Federal Trade Commission

The FTC’s goal is to protect consumers and to eliminate/prevent what regulators perceive to be harmfully anti-competitive business practices.

If I file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against a debt collector who is trying to collect money from me for a debt and he has failed to validate the debt, but yet has reported the "debt" to the 3 credit agencies, what should I ask for? What can I expect? How do I find an attorney who sues debt collectors (for genuine complaints)? And will they work on contingency? How much might I expect to pay out?

The Federal Trade Commission does not pursue damages on to a person; they will only fine the collector. Under the FDCPA, the person that is accused of being in debt would have to file a lawsuit in court and can sue for up to $1000 per violation also there are attorney fees. A person is allowed to get an attorney and pursue their own claims in the court against the creditor. Attorneys work on contingency because they are awarded fees under the FDCPA which would be paid by the offending party.

I have a Credit Card and I am one payment in rear. Only my name is on the credit card. The company calls my home at 8:01am and they told my husband what I owed. Can a Department Store do this? I have had credit with them for 30 years.

If the husband is not an authorized user on the account and was nothing to do with the account at all, then the card company should not have shared any of the information that dealt with the account at all. The card company is in violation of that card user’s privacy rights.

A person that has been violated of their card rights can file a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission as well as the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. The Protection Bureau has the ability to impose fines and potential civil and criminal charges if they determine a violation has occurred. Below are a few useful links:
Federal Trade Commission site
Consumer Finance Protection Bureau

I have just had a call from the FTC (Cathy White) calling about my 2nd place winning of $350,000 from American International Sweepstakes. She said AIS tried 4 times to reach me, and to protect them they have to contact the FTC. I checked the roster at the FTC site, and there is no Cathy White listed. Please advise if this is a scam, since I have my doubts?

There is a chance that this may be a scam and a rather common one too. The Federal Trade Commission doesn’t involve in actions such as sweepstakes. It is actually their goal to stop these sweepstake scams. Individuals looking for further information made by the FTC about these types of scams can be found at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt167.shtm. This call can be reported to the FTC.

If I want to sue a bank for FTC violations can i do it myself with help from a lawyer online? What if I want to work with a regular lawyer? Will such an attorney let me do the grunt work, and even appear in court on my own? What if I want to work with a regular lawyer?

A person can file a complaint with the FTC online. The FTC has staff attorneys and case workers/investigators that will help that individual fight the complaint against the bank. It is recommended to file the complaint first and use the services of the FTC's attorneys and investigators; although a person can hire a regular attorney.

I am trying to cancel a contract for windows. I faxed the form that the contractor gave me which had a cancellation section which I signed before the 72 hour period (in Pa) was up. I have the receipt and confirmation of the fax. The contractor is not acknowledging my cancellation. Do I have enough proof that I canceled the contract in the proscribed 72 hour period?

The 72-hour rule is based on a federal law by the Federal Trade Commission. The rule states that the consumer must mail the notice of cancellation within 72 hours after signing the contract. If the notice was mailed within 72 hours, the person effectively cancelled the contract, regardless of when the contractor received the notice. If it was only signed, but not mailed within the 72 hours, it was not effectively canceled.

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