March 16, 2016

A Seattle-based man and his three companies will pay back as much as $7,750,000 to approximately 165,000 consumers nationwide. Benjamin Rogovy used systematic deception in the running of his for-profit company, Christian Prayer Center, including the creation of fake religious leaders and posting false testimonials to entice consumers to pay for prayers. In a separate business, Rogovy used deceptive and unfair business practices to run the Consumer Complaint Agency, a for-profit business that promised consumers it would advocate on their behalf regarding their complaints against businesses. Instead, the company charged consumers up to $25 for doing little more than passively forwarding complaints. Rogovy’s actions violate Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, which forbids businesses from making false claims, and the Charitable Solicitations Act, which prohibits churches and charities from using misleading or deceptive statements in any charitable solicitation. WA