Who does FTC fall under?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection.

What agency does the FTC fall under?

U.S. Department of Commerce | Federal Trade Commission.

What branch of government is the FTC part of?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent federal administrative agency, created by Congress in 1914 with the FTC Act. The FTC is composed of five Commissioners appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

Is the FTC under the DOJ?

Two federal agencies—the FTC and DOJ—have overlapping, as well as distinct, authority to challenge anticompetitive practices under federal law. The FTC is the only entity that can enforce the FTC Act.

What is the FTC classified as?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is a bipartisan federal agency that enforces antitrust laws and protects consumers. It was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 as part of the administration's trust-busting efforts.

A Brief History of the Birth of the Federal Trade Commission

Is FTC a government agency?

The FTC is the only federal agency with both consumer protection and competition jurisdiction in broad sectors of the economy.

Is the FTC a government entity?

The FCC's Mission

An independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress, the Commission is the federal agency responsible for implementing and enforcing America's communications law and regulations.

Does Congress control the FTC?

The FTC is accountable to all three branches. Commissioners are appointed (and can be reappointed) by the President. Commissioners are confirmed by the Senate and the Commission engages in rulemaking on issues assigned to us by Congress, which also controls our funding.

Is FTC civil or criminal?

While the FTC is a civil law enforcement agency, we have partnered with federal, state and local criminal law enforcers to alert them to behavior that also may violate criminal laws.

Who enforces the FTC Act?

The Federal Government. Both the FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division enforce the federal antitrust laws. In some respects their authorities overlap, but in practice the two agencies complement each other.

Can FTC put you in jail?

That means that, while we can't put people in jail, many of our partners can and do, including the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys, and other federal, state, and local criminal law enforcers. When FTC cases include behavior that also violates criminal laws, we let criminal prosecutors know.

Does filing a complaint with the FTC do anything?

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 ...

Does the FTC have enforcement powers?

The FTC administers a wide variety of laws and regulations, including the Federal Trade Commission Act, Telemarketing Sale Rule, Identity Theft Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, and Clayton Act. In total, the Commission has enforcement or administrative responsibilities under more than 70 laws.

How powerful is the FTC?

These days, it's focused once again on its principal job — using its unfair-and-deceptive-practices authority to bring lawsuits against companies. The FTC also offers guidance to industries through reports to Congress and public workshops.

What are the examples of FTC violations?

These cases can involve fraud, scams, identity theft, false advertising, privacy violations, anti-competitive behavior and more. The Legal Library has detailed information about cases we have brought in federal court or through our internal administrative process, called an adjudicative proceeding.

What happens if someone reports you to the FTC?

Your report is shared with more than 2,800 law enforcers. We can't resolve your individual report, but we use reports to investigate and bring cases against fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Read our Privacy Act statement to learn more about how we collect and use your information.

Can the FTC get my money back?

Refund amounts will depend on how much the FTC is able to collect from the defendants and how many people lost money. In most FTC cases, the money is distributed on a pro rata basis, meaning that each recipient receives an equal percentage of his or her total loss.

What is an unfair practice FTC?

Each of these elements is discussed further below. • The act or practice must cause or be likely to cause substantial injury to consumers—To be unfair, an act or practice must cause or be likely to cause substantial injury to consumers. Sub- stantial injury usually involves monetary harm.

What powers does the FTC have?

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.

Can the FTC bring criminal charges?

The FTC, which is not authorized to bring criminal law enforcement actions, established the BCP CLU in 2002 to bring the “worst of the worst” offenders to the attention of prosecutors.

Why would someone contact the FTC?

For Consumers

Report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Report identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov. Report unwanted calls at donotcall.gov.

Which of the five laws are enforced by the FTC?

Final answer: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces several laws including the Dodd-Frank Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and the Community Reinvestment Act.

What is the FTC rule 2023?

The FTC's Safeguards Rule requires non-banking financial institutions, such as mortgage brokers, motor vehicle dealers, and payday lenders, to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive security program to keep their customers' information safe.

What actions can the FTC take?

Under Section 5(b) of the FTC Act, the Commission may challenge “unfair or deceptive act[s] or practice[s],” “unfair methods of competition,” or violations of other laws enforced through the FTC Act, by instituting an administrative adjudication.

How do I report a violation to the FTC?

PLEASE NOTE: To file a report about fraud, scams, and bad business practices, visit ReportFraud.ftc.gov. NOTE: E-mail is not secure. Confidential information should be marked “Confidential” and sent via regular mail. To learn how we may use the information you provide, please read our Privacy Policy.