Home security scammer target of state AG lawsuit

July 29, 2014 Home security scammer target of state AG lawsuit Hendricks residents among those filing complaints

Anonymous Hendricks County Flyer The Hendricks County Flyer Tue Jul 29, 2014, 11:03 AM EDT

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has filed a lawsuit against Jerome Edmond and USA Promotions for making illegal pre-recorded calls and for impersonating an ADT home security systems representative.

This marketing followed several high profile home invasions that raised public safety concerns.

The Attorney Generals office received nearly 160 complaints alleging that someone made automated telemarketing calls, sometimes called robo-calls, advertising ADT security systems. The complaints were received from 13 counties from Central and Northern Indiana, with the most from Marion, Hamilton and Hendricks.

Reportedly, the pre-recorded message stated, in part: This is a public safety call. Due to the rise in residential burglaries in your community, ADT will be giving you a free ADT Home Security Alarm System with free installation and activation which means you pay absolutely nothing out of pocket for this security system. This promotion expires in your community this week so its important you return our phone call right away.

ADT confirmed that no one affiliated with ADT placed the calls.

This is scamming at its worst, Zoeller said. Taking advantage of public fear with unsolicited and illegal robo-calls requires aggressive enforcement actions. It is encouraging that people who received these calls recognized they shouldnt be receiving them and asked the Consumer Protection Division to help protect them from further calls or additional victimization.

The lawsuit seeks fines and penalties and a permanent injunction against Edmond, an Illinois resident, and his unregistered company U.S.A. Promotions, for calls violating Indianas Telephone Privacy law and the states Auto-Dialer law, and for falsely representing that he was an affiliate of ADT. The lawsuit also seeks recovery of the Attorney Generals costs of investigation and prosecution.

In June, the Attorney Generals Office also filed suit against Power Home Technologies, Inc., a North Carolina home security seller. That case is still pending.

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Home security scammer target of state AG lawsuit