An example of billing fraud that has been occurring with increasing frequency is where telemarketers call unsuspecting consumers and convince them to purchase gift cards or deposit bitcoins at a bitcoin ATM, under the false pretense that doing so will allow them to redeem a prize they have won. In the end, there is no prize to be redeemed and the telemarketers simply make off with the value of the gift card or the deposited bitcoin. And while the telemarketers profit handsomely from this scam, the parties that benefit the most are the corporations that sell the gift cards and are well aware of the existence of this scam, but turn a blind eye in order to increase their profits at the expense of consumers. Scott D. Owens is currently investigating several major corporations that are participating in, and knowingly benefitting from this unfair and unlawful practice.
The addition of “junk fees” to a bill is another increasingly common fraudulent billing practice that unscrupulous corporations are resorting to in order to drive profits at the expense of consumers. Corporations add these unlawful, deceptive, and unnecessary fees to bills, invoices, or other charges for no reason other than to increase their profits. To accomplish this, they add an additional charge to an otherwise legitimate bill, and call it things like “service fee” or “convenience fee” and then add that amount to the total charge. These fees can be presented as a percentage of the total charge or as a fixed dollar amount, but are always non-negotiable. More often than not, consumers are not even made aware that such a fee will be added until they are presented with a bill or are otherwise already obligated to pay for the initial legitimate charge. The amount of these fees or the manner in which they are imposed are often unlawful and designed to deceive or coerce consumers into paying. In reality, these junk fees are simply a made-up revenue stream that exclusively benefits the corporations that impose them, while offering consumers absolutely nothing in return. The pervasive nature of these fees has made them a significant and completely unnecessary strain on consumers throughout the U.S.
Scott D. Owens is working aggressively to combat this practice. Recently, Scott D. Owens, P.A. filed a class action lawsuit against Sea World and its parent company for adding junk fees to the bills of patrons at their Florida theme parks. In that suit, it is alleged that Sea World and affiliated theme parks are “cashless” parks, but despite only accepting credit or debit cards for payment for things like food and souvenirs throughout their parks, they stick consumers with an additional 5% “surcharge” on every purchase, while failing to disclose this unfair and unnecessary fee until after the payment has been made. It is further alleged that these fees are unlawfully excessive and deceptively imposed, allowing Sea World and its parent company to significantly increase their profits at the expense of consumers. Scott D. Owens looks forward to holding Sea World and its parent company accountable, and proving the unfair and unlawful nature of this practice in court.