February 11, 2016

The FTC has charged two separate office supply operations with targeting non-profit organizations and small businesses, such as child care centers, educational institutions, churches, and hospitals, and tricking them into paying for overpriced office and cleaning supplies they never ordered. In the California case, Telestar Consulting Inc., also doing business as Kleritec and United Business Supply, and Karl Wesley Angel, allegedly used a variety of tactics to persuade consumers to pay for unordered merchandise. The defendants in the Maryland case are American Industrial Enterprises LLC, Easton Chemical Supply Inc., Lighting X-Change Company LLC, LMS Lighting & Maintenance Solutions LLC, Werner International Enterprises Inc., Benjamin Cox, Vincent Stapleton and John Tharrington. The complaint also names a relief defendant, TBC Companies Inc., that profited from the scheme. FTC