Criminal Charges Laid Against Montreal-based Telemarketers

OTTAWA, September 21, 2000 — The Competition Bureau announced today that 35 criminal charges under the telemarketing provisions of the Competition Act have been laid against two Montreal-based telemarketing companies, their principal director, and five individual telemarketers.

The charges stem from a Bureau investigation into nationwide deceptive telemarketing practices carried out by F.D.G. Fortune One Group and F.N.G. First National Galleries between March and August of 1999.

Consumers claimed that during that time, telemarketers phoned to tell them they had been chosen to receive valuable awards or "premiums". The alleged catch was they would have to buy the companies' promotional products, such as reproduction artwork, before they could collect any prizes.

The Bureau alleges that Fortune One Group and First National Galleries telemarketers misled consumers about the nature, value and quality of the awards at the time of the transactions, and left out or only partially disclosed extra conditions and restrictions required to collect the prizes.

The principal director of the two companies, Marvin Redler, was charged along with the following telemarketers: Ron Howell, Barbara Gavin, Patricia Gavin, Richard Skolski, and James Place.

For more information, please contact:

Claire McLaughlin
819-994-0390

or

Julie Hébert
819-953-4257