New York Attorney General Letitia James led a bipartisan coalition of 24 state attorneys general, Puerto Rico, and New York City in sending letters to nine major credit card companies and payment processors urging them to block transactions facilitating illegal vaping product sales. The coalition cites federal and state laws prohibiting unauthorized e-cigarette sales, particularly to youth, and requests collaboration to prevent payment networks from processing such transactions. No enforcement penalties or actions were imposed as part of this initiative.
In-house legal teams at payment processors, credit card companies, and merchants selling age-restricted products should review their merchant services agreements, terms of service, and vendor contracts to include explicit clauses requiring compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, including the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act and FDA e-cigarette marketing rules. Clauses related to prohibited products, age verification obligations, and termination rights for non-compliance should be updated to allow payment networks to block transactions for illegal goods. Merchant agreements should also require regular compliance certifications and audit rights to verify adherence to youth access prevention laws.
Entity
American Express, Capital One, Citi Group, Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, Stripe, Sezzle, Block (operator of Square, Cash App, and Afterpay)
Industry
Financial ServicesOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-leads-bipartisan-effort-curb-sales-illegal-vaping
letter to american express company on illegal e cigarette sa
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/letters/letter-to-american-express-company-on-illegal-e-cigarette-sales-transactions-letters-2026.pdf
letter to capitol one financial corp on illegal e cigarette
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/letters/letter-to-capitol-one-financial-corp-on-illegal-e-cigarette-sales-transactions-letters-2026.pdf
letter to citigroup inc on illegal e cigarette sales transac
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/letters/letter-to-citigroup-inc-on-illegal-e-cigarette-sales-transactions-letters-2026.pdf
letter to mastercard inc on illegal e cigarette sales transa
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/letters/letter-to-mastercard-inc-on-illegal-e-cigarette-sales-transactions-letters-2026.pdf
letter to visa inc on illegal e cigarette sales transactions
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/letters/letter-to-visa-inc-on-illegal-e-cigarette-sales-transactions-letters-2026.pdf
letter to paypal holdings inc on illegal e cigarette sales t
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/letters/letter-to-paypal-holdings-inc-on-illegal-e-cigarette-sales-transactions-letters-2026.pdf
letter to stripe inc on illegal e cigarette sales transactio
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/letters/letter-to-stripe-inc-on-illegal-e-cigarette-sales-transactions-letters-2026.pdf
letter to sezzle inc on illegal e cigarette sales transactio
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/letters/letter-to-sezzle-inc-on-illegal-e-cigarette-sales-transactions-letters-2026.pdf
letter to block inc on illegal e cigarette sales transaction
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/letters/letter-to-block-inc-on-illegal-e-cigarette-sales-transactions-letters-2026.pdf
New York Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
"urging major credit card companies and payment processors, including American Express, Capital One, Citi Group, Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, Stripe, Sezzle, and Block (operator of Square, Cash App, and Afterpay)"
"Federal law requires that all e-cigarette products receive authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they can be legally marketed or sold in the United States."
"the federal Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act imposes strict requirements on online sellers, including age verification, registration, and compliance with all applicable state and local laws."
"many of these sales are also illegal under state and local laws, including flavor bans in states like New York and prohibitions on direct-to-consumer shipping in several states."
"bipartisan coalition of 24 other attorneys general and the City of New York"
"Attorney General James and Multistate Coalition Urge Major Credit Card Companies and Payment Processors to Help Stop Youth Vaping Crisis"
On April 28, 2026, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a bipartisan coalition of 24 other attorneys general and New York City in sending letters to major credit card companies and payment processors urging them to block transactions facilitating sales of illegal vaping products. The coalition, led by New York, Pennsylvania, California, and NYC, called for collaboration to stop unlawful sales of unauthorized e-cigarettes that violate federal FDA premarket authorization requirements and the PACT Act. The letters request a meeting to discuss prohibiting noncompliant merchants from using the payment networks, citing past successful government-private sector collaboration in reducing illegal tobacco sales.
$2.6M
New York and Connecticut reached a settlement with Boston Children’s Health Physicians and its IT security provider, XTIUM, after a 2024 breach exposed private information of approximately 825,000 New York residents and 62,871 Connecticut residents. The companies will pay $2.64 million and implement enhanced cybersecurity measures; additional penalties are conditional on violating the settlement.
New York Attorney General Letitia James joined 16 other attorneys general in urging Congress to pass proposed legislation addressing the federal government’s release of Jeffrey Epstein-related records. The press release says DOJ has not fully disclosed the records required by the original law and that personal information of at least 43 victims was exposed in released files; this is a legislative advocacy announcement, not an enforcement action imposing a penalty or remedy.
$1.9M
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a settlement after an investigation found Dollar General stores routinely charged customers more than advertised or posted prices and issued confusing receipts. Dollar General must donate $1.875 million in food and personal items to Foodlink and implement pricing, receipt, training, and audit reforms.
New York Attorney General Letitia James released an updated guide warning voters that AI-generated election content and chatbots may provide misleading information. This is public guidance, not an enforcement action, and the release describes no penalty or privacy violation.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 39 other attorneys general filed a motion in Character Technologies, Inc.’s bankruptcy, citing risks to children and sensitive user information and potential violations of state privacy laws. The coalition asks the court, the company, and any prospective buyer to require meaningful privacy and safety protections; no fine or final remedy is reported.