This is the oldest and most heinous of scams: taking advantage of people down on their luck by tricking money from them.
The Federal Trade Commission recently announced that marketers targeting financially strapped Americans by selling supposed work-at-home and other money-making opportunities will be giving up their ill-gotten gains under a settlement agreement with the Commission. The agency's complaint against the defendants stemmed from "Operation Bottom Dollar," a broader crackdown in 2010 on work-at-home scams resulting in law enforcement actions against seven operations targeting job seekers.
The FTC filed its "complaint for permanent injunction and other equitable relief" Feb. 2, 2010, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and a "proposed consent judgment" was signed by the judge April 11. "A consent judgment is for settlement purposes only and does not constitute an admission by the defendant that the law has been violated. Consent judgments have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge," states an FTC press release.
The settlement order is against Independent Marketing Exchange, Inc., and its principal, Wayne Verderber II. It imposes a $919,000 judgment and this "will be suspended when the defendants turn over three rental properties, a Mercedes Benz, precious metals and other assets. If it is determined that the financial information the defendants gave the FTC was untruthful, the full amount of the judgment will become due. The order bans defendants marketing work-at-home and mystery shopping offers or assisting others in doing so. They are also barred from making deceptive claims about goods and services and are required to provide proof for earnings claims they make," states the release.
The complaint tulsaworld.com/FTCbagsscammers alleged defendants falsely represented that consumers were likely to make substantial income from work-at-home opportunities, and made other misrepresentations. Defendants also did business as National Data Management; N.D.M.; Global Mailing Services; G.M.S.; Independent Mailing Services; Independent Mailing Services, Inc.; I.M.S.; Independent Shoppers Network; Independent Shoppers; Success At Home; Success-At-Home Mailing; IMEX; IMEX, Inc.; and Continental Publishing Company; according to the complaint.
Operation Bottom Dollar defendants held out false promises that consumers would get help finding federal government jobs, work as movie extras or mystery shoppers; or that they could make money from home by stuffing envelopes or assembling ornaments.
Fraudulent promoters often use classified ads and the Internet to tout work-at-home offers: medical billing, envelope stuffing and assembly and craft work. Too often, these ads make promises about earnings, merchandise or marketability that sound great, but aren't truthful. They result in consumers who can least afford it being ripped off.
Source http://www.tulsaworld.com/
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