The FTC protects consumers by stopping unfair, deceptive or fraudulent practices in the marketplace. We conduct investigations, sue companies and people that violate the law, develop rules to ensure a vibrant marketplace, and educate consumers and businesses about their rights and responsibilities.

Federal Trade Commission

SYNOPSIS OF CONSUMER PROTECTION ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY UNDER THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ACT

The basic statute enforced by the FTC, Section 5(a) of the FTC Act, empowers the agency to investigate and prevent unfair methods of competition, and unfair or deceptive acts or practices affecting commerce. This creates the Agency’s two primary missions: protecting competition and protecting consumers.

FTC’s work is performed by the Bureaus of Consumer Protection, Competition and Economics. That work is aided by the Office of General Counsel and seven regional offices.

The FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection stops unfair, deceptive and fraudulent business practices by collecting reports from consumers and conducting investigations, suing companies and people that break the law, developing rules to maintain a fair marketplace, and educating consumers and businesses about their rights …

Sometimes the FTC is able to get people all their money back. In other cases, we’re not. If that happens, the FTC gives as much money back to each buyer as possible. The exact amount will depend on how much the defendants are able to pay, how much the court orders for refunds, and how many people bought the product.

First, the FTC does not open cases for individual consumer complaints. When the FTC acts, it is doing so on behalf of the general public. The FTC takes action when there are lots of complaints about a company. Second, the FTC does bring enforcement actions against companies based in part on consumer complaints.

Yes. Many materials, such as records related to Commission organization procedures, industry guidance, rulemaking, adjudicative proceedings, consent agreements, and investigations are already publicly available on the FTC’s website.

To file a complaint, just go to ftc.gov/complaint, and answer the questions.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a fraud report online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357).

The FTC enforces consumer protection laws to stop illegal business practices and get refunds to people who lost money.

Keep in mind that the FTC never requires you to pay upfront fees or asks you for sensitive information, like your Social Security number or bank account information. If someone claims to be from the FTC and asks for money, it’s a scam.

Please visit the FTC’s refunds page, which lists recent cases that resulted in refunds. Click on the name of a case to apply for a refund or learn more about the case.

So how can you tell whether an FTC refund is real? If the FTC contacts you about a refund, you’ll find information about the case at ftc.gov/refunds.You can be sure the phone numbers and links on this page are legit.

The FTC currently issues payments by check, prepaid debit card, and PayPal.

To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

To report fraud, scams, or bad business practices, consumers should go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

For general information, or to submit a filing in an administrative litigation before an Administrative Law Judge or before the Commission, please contact [email protected] .

Please consult the FTC’s Guide to the Antitrust Laws, which may answer general questions about the antitrust laws and contains Frequently Asked Questions on a number of topics, or Inside BC to learn more about the work of the Bureau of Competition….Bureau of Competition: Contact Information.