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 issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking public comment on whether ad-optimization tools offered by online platforms may help scammers impersonate businesses and government agencies. This is a proposed regulatory inquiry, not an enforcement action against a named company; no penalty or remedy was imposed.
$2.5B
A federal court approved a revised order in the FTC's Amazon Prime case under which Amazon will accelerate and expand redress payments under the September 2025 $2.5 billion settlement, which resolved allegations that Amazon enrolled millions of consumers in Prime subscriptions without their consent and knowingly made cancellation difficult. More consumers now qualify for refunds, the maximum payment cap rises from $51 to $200, and all future payments will be distributed automatically starting October 1, 2026, with potential supplemental $149 payments by April 2027. Amazon has already issued more than $845 million in redress payments as of September 2026.
$225.0M
The FTC and the state of Washington filed a joint complaint and proposed stipulated order requiring Amway Corp. and two affiliates—World Wide Group, L.L.C. (WWG) and Leadership Team Development Inc. (LTD)—to pay a $225 million judgment, the largest monetary recovery ever obtained from an MLM in an FTC action, over allegations that they used deceptive earnings claims and unfair tactics to recruit Independent Business Owners. The complaint alleges the companies falsely promised substantial income and recruitment success, pressured IBOs to buy products they could not resell, and instructed IBOs to falsely report sales. Nearly all of the judgment will be used as redress for IBOs who lost money, and the proposed order imposes structural reforms including a 70% resale requirement, independent audits of sales records, and a ban on approved providers charging new IBOs for first-year training.
$100.0M
FleetCor Technologies Inc. (now Corpay Inc.) and its CEO Ronald Clarke agreed to pay $100 million to settle an FTC administrative action alleging the company charged small business customers hidden and unauthorized fees for fuel cards and misrepresented gas savings, fraud-control features, and fees. A federal district court granted the FTC summary judgment on all counts in 2023, and a federal appeals court upheld that judgment and the permanent injunction in 2026. The settlement funds will be used to provide redress to harmed business customers.
FTC staff published FAQs on price transparency to help the automobile industry comply with the FTC Act, reiterating that an advertised vehicle price must be the actual price any consumer can pay, excluding only government-required charges. The guidance follows warning letters the FTC sent to 97 auto dealership groups earlier in 2026 and signals continued litigation against dealers that advertise one price but charge more through undisclosed fees. No specific entity was charged and no penalty was imposed.
The FTC rescinded its 2021 Policy Statement on Breaches by Health Apps and Other Connected Devices, which had purported to apply the Health Breach Notification Rule to health apps and connected devices that collect consumer health information. The rescission follows the Commission's 2024 update to the Health Breach Notification Rule, which already covers health apps and connected devices like fitness trackers, and implements an executive order directing agencies to eliminate obsolete guidance documents. No company was charged or penalized; this is a deregulatory action.