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Ohio AG Files Suit Against Canadian Telemarketer
"COLUMBUS, Ohio -- State Attorney General Jim Petro today filed suit against a Canadian telemarketing company, Pristine Secure Services, for engaging in unfair and deceptive business practices. Petro alleges that Pristine contacted consumers via telephone claiming that for $298 it would return money wrongly taken by other telemarketers, give consumers a packet of information on how to protect themselves from fraudulent telemarketers, and register consumers on the National Do Not Call registry.Consumers then were told they did not have to pay the $298 fee up front; instead, it would be deducted from the money the company got back on behalf of the consumer. Consumers were directed to provide their personal account information so Pristine could withdraw the $298 fee after it secured the money collected on consumers' behalf. However, Pristine immediately deducted the $298 fee from the consumers' banks and did not supply them with any service offered, Petro said. Other violations include: Failure to register with the Attorney General's Office as a telephone solicitor Falsely claiming to be located in New York when it is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada Failure to register with the Secretary of State's Office as a foreign company doing business in Ohio Failure to acquire a surety bond before conducting telephone solicitations in Ohio Deducting money from consumer accounts with unauthorized bank drafts Calling consumers who are listed on the National Do Not Call registry Petro is asking the court to refund the $298 fee to consumers as well as pay $500 to each person contacted in Ohio whose number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. The suit also asks for civil penalties of $25,000 per violation and an injunction preventing Pristine from doing business in Ohio until it complies with Ohio consumer laws, including properly registering as a telemarketer."