Another court order filed in FTC action against American Vehicle Protection
The third development of the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation and lawsuit against Kole Consulting Group and its owner, Daniel Kole, and some of the defendants running American Vehicle Protection (AVP) became public this week.
The newest proposed court order in the case — which the defendants have agreed to — includes the bans from extended automobile warranty marketing and outbound telemarketing. The FTC said the order also includes a monetary judgment of $6.5 million, which is partially suspended based on the defendants’ inability to pay.
According to a news release, Kole will be required to surrender $500,000. If the defendants are found to have lied to the FTC about the financial status, the full judgment would be immediately payable, officials said.
The FTC previously announced a settlement with the other defendants in the case in March.
The FTC first charged the operation that allegedly scammed consumers out of millions of dollars in February 2022. In its complaint, the FTC charged that AVP made unsolicited calls in which it claimed to be affiliated with vehicle makers and deceptively claimed its products, which cost thousands of dollars, offered “bumper to bumper” protection.
The commission vote approving the stipulated final orders was 3-0. The FTC filed the proposed order in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
“Kole and AVP blasted consumers with illegal calls and made bogus claims about bumper-to-bumper warranties,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Today’s order bans Kole and his company from the extended auto warranty industry and imposes a monetary judgment of $6.6 million, continuing the commission’s aggressive crackdown on telemarketing fraud.”