US man who helped Indian call center banned from telemarketing

February 15, 2017 23:34

The US Federal Trade Commission today announced to ban a Florida man from helping any telemarketers, as he allegedly collected more than $1.3 million from about 3,000 consumers in a scheme that helped Indian call center collect money from victims of IRS scam.

The proposed settlement resolves an FTC complaint against Joel S Treuhaft and his company, PHLG Enterprise, LLC who collected more than USD 1.5 million from about 3,000 consumers in a scheme that helped Indian call centers collect money from victims of IRS tax scams, government grant scams and advance-fee loan scams, among others, a media release said.

"The scammers behind these call centers relied on PHLG and its runners to get consumers' money," said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

FTC said, telemarketers at Indian call centers conned consumers into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars each for taxes they did not owe, or fees for services they did not receive.

They often pretended to be affiliated with government agencies, telling people they owed money to the IRS, or that they would get a government grant after they paid a fee.

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