FTC Enforcement

For years, the Federal Trade Commission argued that signing up for Amazon Prime was easier than getting out of it — by design. A federal court agreed, and the resulting 2.5 billion dollar settlement is now the gift that keeps on giving: Amazon agreed to pay a 1 billion dollar civil penalty plus up to 1.5 billion dollars in consumer refunds, after the FTC accused the company of using deceptive design tricks to enroll shoppers in Prime and making cancellation a labyrinthine ordeal.

Prepaid debit cards are marketed as simple financial tools for people who want to avoid banks. The Federal Reserve found that one of the biggest issuers in the business was making things anything but simple, and it fined the company $44 million for it.

Multi-level marketing companies love to talk about freedom, entrepreneurship, and being your own boss. The Federal Trade Commission just had a $225 million conversation with Amway about what happens when the earnings pitch does not match the reality.

Booking a hotel room should not require the detective skills of a forensic accountant, but according to U.S. regulators and a string of lawsuits, a popular corner of the online travel world has been making it exactly that hard. Priceline.com, part of Booking Holdings, is facing possible Federal Trade Commission action over third-party hotel booking services that allegedly charge hidden fees and mislead travelers.