Fat Giraffe Marketing Group LLC
Also known as: Online Cash Commission, Excel Cash Flow, Cash From Home.
The FTC alleged that Fat Giraffe charged a $97 fee for a program supposedly paying people to post advertising links, which supplied no links and no work, using fake review sites it ran itself and testimonials from people who were not customers.
Resolved. Refunded, settled, ceased operating, or the claim did not hold up. Kept for the record.
Identity
Published so you can confirm this entry refers to the party you are checking, and not to somebody who shares a name.
- Registrations
- FTC v. Fat Giraffe Marketing Group LLC, et al. (FTC case 192-3009, D. Utah, 2019)
- Jurisdictions
- United States (federal)
Paid to post links that did not exist
From 2014 through 2017, Gregory W. Anderson, Garrett P. Robins and five companies they controlled charged an up-front fee, typically $97, to join a program that would supposedly pay significant income for posting advertising links onto websites.
People who paid soon found the program supplied no advertising links and paid them for no work.
A funnel built entirely from things the defendants owned
Buyers arrived through spam blasted nationwide by affiliate networks the defendants hired. Clicking a link routed them to “presale” websites styled as honest reviews by independent news reporters praising the opportunity. Those review sites were run by the defendants themselves.
The review sites linked to the defendants’ sales sites, which promised significant income for little effort and carried testimonials including a prominent story about a single mother who lost her job and became a millionaire. The testimonials were false and the people featured were not customers.
The program was sold under Online Cash Commission, Excel Cash Flow and, most recently, Cash From Home.
The second revenue stream
The complaint alleges the defendants took several million dollars from people joining the program, and several million more by tricking those same customers into calling telemarketing sales floors that sold them one-on-one business coaching packages costing thousands of dollars.
They were charged under Section 5 of the FTC Act, the Business Opportunity Rule and the Telemarketing Sales Rule.
The order
Anderson, Robins and their five companies are banned from selling, or helping others sell, any business coaching service or business opportunity. The order imposes a $10.9 million judgment, most of which is suspended for inability to pay.
What is not established
A stipulated final order resolves allegations without any admission or finding of wrongdoing.
Sources
Every claim above rests on one of these. Open them and check.
- Enforcement action February 14, 2019
- Enforcement action February 14, 2019
Right of reply
If you are named here and something is wrong, dispute this entry. There is no charge, the route never expires, and your response is published unedited.
Other coaching & business opportunity entries
See all coaching & business opportunity entries, or browse the full record.
First recorded February 14, 2019 · Last updated February 14, 2019