We find and expose illegal websites that seek to trick the military community into enrolling in predatory colleges. Our work led the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to shut down some deceptive websites (Army.Com, Air-Force.Com, NavyEnlist.Com, MarinesEnlist.Com, and others) and to require Victory Media, Inc. (“GI Jobs”) to fully disclose its pay-to-play “Military Friendly Schools” ranking and cease its illegal practices.
Most of our work with law enforcement agencies is confidential. Here is what’s public:
OUR WORK
Free Credit Monitoring for Servicemembers
VES and other veterans and military service organizations write to US Federal Trade Commission regarding free credit monitoring for servicemembers
Our Letter to FTC Regarding Fake Military Recruiting Websites
28 Veterans and Military Leaders ask US Federal Trade Commission to release the names of the schools that participated in fake military recruiting websites Related letter to US Congressional Armed Services Committees requesting their work to ensure future military recruitment is not disrupted by fraudulent college lead [...]
Piercing the Veil of Covert For-Profit Colleges
Recent efforts by certain predatory for-profit colleges to convert to nonprofit status1 raises the question of whether the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can continue to exercise jurisdiction over those entities’ misleading and deceptive recruiting practices. The Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 41-58, grants the FTC enumerated powers [...]
Public Comments | Victory Media, “Gi Jobs” and “Military Friendly” Settlement
The Federal Trade Commission and Victory Media, Inc. have reached a proposed administrative consent agreement resolving allegations that Victory Media violated Section 5 of the FTC Act in connection with its promotion of post-secondary schools to military consumers. Read the public comments.
Our Letter to FTC Regarding “Military Friendly” Schools
19 Veterans and Military service organizations' public comment on US Federal Trade Commission's proposed settlement with Victory Media's "Military Friendly Schools" Additional comments by Student Veterans of America Additional comments by Education and consumer groups Additional comments by U.S. Senators
Veterans Groups Praise White House Nomination of Rohit Chopra to US Federal Trade Commission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Carrie Wofford, Veterans Education Success: (202) 838-5050 Will Hubbard, Student Veterans of America Kelly Hruska, National Military Family Association October 19, 2017 – Today, the White House nominated former senior official at the US Education Department and US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Rohit Chopra, to be [...]
OUR WORK ON FAKE MILITARY WEBSITES
We brought to FTC’s attention fake military websites that pretended to be a place where Americans could join the Armed Forces, but never gave the information to the Armed Forces, instead selling patriotic Americans’ personal information to bad actor colleges that bombarded them with deceptive and aggressive recruiting. Some of the websites even wrongly promoted certain bad actor colleges as endorsed by the military.
- VES’ FOIA request to the US Federal Trade Commission requesting the names of colleges that participated in fake military websites (Nov. 28, 2018)
- 28 Veterans and Military Leaders, led by VES, ask US Federal Trade Commission to release the names of the schools that participated in fake military recruiting websites (Nov. 19, 2018)
- Veterans and Military Leaders, led by VES, ask US Congressional Armed Services Committees to ensure future military recruitment is not disrupted by fraudulent college lead generator companies (Nov. 20, 2018)
- Federal Trade Commission shuts down predatory fake military websites (Sept. 6, 2018)
- Army.Com, Air-Force.com, ArmyEnlist.com, NavyEnlist.com, AirForceEnlist.com, MarinesEnlist.com, NationalGuardEnlist.com, AirGuardEnlist.com, and CoastGuardEnlist.com
OUR WORK ON DECEPTIVE “MILITARY FRIENDLY SCHOOLS”
We brought to FTC’s attention the problem of a company’s “Military Friendly Schools” scheme, wherein it charged schools for the designation of “Military Friendly Schools” and also sent aggressive and deceptive e-mail solicitations to service-members and veterans on behalf of schools that paid.
- FTC: Announcement on Victory Media, G.I. Jobs, and Military Friendly (Oct. 19, 2017)
- VES Press Release: Veterans Education Success Hails FTC Action Against Fraudulent “Military-Friendly Schools” (Oct. 19, 2017)
- VES Research Report: Misleading Websites and “Lead Generators”: A Case Study: Victory Media’s “Military Friendly Schools” (Aug. 2016 | updated Feb. 2017)
FTC REPORTS & ACTIONS
U.S. Federal Trade Commission Staff Perspective on Lead Generation (deceptive websites that sell personal information)
One pundit has called it the most pervasive industry that nobody knows about, which is why the FTC has sponsored a workshop, brought law enforcement actions, and just published a Staff Perspective to call attention to the consumer protection implications.
FTC Files Suit Against DeVry University for Deceptive Recruiting
Defendant DeVry Education Group Inc. (DEG) is a publicly traded Delaware corporation with its principal place of business at 3005 Highland Parkway, Downers Grove, Illinois. DEG was formerly known as DeVry Inc. DEG transacts or has transacted business in this district and throughout the United States. At all times material [...]
FTC Settles with Ashworth College over Misleading Recruiting Methods
Ashworth College has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges it misrepresented to students that they would get the training and credentials needed to switch careers or get a new job, and that the course credits they earned would transfer to other schools. In reality, many programs offered by the [...]
