Telemarketer faces additional charges under the Competition Act

Ottawa, March 7, 2006 -  The Competition Bureau announced today that a Montreal-area man, Charalambos (Bobby) Kok(k)inasidis, 28, has been charged with nine counts under the Competition Act for masterminding an alleged deceptive mail and telemarketing scam targeting Canadian businesses. He has also been charged for breach of a June 2002 Prohibition Order, which prohibits him from engaging in deceptive telemarketing for a period of 10 years.

On December 8, 2005, Mr. Kokinasidis was charged with 13 counts under the Competition Act for his role in a related Montreal-based deceptive telemarketing scam, Infosearch Publications Inc., and for breach of the same June 2002 Prohibition Order. Six other individuals as well as Infosearch Publications were also charged in December 2005.

Mr. Kokinasidis is accused of being the directing mind behind three Montreal-based companies, 9136-0297 Québec Inc., doing business as ‘Corporate Media Services’, and, ‘Charalambos Kokinasidis’ (sole proprietorship) and 9156-6323 Québec Inc., both doing business as ‘Commercial Media Services’. These three companies have also been charged under the false and misleading representation and deceptive telemarketing provisions of the Competition Act.

According to complainants, invoices were received from the accused companies demanding payment for unordered listings in one of three internet-based business directories, ‘www.cms411.net’, ‘www.speedyinfo.ca’ or ‘www.recherchemedia.ca’. These invoices were often preceded by a telephone call advising the recipient that they had previously authorized the listing, which the complainants said was not true.

Mr. Kokinasidis is scheduled for a first appearance in relation to all charges in the Court of Quebec in Montreal on May 3, 2006.

“Fraudulent activity targeting businesses and consumers in Canada is a serious concern for the Competition Bureau,” said Raymond Pierce, Deputy Commissioner. “We will continue to vigorously pursue these scammers so that Canadians can have confidence in the marketplace.”

The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency. We contribute to the prosperity of Canadians by protecting and promoting competitive markets and enabling informed consumer choice.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Maureen McGrath
Communications Advisor
Communications Branch
(819) 953-8982, or (613) 296-2187 (cell)

For general enquiries, please contact:
Information Centre
Competition Bureau
(819) 997-4282
1-800-348-5358