Afake envelope-stuffing get-rich quick scam has gotten its alleged masterminds stuffed by the Federal Trade Commission for violating the new CAN-SPAM law by using illegal spam to push the scheme, with deceptive headers and subject lines, and bogus earnings and refund claims, the FTC said October 5.
The FTC said they got a federal court in Florida to close down the operation with a temporary order, and the commission added they would look to shut it down permanently and get customer redress.
The defendants are Gregory Bryant & Associates, Dove Marketing Corp., GBA Publishing, GBA Financing, Network Marketing, Miracle Moms, DM Marketing, Gregory Bryant, Jr., and Nadira Bryant, according to the FTC complaint. The commission said their spam to push the scam involved fake subject lines and spoof headers falsely showing the information came from either recipients' own e-mail addresses or from unrelated third-party accounts.
The scheme is said to have involved spamming recipients with e-mail promising substantial income by signing up for work-at-home business opportunities, the claims including, "Do you think you would be interested in becoming a permanent home-based worker for our company and earning an extra Guaranteed $30k to $100,000 A Year?"
The e-mails claimed consumers could get home mailing kits for a $24.77 shipping and handling fee and get paid $4 per envelope for each envelope stuffed, backed by a purported 30-day money-back "no questions asked" guarantee.
The problem, the FTC said, was that when consumers who went for the scheme got their "kits" they consisted only of a two-page letter and a CD-ROM showing them how to continue the scam. Those who wanted their money back were either ignored or told that they didn't act within the trial period. One consumer, the FTC said, was even threatened with police action for harassment if he contacted the purported "call center" again.
The commission said the schemers also charged a $24.95 registration fee after the 30-day trial period – except that they debited that fee plus the shipping and handling fee from consumers' bank accounts almost immediately after they signed up, sometimes withdrawing the total amount twice, with those who complained about the withdrawals rarely if ever getting refunds.
