children’s sunglasses that have been deemed unsafe due to excessive levels of lead. Consumers should immediately take these…
By: Kate Farrish The state Department of Public Health has shut down eight blood collection centers because they were operating without a license or certificate. DPH issued a cease and desist order Aug. 29 against…
The states have passed hard-nosed laws and taken an aggressive tack toward employers who misclassify independent contractors. by Ryann Grochowski Jones, ProPublica, and Mike Fitzgerald, Belleville News-Democrat Jon Gould, a Carpenters Union job site…
Google to Refund Consumers at Least $19 Million to Settle FTC Complaint It Unlawfully Billed Parents for Children’s Unauthorized In-App Charges FTC Order Requires Google to Change its Mobile App Billing Practices to Ensure Consumers’…