The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint and consent order on Thursday against several Utah-based defendants settling Federal Trade Commission charges that they deceived approximately 25,000 consumers who were trying to call “American Idol” to vote for their favorite performers during the 2002 and 2003 television seasons.
According to the FTC’s complaint, the defendants purchased phone numbers that were similar to the correct numbers for the TV show, and led callers who mistakenly dialed their number to believe they had to call a 900 toll number to place their vote. Fees charged ranged from $1.99 to $2.97 per call, according to the FTC.
The callers were unable to place their votes through the 900 number, as the defendants were not affiliated in any way with the “American Idol” program. Instead, callers heard a recitation of the correct phone numbers to reach the “American Idol” voting lines.
Under the consent order, the defendants are barred from engaging in similar behavior for “American Idol” or other programs and will pay a civil penalty of $40,000.
The FTC filed the complaint and order against: Telemarketing, Inc., a Utah corporation, also doing business as Univoxx; Apex Investments, LLC, a Utah corporation, d.b.a Operator Directory Service and Northwestern Atlantic; Universal Innovations, LLC, a Utah corporation; Thomas Gregory Parrish, individually and as an officer of Telemarketing, Inc.; Sean K. Angeletti, individually and as an officer of Telemarketing, Inc.; and John P. Starrs, individually.
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