POMPANO BEACH -- Have you gotten one of those calls asking about your auto warranty?
The Federal Trade Commission is taking seven South Florida businesses and individuals to court over calls it says were deceptive and broke federal law.
According to the FTC's complaint, filed in federal court for the Southern District of Florida, American Vehicle Protection Corporation, My Protection Plan Inc., Tony Gonzalez Consulting Group, Kole Consulting Group, and three individuals involved in those firms bilked consumers out of more than six million dollars over the last four years. The FTC says the companies pretended to represent dealers or car manufacturers, and pitched expensive "extended warranties" that didn't cover what was claimed.
Samuel Levine of the FTC says AVP "blasted consumers with illegal calls and made bogus claims about bumper-to-bumper warranties." The FTC also accuses AVP and co-defendants of promising to provide "bumper to bumper coverage" and claiming that consumers could get a full refund within 30 days if they were not happy with the warranties.
The complaint also claims AVP violated federal law and telemarketing sales rules by calling consumers on the Do Not Call Registry.
The FTC wants a judge to bar the defendants from those alleged practices and several others.
Here's a link to the complaint:
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