The FTC has been active across both consumer protection and competition spaces in the past two weeks. In the consumer protection space, the agency announced several proposed settlements with companies and individuals, resolving complaints of alleged deceptive marketing, consumer privacy violations, and false advertising. In the competition space, the FTC and DOJ’s Antitrust Division launched a joint public inquiry into the effectiveness of the updated HSR premerger notification form. Operationally, the FTC was also engaged on several fronts, including testifying before the Joint Economic Committee, submitting its FY 2027 budget request to Congress, and announcing its five-year strategic plan. These stories and more after the jump.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Bureau of Consumer Protection; Technology; Advertising and Marketing; Artificial Intelligence
- The FTC announced a proposed settlement resolving its August 2025 complaint against Air AI Technologies, Inc. (also d/b/a Air AI, Air.AI, and Scale 13), Apex Holdings Group LLC, Apex Scaling LLC, Apex 4 Kids LLC, New Life Capital LLC, Onyx Capital LLC, and their owners. The FTC’s complaint alleged that the defendants deceptively marketed AI-related business support services with false earnings claims and sham refund guarantees to entrepreneurs and small businesses in violation of the FTC Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and the Business Opportunity Rule. The proposed order imposes an $18 million monetary judgment. However, the judgment will be largely suspended due to inability to pay, only requiring the defendants to pay $50,000 for consumer relief. The proposed order also permanently bans the defendants from selling or marketing any business opportunity, making false claims in telemarketing or the sale of goods and services, and making earnings claims without adequate substantiation or disclosure.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Bureau of Competition; Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR)
- The FTC and DOJ’s Antitrust Division jointly launched a public inquiry on the effectiveness of the updated HSR premerger notification form, effective February 2025. The inquiry follows a federal district court’s vacatur of the form in February 2026 and a U.S. Court of Appeals’ denial of a stay pending appeal. The inquiry asks whether the updated form increased the effectiveness of merger review while avoiding undue burdens on filers. According to the FTC, “[r]egardless of the outcome of the litigation challenging the Updated Form, the FTC is considering engaging in a new rulemaking process.” Comments must be submitted by May 26, 2026.
Bureau of Consumer Protection; Deceptive/Misleading Conduct
- On March 25, 2026, Lois Greisman, Associate Director of the FTC’s Division of Marketing Practices, testified before the Joint Economic Committee on the FTC’s fraud enforcement and consumer protection activities. Greisman testified that in the 2025 fiscal year, the FTC brought 40 law enforcement actions and obtained $1.8 billion+ in consumer redress. She further testified that the FTC received 3 million fraud reports in 2025. Consumers reported $15.9 billion in losses, up from $12 billion the prior year. Greisman also noted that while imposter scams were the most frequently reported fraud, investment scams accounted for the highest reported losses at $7.9 billion.
Friday, March 26, 2026
Bureau of Consumer Protection; Credit and Finance
- The FTC announced that Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson sent letters to the CEOs of PayPal Holdings, Inc., Stripe, Inc., Visa Inc., and Mastercard Inc., raising concerns about reports of financial services companies denying customers access to services due to their political or religious views. The letters warned that such conduct, where inconsistent with a company’s terms of service or customer reasonable expectations, may violate the FTC Act and could result in FTC investigation and enforcement action. The press release referenced President Trump’s August 7, 2025, Executive Order on debanking and noted the FTC’s prior enforcement actions against payment platforms for unfair or deceptive practices.
Monday, March 30, 2026
Bureau of Consumer Protection; Privacy and Security
- The FTC filed a complaint against OkCupid, operated by Humor Rainbow, Inc., and its affiliate, Match Group Americas, alleging that OkCupid deceived its dating app users by sharing their personal information with an unrelated third party. OkCupid’s privacy policy states that it shares personal information only with service providers, business partners, and other affiliated businesses, in response to legal obligations, when it informs users, or gives them an opportunity to opt out of having their personal information shared. Humor Rainbow granted a third party with access to the personal data of millions of OkCupid users without a business relationship, user notification, or any opportunity for users to opt out, and engaged in extensive efforts to conceal this privacy violation. Match Group and Humor Rainbow entered into a proposed order with the FTC that permanently prohibits OkCupid and Match from misrepresenting how they collect, use, disclose, or protect personal information, the purposes for collecting and using such data, or the function of privacy controls and consumer choices related to the management of personal data.
Thursday, April 2, 2026
Bureau of Consumer Protection; Cars; Deceptive/Misleading Conduct; Automobiles; Advertising and Marketing; Credit, Finance, and Loans
- The FTC and the Maryland Attorney General announced a proposed order resolving their December 2024 complaint against Lindsay Automotive Group and its executives. The joint complaint alleged that the defendants advertised low prices they refused to honor, falsely claimed that consumers must obtain vehicle financing through Lindsay, and systematically overcharged consumers for add-on products. The proposed order imposes a $3.1 million civil penalty on the defendants, which must be paid to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. The order also provides eligible consumers with redress processes to submit claims for the refund of the markup on their vehicle and/or the amount paid for add-on products they did not consent to or were told were required.
Friday, April 3, 2026
Bureau of Consumer Protection; Bureau of Competition; FTC Operations
- The FTC published its five-year strategic plan for fiscal years 2026–2030, outlining three overarching goals: two focused on the agency’s competition and consumer protection missions, and a third dedicated to improving agency operations. The strategic plan’s stated goals are to protect Americans from unfair or deceptive practices, prevent illegal monopolies and promote competition, and maximize mission outcomes through operational efficiency. The strategic plan signals continued enforcement actions against unfair or deceptive acts and anticompetitive practices, including those involving Big Tech, children’s online privacy, and telemarketing practices.
Bureau of Consumer Protection; Bureau of Competition; FTC Operations
- The FTC submitted to Congress its Fiscal Year 2027 budget request, seeking $426.71 million, including $282.2 million to fund 1,183 full-time equivalent employee positions. This budget request assumes an offset of $304 million from collections of Do Not Call fees and Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) filing fees. The FTC highlighted that in 2025, it returned nearly $318 million directly to consumers and saved consumers an estimated $3.7 billion.