A Canadian telemarketing is facing criminal and civil charges in the U.S. after allegedly bilking elderly consumers here.
John Raymond Salvator Bezeredi was arrested on Oct. 21 in Vancouver on U.S. charges, and bail was set at $1 million. In addition, he was hit with a temporary restraining order after the filing of an FTC lawsuit on Oct. 17.
According to the FTC, Bezeredi’s operation called U.S. consumers, inviting them to invest in bogus European bonds. These individuals were promised that they were “highly likely” to win cash prizes if they bought the bonds over the phone, the commission alleged.
The victims, who paid from $400 to a high of $5,950 for the bonds, were told that the purchases were registered with the nonexistent European Central Union Bank, the FTC continued.
In addition, Bezeredi violated the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule by calling consumers listed on the National Do-not-Call Registry, the FTC charged.
Bezeredi did business as Dominion Investments, Eurobond Fidelity Ltd. And Imperial Investments, according to the FTC.
Victims who bought the bonds received documents on letterhead with a Hungarian address, the FTC continued.
The criminal charges were filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. The temporary restraining order was issued by the U.S. District Court in Seattle.
