Cyndee
Chattanooga,#2Consumer Comment
Sun, October 31, 2004
This is a previous FTC suit against Russell MacArthur. And just like numerous other scammers in Miami, all doing the same thing as AED did to you people, there are sometimes multiple PERMANENT INJUNCTIONS from the FTC. How about some jail time? I would think this would work a lot better than the slap on the hands they keep getting and literally laughing about! From: (http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/06/ard.htm) "In June 2002, the FTC, Department of Justice, and 17 state law enforcement agencies launched Project Busted Opportunity, a law enforcement sweep targeting fraudulent work-at-home and business opportunity operations. As part of that sweep, the FTC filed a complaint in federal district court charging Associated Record Distributors, Inc. (ARD) of Aventura Florida, its principals Alfredo Susi and Russell MacArthur, and its former principals David Siegel and Brian Morgenstern, alleging that they violated the FTC Act when selling music distribution business opportunities. The settlements announced today end that litigation. The FTC alleged that the defendants sent unsolicited commercial e-mail and placed ads in newspapers throughout the country representing that People just like you are making $150,000 per year! What are they doing? Going around to popular stores in their local area, and restocking shelves of the HOTTEST SELLING products ever! According to the FTC, consumers who responded to the advertisements reached a telemarketer who falsely promised potential investors a profitable business opportunity operating display racks offering compact discs and audio cassettes for sale in retail locations, and stated that they would recover their initial investment within three or four months. The FTC alleges that the defendants also falsely promised to find profitable locations for the music display racks, and referred the potential investors to phony references paid to lie about their success. At the outset of the case, the court granted the FTC a temporary restraining order and froze the defendants' assets. The proposed settlement with defendant Russell MacArthur bans him from advertising, promoting, or selling any franchises or other business opportunities, or from owning or working for any entity that engages in those activities. The settlement also prohibits MacArthur from making any material misrepresentations in connection with the sale of any goods or services and from violating the Commission's Franchise Rule." Here's the warning: The locators and other employees will probably call you and tell you they are sorry about what happened to you. Now they want to help you and have a business they set up. Of course, theirs is completely legit. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS! You will get ripped off again. If whoever contacts you had ANYTHING to do with the company, whether tech support, locators, other companies they used, RUN! These guys literally have approximately 200 companies invovled in these scams in Miami. They also sell your phone numbers to the other scammers. I know victims that have become victims of more than one of the companies. I saw Alan Mogavero's name as involved in AED. He personally ripped me off for 10,000 of my $20,000 investment with Debit Corporation and he has ripped my clients off at other scam corporations as well. Also, the references are shills and get paid up to $400 for helping rip you off. These references also work for multiple corporations. Same as Brian Gordon, the CPA who does the financial disclosure for almost all of the scam corps in Miami. These guys are involved in NUMEROUS companies like Cash Link, Ameri P.O.S., Debit Corporation, Tel2net, Transnet Wireless, Nationwide Cyber Systems, Teleking, Pantheon aka EZ Link (the TV commercial with Ernest Borgnine or Adam West) and many, many others. I know. I am a paralegal working on several RICO suits against these companies and have been researching all of them for around 10 months to date. We have names of approximately 200 scam companies and around 300+/- employees. And, they are located mostly within about a 1 mile radius. See kioskscam.com for more information.
Steve
Phila,#3Consumer Suggestion
Thu, October 28, 2004
I was thinking about calling these people but if you think about it its not worth it at all especailly with these companies coming out with celebs just trying to look good. The first question I would have asked them is any warranties on any products. Also what if something were to get stolen then what happens. Also look on another site to see their ratings. I have vending machines (triple head ) and want to see if I can make at least half my money back. The company I bought them from says no problems with anyone and called around for references. You have to make decisions and I hope I made the right one. I also have coaching support and it helps a lot.