20 FTC Press Releases Since September 9 Focus on Pricing, Fees and Refunds

The Federal Trade Commission's press release page lists 20 releases dated from September 9 to October 8, 2026. Most concern how prices are shown, how fees are charged and how consumers are repaid.

None of the 20 releases addresses AI labs, AI agents or civil investigative demands. For readers following the agency's technology work, the page shows what the FTC has announced publicly in the past month, and nothing more.

Fee cases with long court histories

The largest fee-related item is a September 17, 2026 settlement with FleetCor, which the release says is now Corpay Inc. FleetCor and its CEO, Ronald Clarke, agreed to pay $100 million to resolve an FTC administrative action. The money is to go to business customers harmed by the company's practices.

The case began with an FTC complaint filed in federal court in 2019. A federal district court granted the FTC summary judgment on all counts in 2023 and entered a permanent injunction. In 2026, a federal appeals court upheld the judgment against FleetCor and affirmed the injunction. It also affirmed the judgment against Clarke on all but one count and vacated the injunction as to him.

The FTC alleged hidden fees, late fees and undisclosed charges, along with misstatements about fuel card savings and fraud controls. Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, said the order will help return money to customers the company took advantage of. The Commission voted 1-0-1, with Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson recused. Public comment is open until October 22, 2026, after which the Commission will decide whether to finalize the order.

Lens.com and the gap between advertised and checkout prices

On October 2, 2026, the FTC and the states of Utah and Nevada sued Lens.com Inc., its owner Cary Samourkachian and affiliate Speed Commerce LLC in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. The complaint says Lens.com advertised low contact lens prices in sponsored Google search ads and on its website.

According to the release, a mandatory "Taxes & fees" charge appears at checkout and routinely doubles the advertised price, costing consumers hundreds of millions of dollars. The line sits below the visible part of the checkout screen. The label suggests state sales taxes, although the release says many states exempt contact lenses or have no sales tax.

The complaint also alleges that the low prices were used to enroll consumers in an AutoRefill subscription without clearly disclosing the fee or how to cancel. The release does not list specific remedies and says the court will decide the case.

Cleo AI refunds and a healthcare pricing warning

On October 8, 2026, the FTC announced it is returning more than $15.8 million to 2,124,796 Cleo AI customers who paid for eligible instant cash advances. The release gives a total and no per-consumer amount. It refers to a March 2025 FTC complaint and a related $17 million settlement.

The release says the complaint concerned advertised advance amounts, hidden fees on same-day advances that often did not arrive until the next day, and subscriptions that were difficult to cancel. Eligible customers are to receive emails through October 26, 2026. PayPal payments begin October 27, 2026 and must be redeemed within 30 days. The refund administrator is Rust Consulting, Inc. The FTC states that it never requires people to pay money or provide account information to receive a payment.

On October 5, 2026, the FTC sent warning letters to 24 healthcare services companies. The letters say that failing to provide timely, accurate and complete pricing information can be an unfair or deceptive practice under Section 5 of the FTC Act. They flag omitted prices for routine, scheduled care and incomplete disclosures that leave out physician or facility fees. They also state that compliance with CMS price transparency rules does not shield a company from FTC Act liability.

What the list does not show

None of the 20 releases names OpenAI, Anthropic or METR, and none refers to an inquiry into AI safety practices or to civil investigative demands. The page is therefore not evidence either way on any separate inquiry.

The Cleo AI release also reports that FTC actions produced more than $435 million in redress in 2025 across all cases. That figure covers the whole agency, not the cases listed here. Readers who want to confirm an investigation should look for a dated FTC release or a court filing.