The Federal Trade Commission has filed a complaint against an alleged spammer who promised recipients a free Sony PlayStation 2, and instead delivered pornography and charged by the minute.
According to the FTC, the e-mail promised a prize through a promotion purportedly sponsored by Yahoo Inc. When recipients responded, they were directed to a Web page that imitated the authentic Yahoo page. Then, they were instructed to download a program where they could connect to a “toll-free” registration site where they could enter their name and address to win the PlayStation.
The Web site was instead, a pornographic site hooked up to a 900 number that charged up to $3.99 a minute, alleged the FTC.
The agency named as defendants BTV Industries, National Communications Team Inc. and LO/AD Communications Corp. The FTC charged the defendants with violating the FTC Act and the Pay-Per-Call Rule. The complaint alleges that the defendants’ practices were deceptive and misled consumers.
The FTC said the scam has caused millions of dollars in consumer injury and has asked the U.S. District Court to preserve the companies’ assets for consumer redress. The court has halted the scheme.
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