Mylife.com Inc., a California-based purveyor of background reports, and its CEO Jeffrey Tinsley are facing a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
In the lawsuit, the Justice Department alleged that Mylife.com and Tinsley deceived consumers with “teaser” background reports that falsely claimed that a subject of search “may have” records of arrest, criminal, and sexual offenses, potential bankruptcies, liens, or legal judgments.
MyLife.com frequently features negative teaser background reports even when the subject of the search had no history of criminal offenses or traffic violations.
MyLife.com lures subscribers with misleading teaser background reports
According to the DOJ, the prominent “View” buttons for “Court, Arrest or Criminal Records” and “Sex Offender Records,” along with the statements that the subject of search “may have” such records lead consumers to believe that the searched-for-individuals have arrest, criminal, or sex offender records even if they do not have such history.
