ROCHESTER — New York state Attorney General Barbara Underwood has filed a lawsuit against two Rochester home improvement contractors and their company for defrauding consumers with fake reviews and failing to perform services promised.
Underwood alleges contractors Sarah Crawford and Alvis Sprague, owners of A-S Contracting, deceived consumers by posting fake reviews on YellowPages.com and on Yelp to market their business. The defendants also allegedly defrauded consumers on a regular basis by getting full or partial payments for work they did not perform or did in a "shoddy" manner. The attorney general also alleges Sprague then spent $80,000 of the money at various casinos.
“Consumers deserve to know that they can trust online reviews – not be deceived by the company itself,” Underwood said in a statement. “Companies that seek to deceive New Yorkers will be held accountable by my office.”
Underwood seeks a permanent injunction against the defendants and $52,000 in restitution for the consumers affected, along with $50,000 in costs and penalties.