Markets Wired

Under settlement orders with the Federal Trade Commission announced today, the operators of an alleged federal jobs scam have been banned from selling employment products or services.  Last year, as part of Operation Lost Opportunity, the FTC charged Career Exams, Inc., O’Brien Marketing, Inc., Jeryn B. Lee, and Derek Jackson with running deceptive ads for nonexistent U.S. Postal Service jobs.  The FTC alleged that the defendants lured consumers into paying $120 by representing that Postal Service jobs were available in the consumer’s geographic area.  Instead of jobs, consumers simply received a booklet containing general information about the hiring process for the federal civil service and Postal Service. 

In addition to banning the defendants from selling employment products or services, the settlement orders prohibit the defendants from misrepresenting material facts about any products and services that they market or sell in the future.  Under the orders, the defendants will surrender cash and investments totaling approximately $45,000.  The orders also impose a $4.8 million judgment that will be partially suspended based on the defendants’ inability to pay the full judgment.  The full judgment will become due immediately if the defendants are found to have misrepresented their financial condition.
 
The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the proposed consent judgments settling this action was 4-0.  The consent judgments were entered by U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on June 28 and July 10, 2013.

NOTE:  Consent judgments have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.