{"id":42023,"date":"2023-08-22T12:04:24","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T16:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/d56fg8tfg.fitnews.club\/finance\/ftc-action-stops-business-opportunity-scheme-that-promised-its-ai-boosted-tools-would-power-high-earnings-through-online-stores\/"},"modified":"2023-08-22T12:04:24","modified_gmt":"2023-08-22T16:04:24","slug":"ftc-action-stops-business-opportunity-scheme-that-promised-its-ai-boosted-tools-would-power-high-earnings-through-online-stores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d56fg8tfg.fitnews.club\/finance\/ftc-action-stops-business-opportunity-scheme-that-promised-its-ai-boosted-tools-would-power-high-earnings-through-online-stores\/","title":{"rendered":"FTC Action Stops Business Opportunity Scheme That Promised Its AI-Boosted Tools Would Power High Earnings Through Online Stores"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As a result of a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit, a federal court has temporarily shut down<\/a>\u00a0 a business opportunity scheme that lured consumers to invest $22 million in online stores, using unfounded claims about income and profits. The operators of Automators also claimed to use artificial intelligence to ensure success and profitability for consumers who agreed to invest with Automators.<\/p>\n

In addition to offering consumers high return as \u201cpassive investors\u201d in profitable e-stores, Automators, which previously used the names Empire and Onyx Distribution, also offered to teach consumers how to successfully set up and manage e-stores themselves using a \u201cproven system\u201d and the powers of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe defendants preyed on consumers looking to provide for their families with promises of high returns and the use of AI to power such returns,\u201d said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC\u2019s Bureau of Consumer Protection. \u201cTheir lies caused consumers to lose tens of thousands of dollars, with many losing their life savings. The FTC is working to hold defendants accountable and to secure redress for their victims.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FTC\u2019s complaint<\/a>\u00a0 against defendants Roman Cresto, John Cresto, and Andrew Chapman, through their companies Automators AI, Empire Ecommerce and Onyx Distribution, claims that the vast majority of defendants\u2019 clients did not make the promised earnings or even recoup their investment.\u00a0 Instead, most clients lost significant amounts and Amazon and Walmart have routinely suspended or terminated the stores that defendants operated for repeated policy violations.<\/p>\n

The complaint charges that the Crestos and Chapman deceived consumers about the scheme in numerous ways, including by making false claims about:<\/p>\n