9140-9201 Québec Inc.
Also known as: Premium Business Pages Inc., Premium Business Pages, Ameteck Group, The Local Business Pages, Data Net Technologies.
The FTC alleged that a common enterprise including 9140-9201 Québec Inc. used unsolicited calls and claims of past-due invoices to obtain payment from small businesses for unordered directory, search optimization, website design, and hosting services.
Documented. Subject of a regulatory action, lawsuit, or other official proceeding on the public record.
Identity
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- Registrations
- FTC v. 9140-9201 Québec Inc. (FTC case 182-3011, 2018)
- Jurisdictions
- United States (federal)
Complaint alleged collection demands for unordered business services
In the Premium Business Pages case, the FTC charged nine individual and corporate defendants with operating a common enterprise that had made unsolicited calls to small businesses and other organizations since at least 2013. The offerings described in the release were Internet directory listings, search engine optimization services, and website design and hosting services. The defendants allegedly used business names including Premium Business Pages, Ameteck Group, The Local Business Pages, and Data Net Technologies.
The FTC alleged that initial calls were presented as attempts to collect past-due invoices even though the recipients had not ordered anything and had not previously received an invoice. Telemarketers allegedly threatened collections, red flags, or harm to credit if an invoice was not paid promptly. The complaint also said they sometimes offered discounts or waived fees to induce payment within 24 hours.
According to the release, repeated payment demands continued when recipients refused to pay. Some recipients who paid were allegedly called again weeks later, sometimes by a purportedly different company seeking payment for another outstanding invoice or claiming the first payment had covered only an initial installment. The FTC said many consumers paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for services they had neither ordered nor wanted.
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, on June 13, 2018. The court granted the FTC’s request for a temporary restraining order.
What is not established: The release says the complaint was not a ruling that the defendants violated the law and that the case would be decided by the court.
Sources
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- Enforcement action June 18, 2018
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First recorded June 18, 2018 · Last updated June 18, 2018