House Democrats Encourage FTC Scrutiny Of Consumer Reporting Agencies' Add-On Products Marketing

CFPB FTC Consumer Reporting U.S. House

On December 18, a group of House Democrats sent a letter urging the FTC to focus on the online marketing of products and services by consumer reporting agencies (CRAs). The lawmakers assert that CRAs “often require consumers to jump through hurdles, presumably in an effort to generate additional revenue.” The lawmakers suggest that certain CRAs’ websites mislead and confuse consumers, particularly with regard to the marketing of “free” consumer products and services that are conditioned upon consumers signing up for “costly add-on services such as ongoing credit monitoring.” The letter identifies the following specific practices for FTC scrutiny: (i) marketing “free” products or services that automatically convert to a monthly subscription if the consumer does not cancel within a trial period; (ii) “prominent” advertising of discount packages without disclosing that the initial small dollar enrollment fee converts into a subscription service; and (iii) requiring consumers to set up accounts before being granted access to their credit score or reports, while “barrag[ing]” consumers with add-on product offerings during the account registration process.