BULLETIN: Oh, Utah! FTC Says Yet-Another Scam Used Shell Companies To Bilk Consumers And Dupe Payment Processors
Steve Sunyich of Ideal Financial Soutions. Source: Website.
UPDATED 1:17 PM ET (FEB. 27. U.S.A.): The FTC has sued six Nevada-based companies with ties to a call center in St. George, Utah, amid allegations that the firms and corporate officers scammed consumers and payment processors in a $25 million fraud scheme.
Nevada and St. George were ground zero for the alleged $275 million Jeremy Johnson/IWorks fraud scheme involving shell companies in 2010. The region now has served up another doozy of a case, with the FTC alleging once again that shell companies were used to pull off a major swindle.
Named corporate defendants in the latest alleged caper were Ideal Financial Solutions Inc., Ascot Crossing LLC, Bracknell Shore Ltd., Chandon Group LLC, Avanix LLC and Fiscal Fitness LLC. Individual defendants include Steven Sunyich, Michael Sunyich, Christopher Sunyich, Shawn Sunyich, Melissa Sunyich Gardner, and Kent Brown.
U.S. District Judge Miranda M. Du, the same judge presiding over the Johnson/IWorks civil case brought by the FTC in December 2010, has ordered an asset freeze and appointed a receiver in the agency’s most recent case that alleges spectacular financial fraud occurring in Nevada and Utah.
Du’s order lists the following as receivership entities, amid FTC allegations they were part of a common enterprise: Debt Elimination Systems LLC; US Debt Relief LLC; Money Mastery LLC; US Debt Assistance Corp.; IWB Services (St. Kitts); Financial Fitness LLC; Debt to Wealth LLC (St. Kitts); Debt to Wealth LLC (Nevada); Ideal Goodness LLC; Dollars West LLC; Fluidity LLC; Newport Sails LLC; Shaw Shank LLC; Bunker Hillside LLC; Funding Guarantee LLC; Newline Cash LLC; Wealth Fitness LLC; and Zeal Funding Services LLC.
The judge appointed Thomas McNamara of Ballard & Spahr receiver.
At least 230 Internet domains were used in the scam, the FTC alleged. From the agency (italics added):
According to the FTC’s complaint, the Ideal Financial Solutions defendants targeted financially vulnerable consumers who had never come in contact with them, and without authorization debited their bank accounts and charged their credit cards, usually for about $30. Those who disputed the charges were told they had purchased something, such as financial counseling or loan matching services, or assistance in completing a payday loan application. How the defendants got the consumers’ financial information is not known, but some consumers had recently applied for payday loans via the Internet, and entities that receive payday loan applications often sell the information to other parties.
The complaint alleged that, to avoid detection, the defendants created dozens of shell companies to open merchant accounts with payment processors that enable merchants to get customers’ money via electronic banking; the processors receive a fee for each transaction they handle. The defendants also allegedly registered more than 230 Internet domain names, often using identity-hiding services and auto-forward features.
Read the FTC complaint.
The oldest son told the investigators that his father was a scammer.
To Whom It May Concern:
The FTC has wrongfully charged us and we want to fight back, but they have seized all of our assets. The case is FTC vs. Ideal Financial Solutions, Inc.
Here are a few facts:
1. The FTC has 19 written complaints, not one (ZERO) of the companies that are connected to any of these complaints are owned or managed by Ideal Financial Solutions or any of its subsidiaries.
2. We did provide some of our services (web design, customer service, etc.) to a few companies that were connected to 7 of the complaints, however all of those companies were ran and controlled by Jared Mosher and his partners and 100% of those complaints were all refunded.
3. We have no idea who owns or operate any of the other companies that were connected to the other 12 complaints. Based on some quick basic research 5 are located in Palm Beach FL and it appears they have been in business since 2003 and the other 7 are located in Scottsdale AZ.
Starting in late 2010 through early 2012 Ideal Financial and several of our subsidiaries did provide web design, customer service, fulfillment, mail and email management, complaints management, accounting, etc., to companies ran and controlled by Jared Mosher and his partners. Ideal Financial was compensated for the services we provided. Some of the businesses Jared managed were very profitable. We have not been involved with Jared for almost a year.
How could something like this happen?
First who owns the companies located in Scottsdale AZ and Palm Beach FL?
Second, I don’t believe the FTC intentionally made this mistake; I think we were setup by someone, maybe Jared? If you read their report it states that they had a former FBI agent named Tim Childs who lived in St. George the investigation for the FTC. According to Jared, his uncle Jim (I think he said his last name was Downey or Downer) is or was a senior FBI agent. According to a member of the Mosher family, Jared was contacted several times by the FBI before February 1, 2013. Was the information the FBI provided to the FTC inaccurate?
What is beyond puzzling is how and why the FTC has tried to connect Ideal Financial to Zeal Funding, iLender.net, utell2011.com, Cash Loan 101, Premier Membership Club or any of the other companies listed in the 12 written complaints when it is so obvious we have NEVER been connected to them in any way.
The FTC has destroyed my family and our twelve-year old business and our shareholders.
Finally I would like to express the fear and panic that is caused when all of the money in your bank account is seized and you are left with the money in your pocket. How do you buy food, gas and medication? Imagine what it is like to have all of your phones and computers confiscated. Now imagine if this happened to your entire family? Finally try to feel for just a few moments you have been wrongly accused and you have no way to defend yourself or your family?
CAN YOU EVEN BEGIN TO IMAGINE!
We have a right to a fair trial and if we get one we will win. The question is are we entitled to a settlement for damages? We are looking for a law firm who can and will work with us.
Thanks,
Steve
[Deleted by Admin]
To Whom It May Concern:
The FTC has wrongfully charged us and we want to fight back, but they have seized all of our assets. The case is FTC vs. Ideal Financial Solutions, Inc.
Here are a few facts:
1. The FTC has 19 written complaints, not one (ZERO) of the companies that are connected to any of these complaints are owned or managed by Ideal Financial Solutions or any of its subsidiaries.
2. We did provide some of our services (web design, customer service, etc.) to a few companies that were connected to 7 of the complaints, however all of those companies were ran and controlled by Jared Mosher and his partners and 100% of those complaints were all refunded.
3. We have no idea who owns or operate any of the other companies that were connected to the other 12 complaints. Based on some quick basic research 5 are located in Palm Beach FL and it appears they have been in business since 2003 and the other 7 are located in Scottsdale AZ.
Starting in late 2010 through early 2012 Ideal Financial and several of our subsidiaries did provide web design, customer service, fulfillment, mail and email management, complaints management, accounting, etc., to companies ran and controlled by Jared Mosher and his partners. Ideal Financial was compensated for the services we provided. Some of the businesses Jared managed were very profitable. We have not been involved with Jared for almost a year.
How could something like this happen?
First who owns the companies located in Scottsdale AZ and Palm Beach FL?
Second, I don’t believe the FTC intentionally made this mistake; I think we were setup by someone, maybe Jared? If you read their report it states that they had a former FBI agent named Tim Childs who lived in St. George the investigation for the FTC. According to Jared, his uncle Jim (I think he said his last name was Downey or Downer) is or was a senior FBI agent. According to a member of the Mosher family, Jared was contacted several times by the FBI before February 1, 2013. Was the information the FBI provided to the FTC inaccurate?
What is beyond puzzling is how and why the FTC has tried to connect Ideal Financial to Zeal Funding, iLender.net, utell2011.com, Cash Loan 101, Premier Membership Club or any of the other companies listed in the 12 written complaints when it is so obvious we have NEVER been connected to them in any way.
The FTC has destroyed my family and our twelve-year old business and our shareholders.
Finally I would like to express the fear and panic that is caused when all of the money in your bank account is seized and you are left with the money in your pocket. How do you buy food, gas and medication? Imagine what it is like to have all of your phones and computers confiscated. Now imagine if this happened to your entire family? Finally try to feel for just a few moments you have been wrongly accused and you have no way to defend yourself or your family?
CAN YOU EVEN BEGIN TO IMAGINE!
We have a right to a fair trial and if we get one we will win. The question is are we entitled to a settlement for damages? We are looking for a law firm who can and will work with us.
Mr. Sunyich,
Are you the same Steven Sunyich who was the subject of this securities action?
http://securities.utah.gov/dockets/07007301.pdf
http://www.securities.utah.gov/dockets/07007404.pdf
If that is so – and the media article http://m.sltrib.com/sltrib/mobile2/55875786-218/sunyich-font-companies-ftc.html.csp suggests that it is – how do you explain the apparent violation of the Utah settlement terms?
What a joke, stop ripping people off!!! Oh anyone that creates THAT many internet sites is shady. Come on we are not stupid. Everyone in St George is laughing at your stupidity. You cant buy bread? Should have thought about the BEFORE you started commiting crimes. Losers. Your name, aling with Johnsons is mudd here now.