The Federal Trade Commission recently issued its annual Financial Report, which covers its enforcement policy. Not surprisingly, the agenda includes bread-and-butter fraud, claim substantiation-related issues, technological innovation, endorsements, undisclosed material connections, influencer campaigns, health-related advertising claims, dietary supplements, disease prevention and treatment claims, deceptive or unfair practices in the financial marketplace, sponsored content, native advertising, and privacy and data security.
Trends in the marketplace that cause harm to consumers drive the agency’s consumer protection enforcement initiatives and the filing of an FTC complaint, stated Chairman Joseph J. Simons.
The Commission states that it will continue to pursue enforcement actions to stop fraud, focusing on those instances that cause or are likely to cause the greatest consumer harm.” It refers to impostor scams, income opportunity programs and conduct targeting vulnerable classes of individuals (e.g., military consumers and seniors).
Deceptive advertising utilized in emerging technologies and new media will also continue to be the subject of regulatory scrutiny and enforcement.