Exclusive | FTC chairman says wedding site The Knot could be violating law by allegedly defrauding small businesses

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson has warned that wedding planning site The Knot Worldwide could be violating federal law as it faces allegations of defrauding small business owners, The Post has learned.Ferguson sent a letter on Feb.18 to Sen.

Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who cited The Post’s exclusive reporting on alleged wrongdoing at The Knot while urging the FTC to investigate the firm last October over claims that it was swindling mom-and-pop vendors like DJs and dressmakers.At the time, Grassley said his office has received nearly 200 separate complaints from wedding vendors around the country who had accused The Knot of providing fake or spam customer leads, locking them into ad deals that were difficult to cancel or failed to provide the promised benefits and other shady practices.“As you know, the conduct you describe can potentially violate laws the FTC enforces, including Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits deceptive or unfair business practices,” Ferguson wrote in his letter to Grassley, which was exclusively obtained by The Post.Ferguson added that while he was unable to “disclose the existence or details of any non-public investigations, I can continue to assure you that protecting small businesses from deceptive practices remains a priority for the Commission.”An FTC spokesman declined to comment.The Knot Worldwide did not respond to multiple requests for comment.Ferguson pointed out that the FTC has recently taken action against companies accused of similar misdeeds.Last September, the FTC secured a $2.5 billion judgment against Amazon as part of a settlement that required the ecommerce giant “to clearly and conspicuously disclose cancellation procedures” related to its Prime subscription service.“The commission remains committed to protecting consumers, including small businesses, from deceptive practices by holding violators accountable,” Ferguson wrote.In a statement, Grassley said the “hundreds of whistleb...