Career Exams, Inc.

Also known as: Career Advancement Group.

The FTC alleged that Career Exams advertised nonexistent U.S. Postal Service jobs and charged consumers $120 for a booklet of general federal hiring information. Settlement orders banned the defendants from selling employment products or services and required about $45,000 in surrendered assets.

1Official action
$45KRedress ordered
2Business names used

Resolved. Refunded, settled, ceased operating, or the claim did not hold up. Kept for the record.

Identity

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Registrations
FTC v. Career Exams, Inc. (FTC case 122-3256, 2012)
Jurisdictions
United States (federal)

Postal job advertising claims ended in settlement orders

The FTC charged Career Exams, Inc., also doing business as Career Advancement Group, and related defendants with running deceptive advertisements for nonexistent U.S. Postal Service jobs. According to the FTC, the advertisements appeared in newspaper classified sections and on job search websites and looked like job postings. Consumers who responded were told that Postal Service jobs were available in their geographic areas.

The FTC alleged that consumers paid $120 but received only a booklet with general information about the federal civil service and Postal Service hiring process. The earlier release described the charge as more than $100 and said the booklet contained general job-seeking advice. It also identified O’Brien Marketing, Jeryn B. Lee, and Derek Jackson as defendants in the same case.

Settlement orders banned the defendants from selling employment products or services and prohibited material misrepresentations about other products or services. The orders required them to surrender cash and investments totaling approximately $45,000. They also imposed a $4.8 million judgment that would be partially suspended based on the defendants’ inability to pay the full amount. The consent judgments were entered by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky in June and July 2013.

What is not established

The 2012 release states that the complaint was not a finding that the defendants violated the law. The supplied releases report consent judgments but do not report an admission by Career Exams.

Sources

Every claim above rests on one of these. Open them and check.

  1. Enforcement action November 15, 2012
    FTC Expands Fight Against Deceptive Business Opportunity Schemes
  2. Enforcement action July 18, 2013
    Operators of Postal Jobs Scheme Banned from Selling Employment Services

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First recorded November 15, 2012 · Last updated July 18, 2013