DES MOINES, Iowa (Legal Newsline) – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced this month that money-making schemes and other mail-based announcements of this kind from a New Jersey company will stop targeting state residents.
Miller states that Success Publishers LLC and the state have reached an agreement that will refund those who had paid for the services offered by the company and that it will no longer send mail advertising money-making and lottery winning systems.
Iowa residents had contacted the Consumer Protection Division after a mailed advertisement was sent out that had stated that participants could win $20,000 from lottery-winning tactics.
“These are what might be called ‘beat-the-lottery’ products that appear to violate Iowa’s Consumer Fraud Act,” Miller said. “We demanded that sales to Iowans must cease, and that Iowa consumers who paid money are entitled to refunds.”
According to the report, the mailer had stated that the company would sell tactics used by what it referred to “rogue mathematicians.” The advertisement also stated that the accuracy of predictions made by this group were at 90 percent. In order to begin, residents were asked to send in a payment of $60.
Miller notes that this kind of activity can bring hardship to elderly members of the community. Miller also encourages that any promotion like this should be taken with skepticism, especially by caregivers.
John Abate, owner of the company, denied liability and wrongdoing in the agreement.