Response Marketing Group, LLC and its principals have been ordered by the court to pay $15 million and are prohibited from selling money-making opportunities.
Utah’s largest consumer protection lawsuit settlement has been achieved through a collaboration between the FTC and the Utah Attorney General’s Office
The lawsuit alleges that Response Marketing deceived customers by making false promises regarding real estate investment training programs. In addition, real estate celebrities Scott Yancey and Dean R. Graziosi, who endorsed the training, are jointly responsible for paying $1.7 million. The company attracted individuals to free events through infomercials and social media advertisements, where they were enticed to purchase $1,000 in three-day workshops to learn the secrets of successful real estate investment.
However, during these workshops, consumers were persuaded to buy further training programs costing tens of thousands of dollars, including the costly “Inner Circle” program priced at up to $30,000. Many participants failed to achieve success in real estate investment and were unable to recover their losses.
Utah’s largest consumer protection division settlement to date holds Response Marketing accountable for the significant financial harm inflicted on consumers nationwide
The Utah Department of Commerce Executive Director Margaret Busse commended the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Utah Attorney General’s Office for their actions, emphasizing that Utah businesses seeking to exploit consumers will face consequences. The guilty parties, including Response Marketing’s affiliates and owners, must make $15 million in restitution payments or face an additional $15 million in fines.
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