Friday, October 21, 2011

Stars, stripes - and scams

"Between the picture of the President and Vice-President standing in front of the American flag and the references to government funds to stabilize the economy, it’s understandable that people who signed up for the service advertised on the Grant Connect website thought they were on their way to landing a grant. Promoters even described Grant Connect as “a unique, consumer-friendly US government grant program that delivers all of the tools for the consumer to search multiple databases, write grant proposals, and deliver polished plans. . .”

Not so, alleged the FTC in a lawsuit against Juliette Kimoto, Johnnie Smith, and others behind the Grant Connect operation. The FTC also charged the defendants with making misleading claims for other products, including First Plus Platinum, an online shopping club represented to be a line of credit; One Hour Wealth Builder, a purported work-at-home business opportunity; and Acai Total Burn, a purported weight loss pill the defendants falsely claimed had been endorsed by Oprah Winfrey and Rachael Ray..."

No comments: