Penalty Amount
$35,000,000
The FTC alleged that Hopper, a travel booking app, charged consumers hidden and pre-selected fees (Tip and VIP Support) without their consent, misrepresented the benefits of VIP Support and Price Freeze services, and failed to clearly disclose total prices. Hopper agreed to pay $35 million for consumer redress and is prohibited from misrepresenting fees under a proposed order.
Hopper must pay $35 million for consumer redress, is prohibited from misrepresenting any fees, and must clearly and conspicuously disclose fees, charges, total price, and final payment amount for any transaction.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements with third-party payment processors, customer service providers, and marketing partners to ensure no hidden or pre-selected fees are passed through to consumers without clear disclosure and consent. Customer-facing terms of service and privacy policies must be audited for accurate representations of total pricing, optional fees, and service benefits (e.g., VIP Support response times, Price Freeze terms). Employee training and internal compliance programs should address dark patterns and deceptive billing practices to avoid similar FTC allegations.
Entity
Hopper Inc.
Industry
TechnologyOfficial Press Release
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/07/travel-app-hopper-pay-35-million-settle-ftc-allegations-it-charged-fees-without-consent-deceived
2323086 Complaint Hopper
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2323086-Complaint-Hopper.pdf
2323086 Proposed Order Hopper
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2323086-Proposed-Order-Hopper.pdf
Federal Trade Commission Enforcement Page
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement
"Canadian company Hopper Inc. and its Massachusetts-based subsidiary Hopper (USA) Inc"
"have agreed to pay $35 million"
"violated the FTC Act and, for short-term lodging bookings since May 12, 2025, the FTC’s Unfair and Deceptive Fees Rule"
"unfairly charged consumers hidden fees and misrepresented the total prices consumers would pay and the benefits of the companies’ VIP Support and Price Freeze services"
"Hopper must pay $35 million, which will be used for consumer redress. In addition to the monetary judgment, the company is prohibited from misrepresenting any fees and must clearly and conspicuously disclose fees and charges"
$750K
The FTC finalized an order against Vanilla Chip LLC (doing business as TruHeight) and its principals for deceptively advertising height-enhancing supplements for children and teens without scientific evidence. The company also used fake reviews and incentivized 5-star ratings. The order requires a $750,000 payment and prohibits false health claims and deceptive review practices.
$2.3M
The FTC alleged that RentGrow, a tenant screening company, violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by failing to use reasonable procedures to ensure the accuracy of its reports, including by reporting duplicate records and failing to disclose data sources. RentGrow agreed to pay a $2.25 million penalty and is prohibited from further FCRA violations and from misrepresenting dispute outcomes.
The FTC and New York Attorney General took action against Handy Technologies for deceptive earnings claims and failure to disclose fees and fines that led to millions of dollars being withheld from workers' wages. The FTC is sending over $2.7 million in refunds to 62,893 affected consumers.
$1.5M
The FTC finalized a settlement with Publishing.com LLC and its principals for misleading consumers about potential earnings from self-publishing products. The company will pay $1.5 million and is prohibited from making unsubstantiated earnings claims, failing to disclose refund terms, and misrepresenting endorsements and reviews.
The FTC is seeking public comment on a proposed policy statement addressing concerns that AI companies may be manipulating AI system outputs contrary to consumer expectations for objectivity and accuracy. The statement explains that such conduct could be considered deceptive under Section 5 of the FTC Act. The public comment period runs until July 31, 2026.
$2.3M
The FTC alleged that Amazon knowingly violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by refusing to provide transaction records to identity theft victims whose personal information was used to commit fraud. Amazon agreed to pay a $2.25 million civil penalty and is required to comply with FCRA Section 609(e), provide notice to consumers, and contact victims who previously requested records since April 2024.