The $37 Million Deception of Seek Capital TL;DR Seek Capital and its CEO, Roy Ferman, are accused by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of running a predatory scheme targeting aspiring small business owners. The company promised business loans and lines…
The Zurixx Deception: A $104 Million Dollar Empire Built on Broken Dreams TL;DR Zurixx, LLC and its executives, including Cristopher A. Cannon, James M. Carlson, and Jeffrey D. Spangler, built a massive operation selling bogus “Real Estate Coaching” and “Business…
FTC Investigation • Case 2:24-cv-07660-SPG-JPR “Your Husband Has Angered Some People. I Suggest You Have Him Remove the Reviews.” EvilCorporations.com • FTC v. Ascend Capventures Inc. et al., Filed 09/09/2024 • 50 min read TL;DR Two men, William Basta and…
The Robot Lawyer Was a Lie TL;DR The Facts: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a formal Decision and Order against DoNotPay, Inc. for deceptive and unsubstantiated advertising claims. The company neither admitted nor denied the allegations but agreed to…
Investigative Report • FTC Enforcement Action Blueprint to Wealth:How a “Passive Income” DreamBecame an FTC Takedown EvilCorporations.com • FTC v. Business Revolution Group Inc. • 22 min read TL;DR Charles Joseph Garis, Jr., operating under the alias “Joe Gaines,” ran…
How Sitejabber Built a Business on Lies TL;DR The Corporation: GGL Projects, Inc., operating as Sitejabber, a major online review platform. The Scheme: Sitejabber was caught collecting and displaying customer reviews solicited at the moment of purchase. This means the…
TL;DR The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged a for-profit education corporation with systemic deception for lying to prospective students about their job prospects and potential earnings. The company used false and unsubstantiated claims, such as job placement rates “up to…
The Data Trap: ITMedia’s Predatory Loan Empire TL;DR A sprawling network of companies under the “ITMedia” banner operated over 200 websites like badcreditloans.com, luring financially vulnerable people with promises of “trusted lenders.” They collected highly sensitive data including Social Security…
A Scrap Giant’s Ozone Bill: Paid in Pennies TL;DR Scrap metal giant Alter Trading Corporation was cited for repeated violations of the Clean Air Act across at least six facilities in Wisconsin and Illinois. The company systematically failed to safely…
TL;DR SYSTEMIC FRAUD: Vivint Smart Home’s commission-only, door-to-door sales force engaged in widespread identity theft to sign up customers who failed credit checks. “WHITE PAGING”: Sales reps used a technique called “white paging”—finding an unrelated person with a similar name—to…