TAMPA, Fla. — Attorney General Ashley Moody is not happy with one Tampa marketing company after her office says it mailed fake versions of the one thing most Americans are concerned about right now: stimulus checks.
According to Moody's Consumer Protection Division, the company, Traffic Jam Events, LLC and its owner David Jeansonne II, mailed out more than 35,000 used car promotions posing as coronavirus stimulus checks.
The division said the fake mailers showed a simulated check for more than $3,000 appearing to represent available government stimulus program funds. Moody's office says the false checks also included the words "stimulus relief program" and "COVID-19 Auto Stimulus."
10News left a phone message for Traffic Jam Events and will update this story if we hear back.
Investigators say the fake COVID-19 stimulus mailers were also allegedly sent in oversized envelopes marked urgent, stated to contain economic stimulus documents.
Moody's office said they were flagged as "deceptive marketing" from consumer complaints, leading her office to open an investigation into both Traffic Jam Events, LLC, and its owner and the auto dealer who supplied cars for the tent sale, MK Automoive, Inc. d/b/a New Wave and its owner.
The dealership is cooperating with the investigation and entered into an "assurance of voluntary compliance," agreeing to pay $10,000 toward consumer restitution and a $1,000 civil penalty, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
“This type of deceptive marketing is completely unacceptable and is even more outrageous during these challenging times. These marketing ploys prey on people’s desperate anticipation of stimulus assistance and falsely suggest that there is government stimulus funding for auto purchases," Moody said. "These misleading practices will not be tolerated, and if anyone tries to take advantage of this crisis and the legitimate financial assistance available for those in need, my office will hold you accountable.”
The Attorney General's Office filed both a legal complaint and motion for temporary injunction to prevent the company from making "false and deceptive" stimulus program representations in the future.
These mailers come at a time when most Americans are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their stimulus checks.
The IRS has already sent out waves of checks, though most people are still checking their accounts on the hunt for their relief funds.
The IRS even created a stimulus check status online tracker to help the public monitor when their funds will arrive, but the site has not been without hiccups. The issues have been addressed by the IRS on its website-- ultimately, the IRS is asking you to keep trying when errors occur.
But, according to a House Ways and Means Committee memo, a tentative schedule has been set for mailing checks by income bracket.
You can read the full documents here: full complaint and full injuction
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