BELLEVILLE, IL – Illinois Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against Illinois marketing firm, Select Marketing Solution Management for allegedly misrepresenting “lead lists” of potential customers the company sold as being verified and screened. Consumer lists are used in direct mail campaigns and it is important that a mailing list be accurate.
Lawsuit Announced
On February 1, 2011, Illinois AG, Lisa Madigan announced the lawsuit in a news release at the Illinois Attorney General website. The case is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Deborah Sterling-Scott for the Consumer Fraud Bureau.
The lawsuit, filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court, alleges that the defendants sold lead lists to companies without first checking to see if the names in the lists were on the national Do Not Call registry or if the people truly wanted to be contacted.
Complaints Filed Over Inaccurate Lists
Madigan’s office received complaints from a number of businesses who reported losses of more than $11,000 from the purchases of lists they thought were accurate.
In addition to requiring Select Marketing to pay refunds to all affected customers, the lawsuit also seeks to impose a $50,000 civil penalty per violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act plus an additional $50,000 penalty for violations found to be committed with the intent to defraud as well as prosecution costs associated with the litigation.
Excerpts From The News Release
Following are some excerpts from the news release announcing the lawsuit:
Attorney General Madigan made a statement about the case:
At a time when small businesses are struggling to stay afloat, this company charged business owners hundreds of dollars for information that could have caused them to violate the Do Not Call List and leave them potentially liable.
The news release also contained some details about the businesses who complained to the Attorney General’s office about the inaccurate mailing lists:
Businesses in Cook, Madison, St. Clair, DuPage, Saline, Adams, Jackson, Douglas, Edgar, Will, Lake and Piatt counties and out-of-state businesses reported to Madigan’s office losses totaling more than $11,000 from purchasing the lists they believed were accurate. Companies that contacted consumers on the lists found numbers were disconnected or consumers reached had never been contacted by Select Marketing for their approval.
Read the news release from the website of the Illinois Attorney General at www.IllinoisAttorneyGeneral.gov.