The FTC filed a complaint against MyLife.com, Inc. and its CEO for deceiving consumers with 'teaser background reports' that falsely claimed to include criminal and arrest records, and for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act by failing to ensure accuracy and permissible purpose. The company also engaged in misleading billing practices under the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act and Telemarketing Sales Rule.
In-house legal teams should review all agreements where MyLife.com acts as a data provider or consumer reporting agency. Focus on vendor agreements with data sources to ensure they include robust accuracy and update obligations, and customer/subscriber agreements for compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Key clauses to scrutinize are those defining 'consumer report,' establishing permissible purpose certifications, detailing accuracy procedures, and governing data sourcing. For billing practices under ROSCA and the Telemarketing Sales Rule, review auto-renewal terms, negative option marketing disclosures, and cancellation mechanisms. Required changes may include: (1) amending customer agreements to clearly disclose that 'teaser' reports may not contain the claimed criminal/arrest records, (2) strengthening FCRA compliance clauses with explicit accuracy and dispute resolution protocols, and (3) revising billing terms to provide clear, conspicuous disclosures of auto-renewal terms and easy cancellation methods.
Entity
MyLife.com, Inc.
Also known as: MyLife.com
Industry
Data BrokerOfficial Press Release
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2020/07/ftc-alleges-california-purveyor-background-reports-misled-consumers-think-its-reports-individuals
us v. mylife.com inc and jeffrey tinsley 2 20 cv 06692 0
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/us_v._mylife.com_inc_and_jeffrey_tinsley_2_20-cv-06692_0.pdf
united states files complaint stop deceptive and improper sa
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-files-complaint-stop-deceptive-and-improper-sales-consumer-background-reports
Federal Trade Commission Enforcement Page
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement
"MyLife.com, Inc."
"Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)"
"Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act"
"Telemarketing Sales Rule"
"failing to maintain reasonable procedures to verify how its reports would be used, to ensure the information was accurate, and to make sure that the information it sold would be used only for legally permissible purposes."
$33.9M
The FTC and DOJ settled with MyLife.com, Inc. and its CEO for deceiving consumers with misleading background reports that falsely implied criminal records and for engaging in difficult-to-cancel subscription practices. MyLife violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, and Telemarketing Sales Rule. The settlement includes a permanent ban on negative option marketing, $33.9 million in judgments for consumer refunds, and a monitoring program.
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.
$12.0M
The FTC alleged that payment processor Humboldt Merchant Services knowingly processed payments for more than 1,000 shell merchant entities serving as fronts for fraudulent companies engaged in unauthorized billing scams, despite red flags including chargeback rates nearly 10 times higher than card-brand thresholds. Under the proposed stipulated order filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Humboldt will pay $12 million for consumer redress and is permanently banned from processing payments for merchants with a heightened risk of potential fraud.
$4.8M
The FTC charged Canada-based payment processor Nuvei Corporation and its subsidiaries with knowingly processing payments for fraudulent merchants, including more than $30 million in payments for the Reimage tech support scam from 2017 to 2023, as well as merchants making false earnings claims and impersonating government tax authorities. Under the stipulated order filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, Nuvei will pay $4.85 million for consumer redress, is banned from serving tech support telemarketers, and must implement robust merchant screening and chargeback monitoring practices. Note: this is a payments-fraud facilitation action under the FTC Act and Telemarketing Sales Rule, not a data privacy violation.
The FTC announced a seven-day extension of the public comment period on its proposed enforcement policy statement regarding personalized pricing, pushing the deadline from Sept. 18, 2026 to Sept. 25, 2026. Personalized pricing refers to using personal data to set prices based on what the company believes an individual consumer is willing to spend. This is a procedural announcement about draft agency guidance, not an enforcement action against any company, and no entity was named, no violation found, and no penalty imposed.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser joined the FTC and 22 state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Amazon for manipulating the auctions used to set advertising prices, replacing actual auction results with higher prices since 2019 and overcharging nearly 1.2 million U.S. advertising customers. The FTC estimates total improper surcharges from 2018 to 2026 exceed $20 billion, with costs ultimately passed to shoppers through higher prices. The states seek a permanent injunction and monetary relief; no penalty has been imposed yet as this is a newly filed complaint.