Credit Card Scheme Agreement: Ten companies and...

Credit Card Scheme Agreement: Ten companies and four of their executives have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges over their alleged roles in a scheme to rent and sell credit card numbers to direct marketers, the FTC has announced. The agency said the marketers billed the consumers’ accounts without authorization when the consumers had agreed only to free trial memberships in organizations such as travel and shopping clubs or to purchases of items on a trial basis. The FTC said the firms and officials agreed to pay $292,000 in refunds and to stop such schemes. The FTC named the defendants as Capital Club of North America Inc., Philip A. Herman Marketing Consultants Inc., List Marketing Management Inc., Subscriptions Services Inc., National Media Corp., Media Arts Publications Ltd., Business Publications Inc., GLS Direct Inc., and NIS of South Jersey Inc. (both the New Jersey and Florida corporations). It said the four executives are Philip Herman, Michael Salaman, Ross Housley and Rocco Petrucelli, who were owners, brokers or marketing consultants of the firms.