FTC Action Leads to Lifetime Industry Ban for Operators of ‘Extended Vehicle Warranty’ Scam

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As a result of a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit, the operators of a telemarketing scam that called hundreds of thousands of consumers nationwide to pitch them expensive “extended automobile warranties” will face a lifetime ban from the extended automobile warranty industry and from all outbound telemarketing.

Under the terms of proposed court orders, three companies and their owners that were charged by the FTC with running the operation that scammed consumers out of millions of dollars would be permanently banned from participating in the extended automobile warranty market, as well as from any further involvement in outbound telemarketing.

“AVP misled consumers about who they were and what they were selling and called a large number of consumers who were on the FTC’s Do Not Call List,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Today’s order banning five defendants from the industry and imposing a monetary judgment of $6.6 million continues the Commission’s aggressive crackdown on telemarketing fraud.”

The FTC first charged the owners and operators of American Vehicle Protection Corporation (AVP) with violating the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule in February 2022. In its complaint, the FTC charged that AVP made unsolicited calls in which it claimed to be affiliated with vehicle makers, and deceptively claimed their products, which cost thousands of dollars, offered “bumper to bumper” protection.

American Vehicle Protection Corp.; CG3 Solutions, Inc.; and Tony Gonzalez Consulting Group,

Inc., along with individual defendants, Tony Allen Gonzalez, and his brother, Charles Gonzalez, have agreed to the terms of the proposed court orders.

The orders also include a monetary judgment of $6.6 million, which is largely suspended based on their inability to pay. If the defendants are found to have lied to the FTC about the financial status, the full judgment would be immediately payable.

The FTC’s case against the remaining defendants in the case, Kole Consulting Group, Inc., and its owner and manager, Daniel Kole, will continue.

The Commission vote approving the stipulated final orders was 3-0-1, with Commissioner Christine S. Wilson not participating. The FTC filed the proposed order in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

NOTE: Stipulated final orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.

The staff attorneys on this matter are Harold Kirtz, Hans Clausen, and Chris Gleason of the FTC’s Southeast Region.

Official news published at https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/03/ftc-action-leads-lifetime-industry-ban-operators-extended-vehicle-warranty-scam

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The Good Dog Foundation to Ring NYSE Closing Bell

Bell ringing will mark the 25th anniversary of the foundation's work

The Good Dog Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to training and deploying therapy dogs to help adults and children recover from stress, trauma, and disease, today announced that Rachel McPherson, Founder, along with two therapy dogs - Magnus and Atticus - will ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) today, Friday, June 2, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. ET.

"At The Good Dog Foundation, we believe in the healing power of the human-animal bond. Therapy dogs, when trained properly, offer uniquely effective nonverbal, nonjudgmental support for those in need of stress relief, morale boosting, or emotional healing," said Rachel McPherson, Founder of The Good Dog Foundation. "Ringing the closing bell at NYSE is a wonderful way to honor our 25th year and reflect on the meaningful work our therapy dogs have done. I am so proud of The Good Dog Foundation and the thousands of therapy dogs and their owners who are making a difference in lives every day."

About The Good Dog Foundation

For 25 years, The Good Dog Foundation has trained and deployed thousands of therapy dogs to help adults and children recover from stress, trauma and disease or cope with disabilities and learning issues. Founded on the belief in the healing power of the dog to human connection, Good Dogs have provided services to hospitals, colleges, nursing homes, disaster relief efforts as well as corporate partners. Learn more at https://thegooddogfoundation.org.

Contact Information:
Bruce Fagin
Executive Vice President, The Good Dog Foundation
info@thegooddogfoundation.org
(888) 859-9992


Original Source: The Good Dog Foundation to Ring NYSE Closing Bell

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The 2023 Global Healing Festival by Embodied Black Girl Returns, Disrupting Grind Culture and Centering Rest

The free one-day festival featuring today's visionary thought leaders will take place online on June 9, 2023

The Global Healing Festival by Embodied Black Girl returns for its fourth annual festival on June 9, 2023. The festival is the first of its kind and nourishes the healing and liberation of Black women and women of color while enlivening culture change and making wellness, somatics and mental health more accessible to the communities that need it most. 

Every year the free grassroots virtual festival attracts thousands of participants around the world, primarily through word of mouth.  

Curated by the global wellness and leadership education platform, Embodied Black Girl, the day-long online, interactive and immersive festival experience, includes in-depth workshops and thought-provoking conversations with today's leading visionary cultural shapers.

This year's theme, The Future is Embodied: The Rest-volution, is an invitation to enter the dream space and leave grind culture behind. In spite of the grim statistics and policies that impact Black women in particular, we root for a vision of joy, hope and self-determination.

In keeping this festival free through the years, our hope is to make wellness, somatics and mental health more accessible to Black women and folks of color and, in turn, create a world where we are seen, held and empowered. In this space, rest is life and our bodies transform into revolutionary portals and oracles for liberation. 

The festival will be hosted by Embodied Black Girl founder Thérèse Cator, who'll be joined by honored guests: 

  • Tricia Hersey, founder of The Nap Ministry and NYT Bestselling Author of Rest is Resistance 
  • Dr. Jennifer Mullan, founder of Decolonizing Therapy and author of the forthcoming book Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma and Politicizing Your Practice (W. W. Norton & Company)
  • Tigidankay "TK" Saccoh, founder of The Darkest Hue, a digital platform that centers the experiences and perspectives of dark-skinned Black girls, women, and femmes 
  • Natalee Facey, Resilience Coach and Birth Doula 

The festival will explore questions like…

  • How does rest support our individual and collective liberation?
  • How can we move beyond a cognitive understanding of rest to an embodied knowing of rest?
  • How can we foster deeper embodiment while having difficult and necessary conversations within our family and communities?
  • What dreams are we here to birth and nurture that will support personal and communal thriving?

For more information and to register to attend, please visit https://embodiedblackgirl.com/ghf-2023/.

Contact Information:
EBG Press
hello@embodiedblackgirl.com


Original Source: The 2023 Global Healing Festival by Embodied Black Girl Returns, Disrupting Grind Culture and Centering Rest
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