Penalty Amount
$3,100,000
The FTC and Maryland Attorney General announced a settlement with Lindsay Automotive Group resolving allegations of deceptive pricing practices, including advertising falsely low car prices and charging unwanted add-ons, costing consumers over $75 million. Lindsay will provide over $75 million in refunds to eligible consumers and pay a $3.1 million civil penalty to Maryland. The settlement also prohibits deceptive advertising practices and requires clear disclosure of total vehicle prices and express consumer consent for charges.
Lindsay will pay a $3.1 million civil penalty to the Maryland Attorney General’s office and provide over $75 million in refunds to eligible consumers who were charged between April 1, 2020, and December 31, 2025. The settlement order prohibits Lindsay from making deceptive misrepresentations about vehicle pricing, availability, and financing requirements, requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of total vehicle prices (excluding required government charges), and mandates express, informed consumer consent for all charges, including add-ons.
In-house legal teams should review customer sales, lease, and financing agreements to ensure total vehicle pricing (excluding only required government charges) is clearly and conspicuously disclosed, with express, informed consent clauses included for all optional add-ons, fees, and charges to prevent unauthorized charges. Vendor agreements with advertising agencies, financing providers, and third-party add-on suppliers must be updated to include accurate pricing warranties, prohibitions on misleading financing or rebate representations, and indemnification provisions for civil penalties or consumer refunds resulting from deceptive practices. Additionally, employee commission and training agreements should be reviewed to remove incentives for hiding fees or misrepresenting pricing, with compliance clauses mandating adherence to federal and state consumer protection requirements.
Entity
Lindsay Automotive Group
Industry
AutomotiveOfficial Press Release
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/04/ftc-maryland-attorney-general-secure-full-refunds-additional-penalties-against-lindsay-auto-group
LindsayAuto Order
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/LindsayAuto-Order.pdf
x250021 lindsay automotive grp chairmans statement
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/x250021-lindsay-automotive-grp-chairmans-statement.pdf
Federal Trade Commission Enforcement Page
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement
"Lindsay Automotive Group and its executives will return money to resolve allegations that they deceived consumers for years with falsely advertised low prices and unwanted add-ons that led to buyers paying thousands of dollars more for their vehicles."
"Lindsay will pay a $3.1 million civil penalty to the Maryland Attorney General’s office."
"The Federal Trade Commission and Maryland Attorney General today announced Lindsay Automotive Group and its executives will return money to resolve allegations that they deceived consumers for years with falsely advertised low prices and unwanted add-ons that led to buyers paying thousands of dollars more for their vehicles."
"the agencies’ joint complaint, filed in December 2024, charged Lindsay with systematically deceiving and overcharging car-buying consumers for years, costing them millions of dollars."
"the proposed order settling the agencies’ complaint also requires Lindsay to provide the total price of the car, including all mandatory fees, to consumers looking to buy or lease a vehicle."
"the order also requires Lindsay to clearly and conspicuously disclose the total amount a consumer must pay for the car, excluding only required government charges. Lindsay must also obtain consumers’ express, informed consent before charging them, including for any vehicle-related fees."
The FTC sent warning letters to 12 companies offering 'nudify' tools that generate nonconsensual intimate images, for failing to comply with the TAKE IT DOWN Act (TIDA) by not providing a mechanism for victims to request removal of such content. The letters urge immediate compliance with TIDA, which requires platforms to remove nonconsensual intimate images within 48 hours of a valid request. Noncompliant companies may face future legal action and civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation.
The FTC began enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act on May 19, 2026, a law requiring covered platforms to establish a process for victims to request removal of nonconsensual intimate images and delete such content within 48 hours of a valid request. The agency launched a consumer complaint portal, issued compliance guidance for businesses and consumers, and sent reminder letters to major platforms including Meta, TikTok, and X about their obligations under the law. No specific penalties or enforcement actions against individual companies were announced in this release.
$6.5M
A federal court held Cliq Inc. and its executives Andrew Phillips and John Blaugrund in civil contempt for multiple violations of a 2015 FTC order requiring the payment processor to prevent enabling consumer fraud. The court found the defendants facilitated fraud by processing transactions for high-risk merchants, avoiding fraud monitoring, failing to conduct required underwriting, and ignoring chargeback thresholds. The court imposed $6.5 million in civil contempt sanctions against the defendants.
$795.8M
The FTC and State of Nevada settled charges with lead defendants of the IM Mastery Academy MLM scheme, including Chris and Isis Terry and their affiliated companies, over false earnings claims used to promote financial training programs and a multi-level marketing venture. The stipulated order imposes a $795.8 million judgment, with defendants surrendering nearly $90 million in assets including luxury real estate, vehicles, jewelry, and a yacht, totaling over $100 million with prior judgments from other involved defendants. The order also bans defendants from selling trading-training services, prohibits false earnings claims, and restricts deceptive practices including negative-option misrepresentations and telemarketing violations.
The FTC and State of Illinois, via the Department of Justice, filed a complaint against B.E.S.T. GDR LLC (d/b/a Premium Home Service) and its owner Yosef Bernath for creating thousands of fake home repair business listings with fabricated five-star reviews to deceive consumers. The defendants allegedly routed consumer calls to unqualified representatives, arranged for unlicensed technicians, and violated the FTC Act, Reviews and Testimonials Rule, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and Illinois consumer protection laws. No monetary penalty has been imposed yet as the case is in initial filing stages.
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson sent letters to over a dozen major technology companies reminding them of their obligation to comply with the Take It Down Act (TIDA) by May 19, 2026. TIDA requires covered platforms to establish a process for victims, including children, to request removal of nonconsensual intimate images, with takedown of content and all identical copies required within 48 hours of a valid request. The FTC also issued supplemental guidance to help companies prepare for compliance and warned that it will monitor and enforce violations of the law.