Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Workplace Inclusion, Reporting Fraud, Waste, Abuse or Mismanagement, What You Need to Know About the Office of the Inspector General, Companies and People Banned From Debt Relief, Statute, Rules and Formal Interpretations, Post-Consummation Filings (HSR Violations), Retrospective Review of FTC Rules and Guides, Other Applications, Petitions, and Requests, Magnuson-Moss Warranty Public Audit Filings, International Technical Assistance Program, Competition & Consumer Protection Authorities Worldwide, Hearings on Competition & Consumer Protection, List a Number on the National Do Not Call Registry, File Documents in Adjudicative Proceedings. They may also connect with other people to sue for a large amount in a different court. Share it with your network! Two journal articles are referenced, one of which doesn’t have anything to do with joint pain. The FTC also enforces false advertising laws on behalf of consumers. There are 16 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. For more tips from our Legal co-author, including how to decide if you should sue a company for false advertising, read on! Higher-risk products (think X-ray machines) cannot be sold without pre-market approval, which requires a rigorous review of safety and efficacy data. Promoted as an alternative to opioids, steroid injections, and surgery, the Willow Curve was “proven to relieve pain and stiffness in minutes”, sometimes in “as little as 12 minutes”, or just “24 minutes”, or at least “the next morning”, or in “two or three days”, depending on the particular testimonial. Keeping the following rules in mind when creating advertisements will help to keep those ads away from the pitfalls of false advertising claims. Watch this video to learn the truth behind weight loss product ads. . The device’s “joint scanning technology collects information from at and below your skin surface. % of people told us that this article helped them. The main way the FTC deals with deceptive ads is through administrative proceedings and federal court actions. The FTC, which had been investigating the defendants since 2017, apparently agreed with SBM’s own Dr. Harriet Hall, who wrote about the Willow Curve in 2015: Willow Curve makes a lot of claims, but there is no credible evidence to back them up. The FTC has taken action against many businesses who were charged with using false advertising. . The term “false advertising” means advertising a product or service in a misleading way, to make the purchaser believe that the product or service they are buying performs better than it actually does. For example, if you purchased an over-the-counter medicine but then suffered severe complications from using it, then you could recover for medical bills and any loss of quality of life. A very common pitfall is creating altered price comparisons with other businesses. Also, you can mail the form to Truth in Advertising, Inc., P.O. Buyer beware. . Research source There are also laws in most states, primarily deceptive practices or consumer fraud statutes, which regulate advertising. By contrast, if you want to report false advertising engaged in by the makers of dietary supplements, then you will need to contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The Order resolves a six-count Complaint filed by the FTC against the defendants for violation of federal laws against deceptive advertising. During the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the FTC has been sending warning letters to companies that may be violating the FTC Act, to warn them that their conduct is likely unlawful and that they can face serious legal consequences, such as a federal lawsuit, if they do not immediately stop. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Such cases usually are based on either unfair competition or commercial disparagement. Do not disparage the services, goods, or reputation of other people with misleading or false information. Ignore offers for vaccinations and home test kits. Was this document helpful? Then select the business and provide all relevant details about your complaint. The defendants never did this either. Don't state something can cure an ailment, for example, when all it does is alleviate symptoms temporarily. The Division of Advertising Practices protects consumers from unfair or deceptive advertising and marketing practices that raise health and safety concerns, as well as those that cause economic injury. curious | April 1, 2017 | reply; Henderson Kia advertises Executive Demo Special 2016 Sorento with $10,000 off MSRP. For more information on how to find class actions, you can see. 09-194), Possible Anticompetitive Barriers to E-Commerce: Contact Lenses: A Report from the Staff of the FTC, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission: “Abusive Robocalls and How We Can Stop Them,” Before the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, United States Senate, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission: "Still Ringing Off the Hook: An Update on Efforts To Combat Robocalls," Before the Special Committee on Aging, United States Senate, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission on "Staying A Step Ahead: Fighting Back Against Scams Used To Defraud Americans”, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission On “Combatting Illegal Robocalls: Initiatives To End the Epidemic, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission On Emerging Threats in the Online Advertising Industry, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission Entitled “Stopping Fraudulent Robocall Scams: Can More Be Done?”, #791: 16 CFR Part 305: Energy Labeling Rule; Notice of Proposed Rulemaking; Request for Public Comment, #667: Mars Petcare US, Inc.; Analysis to Aid Public Comment, #554: 16 CFR Parts 500-503: Rules, Regulations, Statements of General Policy or Interpretation and Exemptions Under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act ("FPLA" or "Act"), #353: 16 C.F.R. Send it certified mail, return receipt requested so that you will have evidence that it has been received.