MIAMI (Legal Newsline) - Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Wednesday that her office and the Federal Trade Commission sued a Miami-based company for allegedly defrauding hundreds of Spanish-speaking customers.
The company, All Dreams Vacation Corp. and VGC Corporation, allegedly targeted south Floridians and consumers nationally by advertising a vacation package call-in contest with Spanish radio and TV advertisements. The "winners" were asked to pay fees between $200 and $400 to collect the prize, Bondi says.
According to Bondi's office, the alleged complaints state that consumers who pay the fees did not receive their promised vacation packages.
"At a time when gas prices are soaring and people are planning their summer vacations within a budget, we must protect Florida's families from any possible deception," Bondi said. "Any money lost at the hand of deceptive and illegal business practices is too much, and we will work with the FTC to hold businesses accountable."
The FTC and Bondi's office filed a joint lawsuit on Monday in the federal court for the southern district of Florida in Miami. The suit asked the court to stop All Dreams Vacations Corp. and VGC Corporation from engaging in alleged deceptive activities; to freeze the defendants' assets; to pay restitution to consumers; and to appoint a receiver to manage the defendants' business activities. On Monday, the judge entered a temporary restraining order, immediately shutting down the companies and appointing a temporary receiver.