FTC files suit against alleged spyware distributor
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The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a legal complaint against two companies that allegedly infected computers with spyware and pop-up advertising, then tried to sell spyware-blocking software.
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Scammers are sending out virus-laden e-mails claiming to have information on complaints filed with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the FTC warned Monday.The e-mail appears to come from frauddep@ftc.gov -- a spoofed address -- and it includes a malicious attachment that downloads keylogging software, which is used to steal sensitive information such as passwords and account numbers.&quot;While the e-mail includes the FTC seal, it has grammatical errors, misspellings, and incorrect syntax,&quot; the FTC said in an alert , released Monday. &quot;Recipients should forward the e-mail to spam@uce.gov and then delete it.&quot; E-mail sent to this uce.gov address goes into the FTC&#39;s spam database, which is used by investigators.Online scammers often masquerade as government agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service in the hopes of tricking unsuspecting victims into clicking on attachments or visiting malicious Web sites.
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With phishing attacks skyrocketing, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a consumer alert detailing ways Web surfers can avoid being fleeced by online scammers.
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In an historic decision that split the FTC almost down the middle, it has issued a complaint against a patent holding company allegedly that apparently sued computer and network manufacturers for having followed the Ethernet standard.
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(InfoWorld) - Two consumer protection groups are asking the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate FastMP3Search.com.ar, a Web site that distributes software that can be used to search for digital music on the Web. The FastMP3Search plugin disables the Windows Firewall, installs adware and Trojan horse programs, and generally hobbles the user's PC, said John Palfrey, the Harvard Law School professor who is StopBadware.org's co-director. The software is also virtually impossible to remove once installed, he added. StopBadware.org and the Center for Democracy and Technology plan to file a formal complaint with the FTC on Thursday. "We are asking the FTC to take a close look at an application that we consider to be the worst of the bad applications that we've seen over the course of the last year," Palfrey said. Representatives from FastMP3Search.com.ar could not be reached immediately for comment. The Web site is registered to a company called Direct S.A., based in Buenos Aires, according to the Network Information Center Argentina domain name database. StopBadware.org was also unable to reach representatives from the company before filing its complaint Palfrey said. The company's Web site tells users that the software will provide a fast way to search the Internet for downloadable music files, "in exchange for your agreement to also install our plugin software, which may occasionally display ads on your computer." Although the FTC has sought court orders to shut down Web sites in the past, the fact that FastMP3Search.com.ar appears to be based in Argentina complicates matters, Palfrey admitted. Still the FTC has worked on international efforts to fight spam and online fraud. "When an application is hosted outside of the U.S., but is plainly affecting U.S. consumers, they can coordinate with other governments," Palfrey said. "We would hope that they would start an investigation of this application." FTC representatives could not be reached immediately for comment. Formed earlier this year with funding from Google Inc. Lenovo Group Ltd., and Sun Microsystems Inc., StopBadware.org has issued reports on dozens of software products that engage in questionable or downright malicious behavior. It has exposed problems in everything from Kazaa to the Jessica Simpson Screensaver, to AOL LLC's free client.
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Security software maker Symantec Corp.   said it sued a large network of distributors selling  counterfeit Symantec software, and sought over $15 million in  damages.
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THE United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) formally announced on Tuesday its first assault against spyware - bits of computer code that surreptitiously install themselves on the computers of Internet users to track their activities, push them to
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In a lawsuit, the commission alleges that two companies engaged in unfair acts and practices with their marketing and software.
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As part of a renewed effort to curb false weight-loss claims, the Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday it has sued six companies that sold products ranging from cellulite cream to diet teas and patches.
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U.S. Federal Trade Commission says that a bill stalled in Congress would give it the tools it needs to fight spyware.
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As millions of computer users try to deal with the scourge of adware and other nefarious online marketing programs, two purveyors of the technology are battling in a Seattle court.
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Complaint cites conflicts resulting from FTC chairman's husband working on antitrust cases for law firm that advises DoubleClick.
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FTC charges that Petco Web site left customer data exposed.
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The Federal Trade Commission has filed suit against two companies owned by New Hampshire resident Sanford Wallace. The firms allegedly infected users&#39; computer with spyware -- and also sold anti-spyware software.
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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)&#160;has settled a complaint with a Web-based company it accused of selling people&#39;s telephone records without permission, the agency said Monday.
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p2pnet.net News:- The US Federal Trade Commission has filed its first spyware case against former self-styled Spam King Sanford Wallace, says the Center for Democracy and Technology, which made the original complaint last February.
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(InfoWorld) - The sellers of the Spyware Slayer antispyware program have agreed to pay US$300,000 in fines to settle charges that they violated Washington State spyware and consumer protection laws. Both the charges and the settlement were filed Wednesday in King County Superior Court in Seattle, said Washington State Assistant Attorney General Katherine Tassi. Two companies, both controlled by the same owners, were named in the settlement, she said: High Falls Media LLC, of Hilton, New York, and Roc Telecommunications LLC, of Rochester, New York. Company associates Thomas Tortora, Mark Libutti and Brian Einhaus, all of New York, were also named as defendants. They could not be reached immediately for comment, and the freepcscan.com Web site used to market Spyware Slayer was no longer active on Wednesday. High Falls promoted Spyware Slayer with false pop-up ads warning victims that their computer was infected with spyware, Tassi said. If the victim tried to leave the site, another pop-up cautioned, "if you leave now, damage could be done by harmful worms, viruses, adware, spyware, malware or hacker code." These ads "were essentially startling consumers into believing that they had spyware on their computer," Tassi said. "They had a pop-up that said 'we have detected a 99 percent chance that you have spyware on your computer,' and this was just an advertisement. They had not done anything to detect anything." This type of inducement is illegal under Washington's Computer Spyware Act, but has become an "all too common mode of marketing security software," Tassi said. "We do see this as an increasing trend: the exploiting of consumer fears over spyware and adware as a way of marketing software products." Las week, Washington's attorney general announced a similar settlement with a New York man who used pop-up ads designed to look like Internet Explorer alerts. He was marketing a program called QuikShield Security, she said. Roc Telecommunications ran a number of music download sites, including 24/7 Downloads, Free Download Club, and MP3s Unlimited, which also engaged in deceptive marketing practices, Tassi said. The defendants have not admitted any wrongdoing under the agreement and will have the bulk of their $300,000 fine suspended, provided that they comply with the terms of the agreement and no longer misrepresent what they are selling. "They pay $25,000 of that and then the remaining portion hangs over their head as an incentive to comply with the injunctive provisions," Tassi said. The defendants must also pay $30,000 in legal fees and provide refunds to Washington state residents who purchased their products.