Court Blocks Alleged FTC Spoofer

The Federal Trade Commission has gotten an injunction against a Florida man who claimed to be offering tech support services on behalf of the agency. 

According to the FTC complaint, Daniel Croft had told consumers that his companies—the nonexistent Elite Tech Support and PC Guru Tech Support, often abbreviated as PC Guru—had been hired by the FTC.

The court concluded in granting the injunction that there is good cause to believe the conduct was illegal, that the FTC will win its case on the merits, and that "immediate and irreparable" harm are likely to result from his actions if not enjoined.

The injunction requires Croft to turn over documents and records the FTC can use to try and permanently enjoin what it says are his illegal activities.

The court also said whoever is hosting the following websites—www.pcguruwpb.wixsite.com and www.pcgurutechsupport.com—must ensure the public cannot access them and the domain name registrations suspended.

The vote authorizing the complaint and injunction request was 2-0. The FTC is currently down three commissioners, with only an acting chair, Republican Maureen Ohlhausen, and Democrat Terrell McSweeny. Unlike the FCC, the FTC does not need a quorum of commissioners to approve an action.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.