A Jacksonville company has been ordered to pay more than $730,000 in a bogus alcoholism cure scheme, according to the attorney general’s office.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Federal Trade Commission announced Thursday obtaining a court order to require the Alcoholism Cure Corp. to pay more than $730,000 to consumers and from continuing to sell their treatments.
According to the complaint, the company prescribed dietary supplements through memberships for about $350, with the pitch that they could cancel the membership at any time.
Only, when a consumer tried to cancel a membership, the attorney general’s office contends that the owner of the company threatened to publicly reveal the member’s alcoholism.
“The fact that this company deceived consumers and threatened to reveal their personal information is abhorrent,” Bondi stated in a release. “I am grateful to the FTC for their partnership in stopping this company from exploiting consumers and providing refunds for those harmed by this company’s actions.”
Some customer accounts were charged up to $20,000 in fees, while the company’s owner disclosed some consumers’ alcohol dependence to companies, debt collectors and a Florida small claims court.
Florida consumers who have been affected by this scheme are encouraged to file a complaint by calling the attorney general’s fraud hotline at 1-866-966-7226 or file online at
http://www.myfloridalegal.com.
