FTC Approves Final Order against Rent-To-Own Computer Spies

The Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") has approved nine final orders settling charges that seven rent-to-own companies and a software design firm and its two principals spied on consumers using computers that consumers rented from them. Under the FTC settlement order, DesignerWare, LLC and its principals, Timothy Kelly and Ronald P. Koller, are prohibited from deceptive practices and providing others the means to break the law. The seven rent-to-own companies who were charged with law violations by secretly collecting consumers’ confidential and personal information and using it to try to collect money from them, including Aspen Way Enterprises, Inc., B. Stamper Enterprises, Inc., C.A.L.M. Ventures, Inc., J.A.G. Rents, LLC, Red Zone Investment Group, Inc., Showplace, Inc., and Watershed Development Corp., are prohibited from using monitoring software and banned from using deceptive methods to gather information from consumers to collect on accounts.