PatrickPretty.com

Tag: Federal Trade Commission

FROM COURT FILINGS: TelexFree Promoter Faith Sloan To SEC: ‘Why Are You Picking On Me?’

(3nd Update 9:16 A.M. EDT, May 11, 2014 U.S.A.) When contacted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission April 17 by phone, alleged TelexFree promoter and securities swindler Faith Sloan shot back, “Why are you picking on me? There are bigger promoters than me.” The assertion is contained in new SEC filings dated yesterday in…

Apr 25, 2014
TelexFree, An Alleged Pyramid Scheme, Promotes Itself During Probes By Wrapping Logos Of Local Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC Affiliates Into Video

In this article: In its role as a watchdog for consumers, the FTC has sued third-party companies and individuals who have published the logos of prominent news agencies and falsely traded on their trusted identities to sanitize a purported product or opportunity. (See screen shot of Evidence Exhibit from one FTC case below.) In a…

Apr 7, 2014
BULLETIN: California Calls WCM777 A ‘Scam,’ Issues Desist And Refrain Order That Names Executives And YouTube Pitchman

BULLETIN: (Updated 10:36 a.m. ET U.S.A.) The state of California has called the WCM777 MLM “program” a “scam” and issued a Desist and Refrain Order that bans the enterprise in the state. The Department of Business Oversight (DBO) has issued a companion Consumer Alert and is “strongly” encouraging California investors to file a formal complaint.…

Jan 27, 2014
Series Of News Releases From Purported MLM Trainer Plants Seed That Federal Trade Commission Has Given Green Light To Several Opportunities, Including Herbalife

EDITOR’S NOTE: The PP Blog called the Federal Trade Commission to get its take on these news releases, which use the agency’s name and imply that the FTC recently has given several MLM “opportunities” a clean bill of health. The agency did not immediately respond. What would you think if you read a headline on…

Aug 6, 2013
BULLETIN: FLORIDA — AGAIN: FTC Says ‘High-Pressure’ Telemarketers Conned Seniors In ‘Precious Metals’ Boondoggle; Federal Judge Issues Asset Freeze, Appoints Receiver

BULLETIN: A federal judge has frozen the assets of three Florida companies and their operator, after the Federal Trade Commission alleged a “precious metals” telemarketing scam aimed at senior citizens was under way and had collected nearly $9 million. Named defendants in the case were Anthony J. Columbo, Premier Precious Metals Inc., Rushmore Consulting Group Inc.…

Mar 28, 2012
ANNOUNCEMENT/ALERT: While Conducting Research On Major FTC Case That Included Elements Of Alleged Web Harassment, PP Blog’s Browser Was Subjected To ‘Mass Injection’ Attack

ANNOUNCEMENT/ALERT: UPDATED 6:10 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) The PP Blog is publishing this post in an abundance of caution. Based on a security alert the Blog received this afternoon, it may be best to steer clear of the website circled in the graphic above and described below. On Jan. 4, 2012, the Blog reported that the…

Mar 23, 2012
BULLETIN: Federal Judge Orders Jeremy Johnson And Others Acting On His Behalf To Disable Website That Used Court-Appointed Receiver’s Name And Described Firm As Workplace Of ‘Thieves’ And ‘Crooks’

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally was published Jan. 9, 2012, 3:01 p.m. It was updated at 5:01 p.m. on the same date. The PP Blog temporarily “unpublished” the story on March 23, 2012. Explanation of why it was taken offline temporarily is here. On March 23, 2012, the PP Blog’s security software recorded a “mass…

Jan 9, 2012
EDITORIAL: The Creeping Creepiness Of Jeremy Johnson — And The Use Of Google Ads As A Weapon Of Abuse Against Public Officials And Court-Appointed Receivers In Performance Of Their Duties

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally was published Jan. 4, 2012, 3:32 p.m. It was updated at 9:59 p.m. on the same date. The PP Blog temporarily “unpublished” the story on March 23, 2012. Explanation of why it was taken offline temporarily is here. On March 23, 2012, the PP Blog’s security software recorded a “mass…

Jan 4, 2012
EDITORIAL: The Deeply Disturbing Attack On The Federal Trade Commission, A Public Official And The Court-Appointed Receiver In The Jeremy Johnson/IWorks Fraud Case

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally was published Dec. 22, 2011, 10:41 a.m. It was updated at 8:11 a.m. on Dec. 23, 2011. The PP Blog temporarily “unpublished” the story on March 23, 2012. Explanation of why it was taken offline temporarily is here. On March 23, 2012, the PP Blog’s security software recorded a “mass…

Dec 22, 2011
BULLETIN: Philadelphia Lawyer Arrested Last Week In Alabama On New Jersey Theft Charges Was Implicated By FTC In Alleged Mortgage-Modification Scam Targeting Vulnerable Borrowers; New Jersey Officials Say Michael Kwasnik Also Was Part Of Ponzi Scheme Targeting Seniors And Stole More Than $1 Million From Elderly Woman

BULLETIN: The Philadelphia attorney with an office in New Jersey who was arrested in Alabama last week on a fugitive warrant amid allegations he had stolen more than $1 million from an elderly woman in a trust scam was on the Federal Trade Commission’s radar screen for an alleged mortgage-relief scam, the PP Blog has…

Nov 16, 2011
UPDATE: ‘JustBeenPaid’ Promos Trading On Name, Likeness Of Oprah Winfrey; ‘Click On The Oprah Banner Below,’ Ad Instructs

UPDATE: In addition to trading on the name of Warren Buffett, the JustBeenPaid “program” is trading on the name of entertainment icon and business titan Oprah Winfrey. Actor Charlie Sheen’s name also has been referenced in Ponzi forum chatter about JustBeenPaid, an “opportunity” whose braintrust once recruited members for Florida-based AdSurfDaily. ASD, according to the…

Oct 17, 2011