The FTC and Illinois AG filed charges in U.S. District Court against Darryl André‚ (also known as Darryl A. Roberts and Darryl James), Angela André‚ (also known as Angela Jones), Bryan D. Smith and Anthony Q. Roberts. The complaint alleged that the defendants used false names to deceptively market "credit cards" for an upfront fee. The fake company names included Premier Card Services, Tower Financial Services, Prime Credit Services, Colonial Financial Services and Consumer Express. The defendants supposedly sent postcards to consumers promising approval for major credit cards with high credit limits and providing an 800# for further information. Consumers calling the number were allegedly promised a Visa or MasterCard if they allowed the defendants to deduct $97.50 form their checking account. The complaint claims that consumers did not receive a major credit card but instead received a "Consumer Express" card that could only be used to order items from the defendant's mail order catalog. Furthermore, the defendants allegedly failed to inform consumers that they needed to make over $400 worth of purchases before they would be "sponsored" in their application for a major credit card.
The FTC and Illinois AG claim these practices violate the FTC Act, the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act and the Illinois Credit Services Organization Act. When the complaint was filed, the US District Court issued an order freezing the defendant's assets and a preliminary injunction halting the activities of the defendants.
For more information about the case, check out the FTC press release.
If you have questions or would like to report an incident, call NCL's National Fraud Information Center at 1-800-876-7060 or use one of our online forms.
NOTE: The Federal Trade Commission authorizes the filing of a complaint when it has "reason to believe" that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or a ruling that the defendant has actually violated the law. The case will be decided by the court.
| PRINT PREVIEW |
| SEARCH THIS SITE |
Links for Non-Frames Version | Current News & Views | | Subject Index of Past Articles | | Chronological Index of Past Articles | | About NFIC | About the National Consumers League | | About the Alliance Against Fraud in Telemarketing | | Telemarketing Fraud | Internet Fraud Watch | | Fraud Against the Elderly | | News & Views | Links | For the Media | | How to Report Fraud & Ask Questions | | Back to Welcome Page (Frames Version) |
NFIC is a project of the National Consumers League. All rights reserved. © 1998.