Main Street Power Mail, Inc. will pay a $90,000 settlement to Vermont for allegedly violating direct mail marketing laws, Attorney General William Sorrell said on Thursday.
The Sheridan, Indiana, company allegedly solicited personal information from Vermont residents, but didn’t inform the residents what they would use the information for, which violates federal and state advertising and marketing laws.
In addition to the monetary settlement, the company will adapt its business practices to be more transparent when soliciting information from consumers.
Between March 2012 and March 2013, Main Street Power Mail mailed 30,000 marketing pieces to consumers. The mailings allegedly used deceptive language, such as “no-cost.”
The company also allegedly asked consumers to return the post cards with their personal information, without fully explaining what the cards were for. The personal details included demographic information, including information about spouses and children. The firm then would allegedly sell this information to its clients, which included marketers and insurance agents.
“We will not tolerate businesses using deception to obtain consumers’ private information,” Sorrell said.