December 12, 2019

A ring of companies led by Orbital Publishing Group, Inc. has been ordered to pay $16 million for defrauding more than 68,000 New Yorkers on subscriptions to leading magazine and newspaper publications.  According to the Attorney General of New York, Orbital and its affiliates sent unauthorized solicitations claiming to offer the lowest rates on subscriptions—despite cease and desist letters from the publishers—when in fact they charged more than double what publishers would have charged customers directly.  Additionally, they failed to clearly indicate subscription expiration dates, causing customers to not only pay more but also renew subscriptions that had not yet expired.  The same ring of companies had been the target of a 2016 FTC enforcement action that led the State of Oregon to impose a $8.9 million judgment.  NY AG