Current Events in March 2025

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has secured an early victory in its legal battle against Seek Capital and its CEO, Roy Ferman, after the U.S. Court for the Central District of California granted a preliminary injunction against the company.

The ruling prohibits Seek Capital from making false claims regarding small business loans or lines of credit and prevents the company from contacting any consumers whose information was obtained before February 20, 2025. The injunction is intended to prevent further harm to small business owners as the case proceeds to trial.

The FTC originally filed its complaint in November 2024, alleging that Seek Capital targeted new and aspiring small business owners with deceptive promises of securing business loans or lines of credit.

Instead of delivering on these promises, the company charged clients thousands of dollars to open personal credit cards in their names. According to the FTC, these fraudulent practices have cost small business owners over $37 million.

The district court found that the FTC was likely to succeed on all its claims and deemed the injunction necessary to prevent Seek Capital from continuing to collect payments from affected consumers. The court also noted that the company's deceptive practices warranted immediate intervention to mitigate further financial harm.

AKT Trading Inc. is recalling certain prepared vegetable products manufactured by Choshiya Honten Co., Ltd. due to a potential risk of Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which can cause life-threatening illness or death.  

The products lack the necessary "Keep Refrigerated" statement, which could lead to hazardous bacterial growth if stored at room temperature. Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled.

Botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning, can cause general weakness, dizziness, double-vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.

The Products were distributed at Tokyo Central / Marukai stores located in California.

The affected product is packaged in a plastic bag and can be identified by the following information:

What to do

This issue was discovered on Feb. 18 at the Tokyo Central / Marukai retail store. The missing "Keep Refrigerated" label likely contributed to this issue. The product was immediately removed from sale at this location. Consumers who have purchased the affected product with the specified expiration date are urged not to consume it. 

Consumers should discard the product or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. AKT Trading Inc. is committed to the safety and quality of its products and is taking this action out of an abundance of caution. The company said it is cooperating fully with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on this matter.

Consumers with questions may contact AKT Trading Inc. at 310-715-2174 (M-F 9:30am-6:00pm in PST) or info@aktusa.com.

As the March 9 shift to daylight saving time (DST) approaches, a new Gallup poll reveals that a majority of Americans favor eliminating the practice altogether. According to the survey, 54% of U.S. adults support ending DST, while 40% are in favor of keeping it, and 6% remain uncertain.

This marks a dramatic shift in public opinion since Gallup last measured views on daylight saving time in 1999. Back then, 73% of Americans supported DST, compared to the sharp decline in support seen today.

Daylight saving time was first implemented at the national level in 1918 to conserve energy during World War I. For decades, states followed a patchwork of rules regarding DST, leading Congress to pass the Uniform Time Act in 1966 to standardize time changes. Over the years, several states have opted out, including Hawaii and most of Arizona, while others have pushed for permanent daylight saving time.

In 2022, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to make DST permanent, but the legislation stalled in the House. More recently, lawmakers have introduced bipartisan proposals to end the twice-yearly clock changes.

Public preference changes

A separate Gallup survey found that nearly half of Americans (48%) prefer year-round standard time, compared to 24% who favor year-round DST and 19% who support maintaining the current system. The findings suggest that while some Americans appreciate extended daylight in the evenings, most would rather avoid the disruption of changing clocks.

Support for DST varies across demographics. Democrats are slightly more likely to favor DST (44%) than Republicans (34%), while lower-income Americans (53%) show more support than middle-income (35%) and higher-income (33%) individuals. However, the majority of all groups still favor eliminating clock changes.

Health and safety concerns

Research has shown that transitioning in and out of DST can have adverse effects, including sleep disruption, increased traffic accidents, and higher rates of heart attacks and workplace incidents. Additionally, studies indicate that extended daylight hours have minimal impact on energy savings, which was one of the original purposes of DST.

With public opinion shifting away from DST, lawmakers may face increased pressure to act on the issue. While some states have pushed for changes, any nationwide adjustment would require federal legislation. As debate continues, the American public seems increasingly ready to move away from the century-old practice of adjusting clocks twice a year.

Among the scams causing the most harm to consumers is a scheme in which an imposter pretends to be from a utility company and tells the victim their power is about to be disconnected for non-payment, unless the victim makes an immediate payment.

During National Consumer Protection Week, utility companies around the country are working with the Federal Trade Commission to raise awareness of this scam. In 2024, Pacific Gas and Electric alone reported over 26,000 scam attempts, with customers losing $646,000 to fraudsters impersonating the utility company. 

Unfortunately, these figures likely represent only a fraction of the actual scam attempts, as many incidents go unreported. The trend has continued into 2025, with over 1,700 scam reports in January alone, resulting in nearly $22,000 in losses.

Ron Rose, PG&E's lead customer scam investigator, said scammers will attempt to create a sense of urgency by threatening immediate disconnection of your utility services if you don't make immediate payment.

He said PG&E, like other utility companies, will never ask you for financial information over the phone. He points out that a demand for an unusual method of payment, such as pre-paid debit cards or money transfer services like Zelle, is a sure sign of a scam.

Businesses are also targets

Small and medium-sized businesses are particularly vulnerable, with over 1,200 reports of scam attempts targeting these customers in 2024. Scammers exploit business owners' urgency to maintain operations, often during peak business hours.

Signs  of a utility scam include:

As a result of a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit, a federal court hastemporarily halted the operations and frozen the assets of a phantom debt collection scheme and its operators.

The scheme has operated under numerous names, including Blackrock Services, Blackstone Legal Group, Capital Legal Services, Quest Legal Group, Viking Legal Services, and others.

According to the FTC’s complaint,debt collectors working for the scheme’s operators and their affiliated companies have sent consumers deceptive warning and collection letters or called them directly, claiming that consumers owed a debt of some kind and threatening legal action, wage garnishment, negative impacts to consumers’ credit, and even arrest if they don’t pay.

The debts described in these letters and calls never existed, according to the complaint, and the defendants have no basis to make legal threats toward consumers.

The complaint further alleges that the defendants have sent letters and made phone calls to consumers claiming they owed money to a payday lender, and that the purported “law firm” contacting the consumer will imminently be filing suit against the consumer if the consumer does not pay up.

The letters and calls also claim that consumers’ credit will be damaged by the fictitious debt, and that if consumers agree to pay to settle that debt, the harm to their credit could be lessened.

All of the claims in these letters and calls are false, according to the complaint.

Sensitive personal information

The complaint notes that the letters sent by the operators often contain a wealth of sensitive personal information about the consumer, including the last four digits of their Social Security number, leading consumers to believe the letter may be legitimate.

When consumers visit the websites set up by the defendants for the bogus debt collection companies, they are again faced with false warnings that failure to pay these fake debts could result in garnishment of the consumer’s wages, along with lawsuits and impacts to their credit.

In follow-up calls, the threats increase, with collectors falsely telling consumers that they have defrauded a financial institution, could be arrested at their workplace, or that their homes could be seized if they do not settle, according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, the scheme has operated under a wide variety of names, including the names of unaffiliated existing businesses and law firms, in violation of the FTC’s Rule on Impersonating Government and Businesses. In addition, the complaint alleges that the defendants have regularly failed to follow numerous requirements set out by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, including disclosing that they are debt collectors when their collectors contact consumers.