Wyoming Attorney General settles with shell companies
— February 7, 2014
(Press release) — The Wyoming Attorney General announced today that he recently reached settlements with several companies that were registered in Wyoming, or claimed to be headquartered in Wyoming, but were actually operating in other states.
VC Merchant Systems LLC, Vendors Choice Merchant Systems, V.C. Direct Solutions LLC, Progressive Media Group LLC, and Vendors Merchant Network were under investigation due to the “business opportunities” they claimed to sell. Consumers were told they would make money processing credit cards. They were then sold thousands of dollars in “leads” that typically yielded no profit. There was no admission of fault; however the companies and their owners agreed to reimburse consumers for over $100,000.
The Wyoming Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit also investigated seoworldwide.com, LLC for potential violations of the Wyoming Consumer Protection Act in connection with providing services related to website development and search engine result placement. There was no admission of fault; however the company and its owner agreed to reimburse consumers in the amount of $17,000.
Worldwide Points Solutions, LLC and American Points Exchange, LLC were being investigated after complaints about misrepresentations related to the purchase of timeshare points were made to the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office. There was no admission of fault; however the companies paid approximately $18,000 in refunds to consumers
In addition to consumer reimbursements, the company owners agreed to notify the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office if they form new Wyoming entities or operate any new businesses that claim to be based in Wyoming. All of the settling parties also agreed to strict guidelines about how they will conduct business if they return to the State of Wyoming.