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Federal Trade Commission
WHAT WE DO:
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) deals with issues that touch the economic life of every American. It is the only federal agency with both consumer protection and competition jurisdiction in broad sectors of the economy. The FTC pursues vigorous and effective law enforcement; develops policy and research tools through hearings, workshops, and conferences; and creates practical and plain-language educational programs for consumers and businesses.
The FTC's Division of Consumer and Business Education (DCBE) plans and implements public education campaigns for consumers and industry about fraud, deception, and unfair practices. DCBE produces, promotes, and disseminates educational messages and award-winning materials to consumers, businesses, and law enforcement officials through multifaceted communications and outreach programs.
WHAT WE OFFER:
Through our publications, online activities, efforts with other federal agencies and non-governmental organizations, marketing initiatives, and media outreach, we reach tens of millions of consumers and businesses each year. In Fiscal Year 2009, DCBE distributed more than 12 million English and Spanish publications, and recorded more than 30 million accesses of consumer and business information on the FTC Web site (www.ftc.gov).
The consumer information section of the site - www.ftc.gov/consumer- offers practical information on a variety of consumer topics, including: advertising claims; buying, leasing and renting cars; credit; debt collection; employment and job placement; identity theft; investment schemes; online shopping; scholarship scams; sweepstakes; telemarketing; work-at-home schemes...and more. FTC information can help you avoid rip-offs and exercise your consumer rights. So read up!
All FTC consumer and business publications and articles are in the public domain. Feel free to post them, reprint them, adapt them, or link to them.
DCBE's print materials are free and available in bulk. For more information, visit bulkorder.ftc.gov.
WHAT WE NEED:
DCBE is looking for partners to help us get the word out about mission-related activities. Your organization might:
- Make Brochures Available to Your Community Members - If you work for an organization that serves consumers directly, it may have a location designed for the public to pick up free information. Or, you may know where in your community most people get their information. Make sure that consumer brochures are available in these places so people can pick up free copies.
- Encourage Your Co-Workers to Use Consumer Information - Sharing information with your colleagues can help them better understand consumer issues, which, in turn, can make it easier for them to help those they work with. Let them know about the resources you have found!
- E-mail can be a quick and effective way to let your co-workers know about the FTC's free consumer publications. Include a link to www.ftc.gov/consumer, where they can find all the FTC publications in English and in Spanish.
- Include Consumer Messages and Tips in Your Organization's Newsletter - By including short articles with practical and easy-to-follow tips, you can provide valuable information that everyone can use. To find FTC feature articles on a specific topic, click on a category name from the list at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/resources/articles.shtm.
- Link to the FTC's Web site From Your Organization's Web site - Visitors to your Web site will appreciate having a direct link to important information from the nation's consumer protection agency.
- Ask your Webmaster to place a button on your Web site with a link to the FTC consumer pages. Visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/resources/partners.shtm to find the FTC's collection of "quick-jump" banners and buttons that direct consumers to FTC educational Web sites on credit, online safety, identity theft, diet and fitness issues, and others.
WHAT'S NEW:
Kid-ding Around at the FTC
As kids adjust to being back in school, it's time to encourage them to go back to the mall–the one at ftc.gov/YouAreHere, at least.
The site takes kids on an experiential journey that will help them become smarter consumers and understand their role–and the FTC's–in the marketplace. They can play games, design ads, chat with customers and store owners, and much more. As kids explore the mall, they learn how advertising affects them and how they benefit when businesses compete.
What exactly can kids do at the FTC mall?
$ Design their own ads and shoe sales.
$ Play a unique matching game that pairs cell phone styles with target audiences.
$ Investigate suspicious claims in a vitamin ad.
$ Figure out which pizza deal offers them the most for their money.
$ Watch a film premiere about the history of the FTC.
$ Guess the price of candy by considering supply, demand, and production costs.
$ Watch a misleading TV ad, and see its unfortunate consequences.
$ Determine whether a popular DJ's endorsement is really just an ad in disguise.
$ Learn how a merger between two ice cream shops could mean more chocolate chip cookie dough for everyone.
$ Learn why protecting personal information is important.
$ Build a social networking page that shows the consequences of thoughtless posts.
$ Learn how to spot and avoid frauds and scams like "miracle" products, "free" trips, job scams and bogus modeling offers.
Teachers, media specialists, and librarians can use the site in classroom activities related to consumer economics, government, social studies, history, language arts, and other related topics. There is background information for teachers and parents, things to talk about and do with kids to reinforce the lessons, buttons and banners to grab, and free print materials that can be ordered at bulkorder.ftc.gov.
Also new from the FTC is Net Cetera: Chatting With Kids About Being Online (www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec04.pdf). This guide gives adults practical tips to help kids navigate the online world.
Cyberspace offers so many ways of socializing and communicating online, but they all come with certain risks. This guide tells parents how to reduce the risks by talking to their kids about how they communicate–online and off–and helping kids engage in conduct they can be proud of. Net Cetera covers what parents need to know, where to go for more information, and issues to raise with kids about living their lives online.
The FTC is seeking partners to help distribute Net Cetera to parents. To order free copies, visit bulkorder.ftc.gov.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Colleen P. Tressler
Senior Project Manager
Division of Consumer and Business Education
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Mail Drop NJ-2267
Washington, DC 20580
202-326-2368; fax: 202-326-3574
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