![]() Durham, Sr., and 7051620 Canada Inc., also d/b/a National Business Advertising, Nationwide Marketing Bureau Inc., National Biz Ads, and Yellow Business Ads – used a variety of deceptive tactics to represent that consumers owed money for business directory listings and advertising services they never ordered, and in many cases, never received. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division, the defendants in this case – Francois Egberongbe, Robert N. The defendants are charged with law violations for misrepresenting that they had a preexisting business relationship with consumers, that consumers had agreed to buy directory listings, and that consumers owed them money.Īccording to a complaint filed by the FTC and the State of Florida in the U.S. Many consumers paid the defendants only to avoid potentially damaging collection actions and to end the harassment. The businesses report, however, that the recordings sounded as if they were doctored or merely reflected that an employee had confirmed or verified the business’s contact information in a previous telephone call without agreeing to new services. If the recipients disputed the invoices, the defendants used a variety of collection tactics, such as playing audio recordings that purportedly proved that the businesses’ employees authorized the business directory listings. The defendants in these cases allegedly sent deceptive invoices to small businesses throughout the United States for unordered business directory listings. In a fourth case brought by the FTC in November 2013, Online Public Yellow Pages, a federal judge entered a $15.6 million judgment against the defendants and banned them from the directory business. ![]() In all three cases, the government seeks to permanently stop the illegal practices and make the defendants return victims’ money. In another case brought by the FTC in Washington state, a federal judge temporarily halted the unlawful business practices of another operation,. We can pursue these cases even if the scammers hide in another country.”Īt the request of the FTC and the Office of the Florida Attorney General, federal judges in Florida temporarily halted and froze the assets of two operations, National Business Advertising and Your Yellow Pages. “Businesses and other organizations should train their staff to hang up on cold calls about business directory services,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. In addition, a federal court has entered a judgment and order against another Montreal-based directory scam in a case brought by the FTC last year. New Federal Trade Commission actions have stopped three Montreal-based telemarketing operations that allegedly bilked millions of dollars from small businesses, churches, nonprofits and local government agencies by charging them for unwanted listings in online “yellow pages” directories. About the FTC Show/hide About the FTC menu items.News and Events Show/hide News and Events menu items.Advice and Guidance Show/hide Advice and Guidance menu items.Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents. ![]() Enforcement Show/hide Enforcement menu items. ![]()
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