TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Federal Trade Commission obtained a temporary order on Monday against an Orlando-based telemarketer that allegedly used robocalls to pitch purportedly free medical devices.
Worldwide Info Services Inc., doing business as The Credit Voice, and its affiliates allegedly used the automated calls to pitch the devices by falsely representing they were purchased by a friend or a relative. The defendants also allegedly claimed the devices were endorsed by various health organizations and that the recipients would not be charged any money before the devices were activated.
Bondi's office and the FTC are seeking a court order to permanently ban the defendants from engaging in the allegedly illegal and fraudulent activities and require the payment of restitution to victims.
"We will not tolerate unscrupulous individuals targeting the elderly," Bondi said. "This company received more than $13 million in commissions since March 2012, and we will do everything in our power to compensate consumers who lost money due to the fraudulent medical alert scheme. I thank the Federal Trade Commission for its partnership in this effort, which involved thousands of affected consumers, and the numerous other agencies who joined in the effort to stop these business practices."
Bondi's office and the FTC filed a joint agency complaint against the defendants alleging violations of the commission's Telemarketing Sales Rule and Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Other defendants named in the joint agency complaint include Elite Information Solutions Inc., doing business as The Credit Voice, Absolute Solutions Group Inc, doing business as The Credit Voice, Global Interactive Technologies Inc., doing business as The Credit Voice Inc., Global Service Providers Inc., The Credit Voice Inc., doing business as TCV, Live Agent Response 1 LLC, doing business as LAR, Arcagen Inc., doing business as ARI, American Innovative Concepts Inc, Unique Information Services Inc. and company principals Michael Hilgar, Gary Martin and Joseph Settecase.
AG Bondi, FTC obtain temporary order against The Credit Voice
