Penalty Amount
$750,000
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.
The order imposes a $4 million judgment partially suspended after payment of $750,000. It prohibits false or unsubstantiated health claims, misrepresentations about reviewers, and buying reviews conditioned on sentiment.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements with marketing agencies, social media influencers, and review platforms to ensure compliance with FTC guidelines on endorsements and testimonials. Key clauses to update include representations and warranties regarding the authenticity of reviews, prohibitions on incentivized or fake reviews, and requirements for substantiation of health claims. Customer-facing terms of service should also be reviewed to prohibit fake reviews and ensure transparency.
Entity
Vanilla Chip LLC
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/07/ftc-approves-final-order-against-truheight-deceptive-unsubstantiated-advertising-supplements-kids
2423093truheightfinalorder
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2423093truheightfinalorder.pdf
Federal Trade Commission Enforcement Page
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement
"Vanilla Chip LLC—which does business as TruHeight"
"pay $750,000"
"deceptively advertised the effectiveness of a range of supplements that claim to boost height growth in children and teenagers"
"The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers"
"barring them from making false or unsupported health claims and using fake or incentivized consumer reviews"
$750K
The FTC alleged that Vanilla Chip LLC (d/b/a TruHeight) deceptively advertised height-enhancing supplements for children and teens without competent scientific evidence, and used fake employee-written and incentivized 5-star reviews. The proposed settlement requires TruHeight and its principals to pay $750,000, bars false health claims, and prohibits misleading review practices. A $4 million total judgment is partially suspended due to the respondents' inability to pay the full amount.
$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.
$35.0M
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.
$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.