Multi-Level Marketing v. Pyramid Schemes

What’s the difference?

Pyramid Scheme? The 7 Definitive Questions to Ask

Know the answers to these questions to be sure that MLM isn’t a pyramid scheme.

Puffery – A Marketer’s Right To Lie

Ads can legally lie to you as long as the lie is so obvious an exaggeration that you know not to take it seriously.

Federal Agencies

State-by-State Resources

Where you can file complaints or research a business in your state.

How Causewashing Deceives Consumers

For decades, brands have been supporting causes — or rather pretending to support causes — to boost sales.

Deceptive Marketing 101: Recyclable Claims

How products marketed as “recyclable” end up in landfills.

The Scoop on Social Media Influencer Disclosure Requirements

What kind of disclosure is necessary for social media influencer marketing?

Does Size Really Matter? A Primer on Slack-Filled Packaging

What to know about the FDA’s rule on underfilled or slack-filled packaging.

FDA Registered, Cleared, Approved: What’s the Difference?

Medical devices like to tout their status with the FDA. But what’s behind these terms?

Sales, Bargains, Discounts

Shoppers face fictitious pricing, perpetual sales and more when trying to decipher a true bargain in the aisle.

What to Know about Sponsored Content

It’s getting harder to distinguish advertisements from objective content.

Truth is Not Always a Defense

The truth is bigger than the sum of an ad’s parts.

What to Know about Subscription Offers

Risk free trials may lead to repeated, unwanted charges to your credit card.

Bait & Switch Advertising

Advertised deals get consumers in the door but not necessarily the price or product they wanted.

Jewelers Vigilance Committee

The Jewelers Vigilance Commitee, which was formed in 1917, provides education and self-regulation to the jewelry industry.

Natural Products Foundation

The Natural Products Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and facilitate research and education regarding natural products, including dietary supplements and nutritional foods.

Sweepstakes & Prizes

Sweepstakes and lotteries may be scams in disguise.

What is Industry Self-Regulation?

Self-regulating organizations can have varying impacts on the standards that are set for the way industries do business.

Econsumer.gov

Econsumer.gov, which was established in 2001, is a website where consumers can file complaints about online and related transactions with foreign companies.